1 Corinthians 5:9-13
They pointed out her sin. He pointed to her Savior.
Isn’t it painfully true that the sins in the lives of those
around us appear to be so much viler and so much more visible? The pride of our hearts assures us that
such decadence is far beneath our
failures. What they are doing, I
would NEVER do!
They had set their trap, made their move, and drug her--in
judgmental self-righteousness--into the glaring morning sun. They exposed the overexposed adulterous
to the light of the Holy One. They would hear Him render a guilty verdict that
would place Him in an inescapable corner…the conflict of the Law of Moses and
the laws of Rome. The perfect snare.
How proud they were of their excellent plan!
“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw
a stone at her.” John 8:7
A little doodling in the dust and a pregnant season of
silence, then the Holy One of God was alone with the fallen daughter of Eve.
“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:10-11
How pious and self-righteous we become when we arrogantly
draw attention to the despicable behaviors of those in the world that surrounds
us. The minor “mis-steps” of the
members of the church seem so insignificant when contrasted to the unspeakable
behaviors of outsiders. It is easy
to rise in judgment of the world while standing indifferently to our own sins.
“For what do I have to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom
you are to judge? God judges those
outside. Purge the evil person from
among
you.” (emphasis added)
The mission of the Church is not to point out the sins of
the world. The mission of the
Church is to point the world to the forgiving grace of the Savior!
See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom
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