February 2004
Page 1 - Yesterday's Anointing By Dr. R. T. Kendall
Page 2 - Let Him Who is Without Sin… By Denise Siemens
Let Him Who is Without Sin…
By Denise SiemensA woman had been caught in adultery, and the religious authorities brought her before Jesus. Picture the scene: a frightened, cowering woman fearful for her life; angry men with stones poised in their hands shouting for her death; a crowd of onlookers curious to see what was going to happen (John 8:1-11).
The scribes and Pharisees were testing Jesus, looking for reasons to accuse Him. They referred to the Law as they told Him that anyone caught in adultery should be stoned.
In response to their challenge, Jesus said, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" (v.7). Of course, everyone present soon disappeared from the scene. When we get to this point in the story, we remind ourselves that neither are we without sin.
However, there was one present who, indeed, was without sin. Jesus was the one, and He could have cast the first stone. In doing so, He would have been confirming the continuation of the Law. Instead, He points out to the woman that no one was present to condemn her and that He didn't condemn her either. He then asks her to go and sin no more.
The Pharisees were not mistaken in demanding that this woman be put to death. When we read this story, we may see the woman as a victim of those mean, old Pharisees. However, she was guilty, and the Law said she should be stoned. So why does Jesus pardon her?
We read in John 3:17 that "God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him." Jesus revealed his mission to the world in the way he responded to the woman caught in adultery, and He showed us how we are to respond to mankind in the same way.
If the very Son of God, He who is without sin, didn't come to judge the world, why are we so quick to pass judgment on non-believers and fellow believers as well?
One reason is that we forget that it is by grace that we have been saved (Ephesians 2:8) and brought into fellowship with God. We get used to our place at the Father's table, and we start to think that somehow we're special or better than others are. We forget that it is by no work or effort of our own that we have this place (Titus 3:5).
Jesus tells a story in Matthew 18:23-35 of a slave who was forgiven a great debt. Some commentators compare it to about $10,000,000. This same slave had a debtor who owed him only about 100 days wages, but he had no mercy on his fellow servant. At $20 per hour, he was owed about $16,000. Needless to say, his master was extremely angry when he found out about the lack of mercy his slave showed to another, especially since he had been forgiven so much more in comparison. The unmerciful slave was thrown into prison. Jesus then says, "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart (v. 35).
This story illustrates the absolute necessity of granting forgiveness and extending mercy. We are to forgive others because God has forgiven us so much more, and in the same way, we are not to judge others because He has been merciful to us. I once heard mercy as defined as "not getting what I deserve." We are all deserving of eternal punishment and separation from God, but we have been granted mercy because of Christ's death on the cross. If we who are deserving of death have been shown mercy, how much more should we not judge others whose sins are certainly of no more consequence than our own?
Sometimes, what we call discernment is really just passing judgment on another while using religious language. It's all in the motive. Do you talk about individuals, churches, or institutions with an attitude of "I know what's wrong. If only they would have done this"? I once had to repent to the Lord because I had a judgmental attitude towards a denomination (no, it wasn't Lutheran). Although I still believe that I was right in my discernment of what they had done, my attitude was one of blame towards them and self-righteousness on my part. Instead of praying and asking God to have mercy on them, I was content to sit smugly and judge them for what they had done. We're often in more danger of being judgmental when our discernment is correct.
In Galatians 6:1 Paul told us what our attitude is to be when we see sin in another. He wrote, "Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…" What a difference from the Law! Instead of passing judgment, we are to bring restoration. Instead of throwing stones from a distance, we are to draw near to the one who has sinned in a spirit of gentleness.
We're not smart enough, or spiritual enough, to be judge and jury. Have you ever heard one person's story and have been totally appalled at what happened, only to hear the other side and then realize that maybe you didn't have all of the facts? We don't see the whole story, and we don't have absolute, correct discernment to be able to pass judgment. I see partiality in myself from time to time. If it's a good friend, I may make excuses for the behavior more than if it was a stranger who had done the same thing.
The Pharisees showed this same tendency when they brought only the woman caught in adultery. They were half-right in their application of the Law, but where was the man? The Law stipulated that both the man and the woman should be stoned (Leviticus 20:10). Was the man a friend of theirs, or was he an important person in society that was able to buy protection? Whatever the reason, they were not consistent in their application, and neither are we.
Do we want to join forces with the defense or with the prosecution? We're given a picture of what Jesus is presently doing in Hebrews 7:25. The writer states, "…since He always lives to make intercession for them." Jesus is on one side of the courtroom pleading that we would be granted mercy because of His death on the cross. He stands between us and judgment, interceding so that we do not get what we deserve.
The devil is on the other side. He is called the "accuser of the brethren" (Revelations 12:10). In fact, "devil" comes from the Greek word, "diabolos," which means "the accuser, the slanderer." When we judge and accuse another, in essence, we are joining our adversary's side, agreeing with him that the accused is deserving of punishment. I don't know about you, but I want to be on Jesus' side in this case.
Mercy Evangelism
Phrases like, "Power Evangelism" and "Servant Evangelism" have been around for a while. I'd like to introduce you to what I call "Mercy Evangelism." I sometimes wonder why there isn't more revival in the world, much less in our own congregations, and then I look at the Church and wonder how the lost see us.When we lived in Fresno, CA we had neighbors who were also friends. One morning our neighbor started his car that was parked on the street and then left it so it would warm up. For some reason, it rolled backwards and then hit our car. It dented in our front fender. We found out that they couldn't afford car insurance. I then went inside the house, made a batch of cookies, carried a plate over to them, and told them not to worry about the damage. They were on the defensive when I first knocked at the door, but they relaxed when they saw the cookies. (It's amazing what chocolate can do!) Now, we're not saints; our car was a few years old at the time, but I hope that we would have done the same thing if our car had been brand new. Because we weren't adversarial, they remained our friends and even came to church with us.
When we extend mercy to an unbeliever, we are accomplishing more in the Kingdom than when we hand out hundreds of religious tracts. I've done my share of knocking on doors and standing on street corners. I'm an extrovert, and those methods are easy, and even fun, for me.
The next time you're in a large group, take a poll. Ask how many became believers by a stranger knocking on their door and talking about the gospel, or by someone handing them some religious literature on a street corner, or by a large evangelistic crusade they went to on their own, or by a religious TV program. You'll see just a small smattering of hands. Then ask how many became believers because of someone who befriended them-who extended warmth and mercy instead of judgment. The majority of the hands will go up at that time. Mercy Evangelism will bring more of your family and friends into the Kingdom than any of those other methods.
I'm not saying that we should stop doing those other things, but let's recognize that those methods are not nearly as effective compared to what you can accomplish in your own backyard by extending mercy.
Consider, again, the woman caught in adultery. That's you-that's me. We deserve death, but Jesus does not condemn us; he intercedes on our behalf. Let's join Jesus' side the next time we're tempted to criticize or judge another. Let us not ever again pick up a stone.
Denise Siemens, along with her husband, Dan, is on staff at Lutheran Renewal. In addition to her administrative duties, she speaks at retreats, churches, and conferences. She also travels for Alpha, teaching on prayer and prayer ministry. In her spare time she enjoys making cookies.
