In John 8:1-11 we see the heart of Jesus. A bit later Jesus will say, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). In our story we have two realities, the reality of a women caught up in the sexual misconduct of adultery, and a group of people who felt her sin was so grievous that she should die for it. Into the fray Jesus comes and changes the narrative. He forces the crowd to look inward and see the hidden sin in their own hearts. He calls the woman out of her sinful situation, forgives her, and changes the trajectory of her life. No one got let off the hook that day. People in the crowd had to face themselves, and the woman had to face herself. Jesus levels the playing feel and models a fundamental truth, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
The woman had sinned, and Jesus held her to it, forgave her, and said to her, “Go. From now on sin no more” (vs. 11). The pride and spiritual arrogance of the people of the crowd were challenged by Jesus, and for a brief moment in time, the crowd dispensed and walked away. They knew their hearts, and Jesus forced them to stare down their hearts, and see through the sham of their so-called righteousness. I believe the season of Lent is a wonderful time to stare down our hearts, and see what is really in them.
True, we should do this often, not just during Lent. Yet, most of us don’t live with this kind of intentionality. We get caught up in our lives, believe our own press releases, see the sins in others, and go about making them pay. Lent takes us to the desert and to the prayer and fasting of our Savior, and causes us to look deep within and see what is really there. No pretense. No self-edifying press releases. No spin doctoring,
To a woman, and the crowd that would kill her, Jesus brings truth, the kind of truth that makes people free. But, let’s be honest, the truth can hurt, and hurt deeply. The question is, how will we respond when God speaks the truth into our hearts. Are we that lone person in need of God’s love and forgiveness, or a member of the crowd that would rather see the sin in others rather than in ourselves, or both? The truth is, speaking of truth, we all need God’s grace and mercy. As Paul writes in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, not even one.” None of us gets off the hook so that we are lifted to that place where we can judge another. We all stand in need of God’s amazing grace. Someone once expressed,
How I wish that there was some wonderful place
called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes and all out heartaches,
And all our poor selfish grief,
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,
And never put on again.
There is such a place, the heart of God.
Welcome home.
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