Judge Not...

So sorry for the lateness of this post. It's been a crazy week for this blogger!

Praise Reports:

• Thank the Lord that we've escaped the terrible tornadoes, massive flooding, and devastating wildfires that are destroying other areas of the country! Remember to pray for those who are affected, and maybe give some money or volunteer through organizations like Samaritan's Purse. 
• June's son and daughter-in-law are safe in Alabama, with minimal damage to their house and electricity back up.
• Elaine's mom had a really good visit and a safe trip back to California.
• Christin is safe, though a tornado did rip up some of her Air Force base. She and James are counting down the days to when he will be able to come join her!
• The Hodge family is really enjoying their stay with the Childresses.
• Elaine hurt her foot on the 30th, but was all right the next day.
• Ken found his cell phone, amazingly enough, in the dark after a day of working outdoors!

Prayer Requests:

• Pray wisdom and guidance for Beverly as she pursues a healing ministry in Georgia.
• Carla Bowers is a local woman suffering from bone cancer, which doctors say may be incurable. She is 41 years old with 5 kids.
• Roy needs encouragement after an awful week working for the U.S. Postal Service.
• Pray for the 13 year old pregnant girl with Rebecca at the Highland shelter. 

My Trusty Gavel, a photo by steakpinball on Flickr.

John 8:2-12 This is, without a doubt, a "wow" story of extreme mercy on Jesus's part, and that's usually all we see. But there's really much more to be found in this story. 


First, let's agree on a few points 

1. What is meant by "Law" in this passage is the Torah: the inspired and inerrant words given to Moses by God. 
2. The Pharisees' understanding of this Law in respect to the treatment of adulterers was absolutely correct: they should be executed (Leviticus 20:10).
3. The Jews would have been obedient to the Law if they had stoned the woman. 

Here's the setup: the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery before Jesus and ask Him to give a verdict. The Romans who are ruling this land say that the Jews cannot kill people in accordance with their Holy Law, but the Law demands this woman's death. Jesus is a good Jew, so does He require these people to follow the letter of the Law, or does He obey authority and comply with the Roman rules? Something altogether unexpected! Instead he gives the Jews a challenge and watches them walk away from the woman, who is left unharmed, in blatant disobedience to the Law of Moses. What can we draw from this?

Upon further study, we can make a good case for the idea that being obedient does not always equal being just. "Right" doesn't always equal "just". Following the Law in this case would have been right, but not "fair". 

Paul said plainly that the Law is perfect (Psalm 19:7, 2 Timothy 3:16). We are the problem here. We are all guilty--as guilty as that adulteress (remember that to Jesus lust=adultery)--it's just that not all of us are "caught in the act". 


Imagine a traffic cop who routinely drives while intoxicated, and has the audacity to pull you over and give you a DWI. Do you deserve the DWI for drunk driving? Of course! Is it just for that cop to be hypocritical enough to exercise judgment on you when he is guilty of the exact same thing? Of course not!


So it is not fair that we execute judgment on sinners. The woman deserved to be punished, but the Jews gathered around her holding stones did not have the right to punish her. They had dirt on their own hands and so were not qualified to obey the Law. "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." These words apply to each and every one of us. He was holding up the Law as a mirror to the crowd. Personal Application: The Law should always be used as a mirror for us, and not as a condemnation for others. 

Still, the church is repeatedly instructed to mete out judgment among its members. How do we do this?

In 1 Corinthians 5:1-3 we read of an "immoral brother" on whom Paul lays a heavy hand. How is that just? Well, he is laying his hand on a brother who shows complete disregard for the Law. The Law judges a sinner's actions; we in obedience do not execute judgment on the person, but on his hardness of heart that shows corruption. We've all got sin on our rap sheet, so to speak, but most remain sensitive to the mirror of the Law. We are told by Christ to forgive someone 7 times if they repent 7 times. However, if they are still rebellious even after we have gone to them, brought them before others, etc. (Matthew 18:15-17), we may pass judgment on their hardness of heart. This way we leave it up to God to judge the deed, not us. If we ever judge it should not be for what someone did, but for what they didn't do. 

Remember: Jesus didn't even pass judgment on those who would stone the woman! He just gave them a "mirror", and they walked away without judgment on them.

Let us apply those oft-quoted verses: Matthew 7:1-2. Think of a scenario where the crowd ignored Jesus's words and stoned the adulteress.  If they had, there is a distinct possibility that Jesus would have sided with the crowd, just as He did in John 8:11 (Did the crowd take cues from Him, or vice-versa? "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven....", Matthew 18:18). He might have stood beside the dead woman and said that what had been done was right. Hard, but right. But then He could have turned right around, looked the condemners in the eye, and told them to watch out: their judgment would henceforth be on their own heads, and whatever justice they showed that dead woman would be shown to them in the future. 


P.S. Some people wrestle with Jesus's phrase "go and sin no more". But what was He supposed to say? "Cut it down by 30%, please, lady." The woman would still fall short--just like the rest of us--but she could draw on Christ's mercy, just as we can.

P.P.S. What about our American judicial system? Are our judges being unjust when they condemn a man for committing a crime? Remember: we can't impose Kingdom principles on the kingdom of this world. We live in a world of layers: the layer of us, the layer of our family, the layer of our friends, our community, our town, our county, our state, our country, our world, and overarching them all: the Kingdom of Heaven. Here on this earth--as we await the coming of Christ which will put all things in their proper place--we must hold those around us accountable for social crimes. Democracy can only work if people police themselves. Note: the woman in this story wasn't a murderer, a danger to the world.