Today’s Scripture:
John 8:3-7 NIV
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
The Bible says that God delights in showing mercy. He is eager to show mercy. Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. He's the rock on which we stand. He is the pillar and ground of the truth. He is a stone that cannot be shaken. In our text, a woman was caught in the act of adultery; according to the law of Moses, that woman should be stoned. That means they would take her out in public and everyone would stone her to death. This dates back to ancient Jewish society.
According to the Torah, adultery was considered a severe offense. The law prescribed the death penalty for both the man and the woman involved (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22-24). It also required a witness of the crime, which in this case is adultery. There's a cultural factor here as well. Women had limited legal and social rights compared to men within this culture. Adultery laws, therefore, often put women in a particularly vulnerable position, which reflects the double standard of that time.
In our text, The Pharisees and scribes who brought the woman to Jesus were religious leaders known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses. Even if it was concerning others and not themselves. You know those people, everything you do is wrong, but when they do it, it's not so bad. They were hypocritical; they knew the law but did not follow it. Jesus, now, was the law, and he was teaching truths, and they were offended and wanted to trap him because he was exposing their hypocrisy.
Jesus emphasizes mercy over judgment, which is a shift or a new direction from the law of Moses. They wanted to stone this woman and kill her. Jesus, who is the stone and foundation of our salvation, says no. He used mercy instead of judgment. He's the mercy stone. He didn't desire to stone her with physical stones, but he wanted to restore her with the stone of Mercy. Jesus is the mercy stone.
Family, you can trust in Jesus, the rock of our salvation, the stone the builders rejected, he is our mercy stone. He will show mercy instead of judgement, peace instead of war, grace Instead of punishment. Jesus, the mercy stone is on your side.
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