Go and Sin no More
April 2015
And Jesus said...Go and sin no more
- John 8:11
Reflect
This woman in John 8 was caught in adultery. Not accused of adultery mind you, but physically caught in the act of committing adultery. She was thrown out in the midst of the street for all to see, and brought before one of the popular leaders of the day. Everyone expected her to be stoned on the spot, most likely including her.
Instead, Jesus gave her freedom with five short words. “Go and sin no more.” This woman was given a new lease on life instead of judgment. A second chance instead of a stoning. An opportunity to make better choices moving forward.
Rewind
This is a wonderful gift Jesus gave the woman when He allowed mercy to triumph over judgment. Yet there was much work left to be done by this woman to fully realize the offer given to her. We don’t see the rest of her story in the New Testament, but we can certainly imagine it.
The next day this woman goes to the market to purchase food, and the whispers and sly glances arise as she walks by.
“I wouldn’t have saved THAT one.”
“I wonder why Jesus did that?”
“I would have thrown the stone if I was there.”
“She will only do it again. It’s who she is.”
That last one hurt the most. She didn’t wake up one day and just decided to be…well, what she had become. It was a series of small choices that piled up, and over time she found that she barely recognized herself when she looked at her life, the choices she made, the woman she’d become.
React
We will never know how this woman responded to the offer of mercy from Jesus, but if we are honest, we all know exactly how she felt before the mercy came. Caught. Judged. Belittled.
And most of us know the pain of not-so-quiet whispers about us as we walk by. Presuming failure. False identity. Anger. Arrogance.
Like this woman, we have all been caught in the very midst of our sin in one moment or another. And like her, we all have the opportunity to grab hold of mercy and never let go. Even when the voices tell us we don’t deserve better, and we should receive everything but mercy, we still have a choice.
It can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools in our hands we can go and sin no more. While not an exhaustive list, each of these tools gives us strength for the battle to hold on to mercy:
Each of us has received mercy.
Together, we can strive toward the freedom that is contained in that offer.
We can go and sin no more.
- John 8:11
Reflect
This woman in John 8 was caught in adultery. Not accused of adultery mind you, but physically caught in the act of committing adultery. She was thrown out in the midst of the street for all to see, and brought before one of the popular leaders of the day. Everyone expected her to be stoned on the spot, most likely including her.
Instead, Jesus gave her freedom with five short words. “Go and sin no more.” This woman was given a new lease on life instead of judgment. A second chance instead of a stoning. An opportunity to make better choices moving forward.
Rewind
This is a wonderful gift Jesus gave the woman when He allowed mercy to triumph over judgment. Yet there was much work left to be done by this woman to fully realize the offer given to her. We don’t see the rest of her story in the New Testament, but we can certainly imagine it.
The next day this woman goes to the market to purchase food, and the whispers and sly glances arise as she walks by.
“I wouldn’t have saved THAT one.”
“I wonder why Jesus did that?”
“I would have thrown the stone if I was there.”
“She will only do it again. It’s who she is.”
That last one hurt the most. She didn’t wake up one day and just decided to be…well, what she had become. It was a series of small choices that piled up, and over time she found that she barely recognized herself when she looked at her life, the choices she made, the woman she’d become.
React
We will never know how this woman responded to the offer of mercy from Jesus, but if we are honest, we all know exactly how she felt before the mercy came. Caught. Judged. Belittled.
And most of us know the pain of not-so-quiet whispers about us as we walk by. Presuming failure. False identity. Anger. Arrogance.
Like this woman, we have all been caught in the very midst of our sin in one moment or another. And like her, we all have the opportunity to grab hold of mercy and never let go. Even when the voices tell us we don’t deserve better, and we should receive everything but mercy, we still have a choice.
It can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools in our hands we can go and sin no more. While not an exhaustive list, each of these tools gives us strength for the battle to hold on to mercy:
- Memorize Scripture. There is no stronger weapon than knowing the Word of God. As a church we are memorizing some Bible verses together, and this is a great place to start. Download the Quizlet app and search for “revealchurch”. Once you finish memorizing those, reach out to a pastor or leader, and they will be glad to give you more.
- Be open with your struggles. Transparency is one of the most powerful tools against the darkness of sin. Allow the love of a small group or a trusted friend whose heart is for God and your freedom to lift you up, and lend you strength when you are weak. As you share both your struggles and your victory, the hold that sin has on your life will lessen.
- Prayer. The Gospel of Matthew has a hidden gem of a promise in verses 7:9-11. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” In this passage, God promises to give good gifts to us when we ask.
Each of us has received mercy.
Together, we can strive toward the freedom that is contained in that offer.
We can go and sin no more.
