Monday, September 13, 2010

From Now On

John 8:3-9 NIV
3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They 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. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
 9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"11 "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."


If one speculates that Jesus was writing the names and sins of her accusers on the ground, we might go further and say that what was written there was still there when they left. 
Then Jesus stopped writing, maybe before writing her name. Only He and the woman remained. No one was able to condemn her because they were no better.
I imagine gentle words, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more".
We are told elsewhere that when we place our faith in Him that our sins will be remembered no more and that our names are written in the Book of Life.  Maybe that is done with His finger dipped in His own blood, for it is by His blood we are saved. A wonderful "from now on" begins.


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