6,7 “Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’”
John 8:6,7 (ESV)
I wonder what He wrote in the sand, Jesus that is. I wonder what His self-talk was like as He listened to others question Him a lot.
Reminds me of the kinds of things athletes and coaches face at press conferences sometimes. Stupid, manipulative questions always tend to fly in and around us.
I bet Jesus' fingered answers in the sand came out something like this:
The first to punish sin must be a sinless one. [If I won't do it, then you better not do it either.]
Don't take the law into your own hands. [Vigilante justice is no justice. Let God be God.]
There's a big difference between noticing sin and condemning sinners. [Make sure you're terrific at the former and terrible at the latter.]
Invite people to leave a life of sin. [Don't try to make them or threaten them. Picture a special future. Let Me (God) do the work.] See John 8:11.
Jesus masterfully instructs us in how to deal with sin in and around us (and how to deal with all the stupid questions that normally accompany sin).
Not everything that gets our attention deserves our attention.
Reflect: How are you doing in these areas? Are you seeing sin as sin? Are you noticing it in you and around you?
Are you leaving it to God to do the condemning? Are you picturing a special future for self and others as sin is being dealt with and left behind?
A prayer to consider: Jesus, keep writing your best thoughts into me. My mind and heart need Your help to see everything and everyone in this world as I ought.
I don't wanna miss the mark on how I read others, myself, sin, things that matter, and things that don't. Coach me to sound mind and proper judgment for Your glory and my good. Amen.
