Don’t Throw the First Stone!

Don’t Throw the First Stone! by Special Guest Pastor Rod Lindemann

In the Gospel of John we read about a woman who by law should be killed for her adulterous actions. Surrounded by cold hearted men who were determined to trick Jesus, they were anxious to apply the law to the full extent. But before they can apply the law Jesus gives the men a test. He says, “Let the first among you be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7). Jesus implies the men are correct, this women does deserve death! However, the message is clear – you too need to die! Each of us, sinners against our Heavenly Father, deserves death.

Filled with sin themselves the men slowly walk away realizing they could not condemn the adulterous women. Did the woman deserve death? Yes, but Jesus offers us something money can’t buy – His Grace. With powerful words he says, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11). The woman is set free! Grace – God’s free gift of forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Jesus does not condemn but saves those who trust and believe in him as their Lord and Savior.

We all sin, we all deserve to be stoned, and we all deserve to die. There is Good News, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). God did not sit high upon his throne watching us die a miserable death; he stooped down to our level by sending Jesus who experienced the same pain and temptations we face. Jesus fully knows our struggles, our heartaches, and our failures. God could have easily thrown the final stone and ended it all. But instead The Father sent Jesus, the Corner Stone, which now builds and saves.

As followers of Jesus our role is not to condemn the world, but to be God’s instruments of his grace and mercy. We are not to cast the first stone. We are to love our neighbors as Christ loves us – unconditionally. We go out into a world filled with sin sharing the words of Jesus, “Women, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said “No one, Lord,” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.”