Grace Restores

Uplook – March 2019 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Grace Restores

“Woman, where are those thine accusers? Has no one condemned thee? And she said, No one, sir.” —John 8:10-11 JND

The Lord Jesus was sitting in the temple, teaching the people who came to Him. No doubt, the subject He taught was the principles of the heavenly kingdom. Great principles were put before the people. From the gospel of Matthew we know that one of the familiar expressions is, “But I say unto you.” We have no reason not to believe that the same expression was used in this setting.

But then there was an interruption. A woman was brought before the Lord Jesus and those with Him. She had been caught in the act of adultery. Legalistic scribes and Pharisees attempted to find something for which to accuse Him. They forced the Lord to take a stand, either against the law of Moses or to condemn the poor woman. If he would do the first, the Jews would be able to accuse Him of not keeping the law. How could He do that? He was the lawgiver Himself. If He would condemn the poor woman, she would be stoned to death, and never again would a sinner dare to come to Him.

What a lesson we have here concerning grace and truth. Where was the man in this case? The law did not say that only the woman had to die; both of them were guilty. The fact that the man was not present gave the Lord the opportunity to show the accusers what really is in the heart of man. He wrote on the ground words we do not know; perhaps they were from Jeremiah 17: “They that depart from me shall be written in the earth; because they have forsaken Jehovah” (v.13). Did the Lord want to show them what lives in the human heart? It is “desperately wicked” (v.9 kjv). When He got up from the ground He challenged the accusers, if they were without sin, to cast the first stone. None of them did, because they knew in their hearts how sinful they were in the eyes of God.

To the woman the Lord Jesus could say, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (Jn. 8:11). What grace! The Lord did not overlook her sin, but He knew that sins would be forgiven in His name. His love for the sinner gained the victory. May we all learn this lesson: Grace restores and brings us back to Himself and to His people.

By Klaas Rot