Criticism

Criticism

John 8 NLT

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

Allow me some artistic licence as we share this very well known incident in Jesus' life... Jesus was up EARLY teaching in the Temple. While He was doing that, what were the "vicars"  and "pastors" of the day up to? You have to conclude that they were milling around peering into someone's bedroom in order to catch this woman having illicit sex with a man! Or, they sent someone else to do their dirty work of spying.

Then they had to break into the place and drag the woman [what about the man?] out along the streets of Jerusalem to the Temple in front of Jesus - in order to trap Him.

Wow! The very ones who should have been sitting at Jesus' feet learning the way of love were "hell-bent" on doing an exposé of  someone's sin.

I love Jesus' response. He isn't rushed into a rash riposte. He takes His time - you can almost hear the hush of expectancy in the crowd: "What will He say?" "Alright, BUT... let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone"..  

That's the answer that God gives to us when we want to parade someone's faults to all and sundry.

When we've been wronged, we can't wait to drag that person's sins in front of anyone who's prepared to listen.

However, if I am at the feet of Jesus learning from Him, I won't  have time to mill around someone else's wrongdoings and pick up stones of criticism ready to hurl at them.

In the passage it goes on to say that they all dropped their stones and went away, because they all knew in their hearts that they had hidden sins.

It's amazing to see that the ONLY One who had the right to stone the woman, put down the rock of condemnation - the perfect Son of God shows mercy and encourages the woman to sin no more.

What stones of criticism am I gripping in my hands, ready to hurl out at someone? It's time to lay them down..... .... and stand with the gratefully forgiven!

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.