John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. KJV
Imagine that you were in school and you had a major test on a novel, but you had only read half of the novel. It would be very difficult to make an “A” on the test because you only know half of the information needed to understand the novel. The same principle applies to this passage of scripture in the 8th chapter of St. John. People who make excuses for willful sin will make the statement that “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” In other words, they are saying that everyone commits willful sin and even Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Yes, these were the words of Jesus Christ, and yes, the devil will twist the very words of Jesus Christ to distort the truth. Why did Jesus make this statement and, more important, was this the end of the story?
Jesus was talking to the scribes and Pharisees (hypocrites). You can find more information about them in the 23rd chapter of Matthew. The conversation was in reference to a woman caught in the act of adultery. The scribes and Pharisees brought her to Jesus as a means of tempting him “that they might have to accuse him.” (6th verse) They did not have a sincere interest in the woman’s soul or in the proper application of the law. This was a device that was used to accuse Jesus Christ. Since Jesus knew their motives, he made the statement “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” In other words, how can the guilty punish the guilty? All sins are the same in God’s sight. God does not have “big” sins or “little” sins. So how could a sinner (one who willfully commits sin) punish another sinner (one who willfully commits sin)? As an aside, this is actually the predicament of false religion today. There are many “hypocritical” preachers (or false preachers) who cannot tell the people to stop willfully sinning because they are willfully sinning themselves. What a shame!
It is important, however, to read “the rest of the story.” This story does NOT stop in the 7th verse! The accusers leave and Jesus, with words of compassion, informs the woman that he does not condemn her. He does not stop with that statement because he does not want this woman to commit adultery again (or any other willful sin for that matter). He states to her, “Neither do I condemn thee: GO, AND SIN NO MORE.” “No more” means NO MORE! Jesus would not tell us to “SIN NO MORE” if he knew that we simply had to willfully sin. This is still the charge to everyone today. The End. |
