Will We Ever Be Qualified To Do This?

John 8:4-8 - "…they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."  NASU 
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• The Answer Is NO 

The scribes and Pharisees were once again trying to trap Jesus with a question. If He says, Yes, you can stone her according to the Law of Moses. He would be in trouble with the Roman Government, but if He says, No, then He would be teaching contrary to the Law of Moses and in trouble with the people.
 
Jesus does what He does best in these types of situations. He doesn't answer their fictitious question. He stands up (this is the meaning of the Greek word "straightened up") and says, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
 
Will we ever be qualified to throw stones at someone because they have sinned?
 
The answer is an emphatic "NO" and the reason is we have to be sinless to throw stones at someone. This is something no one will ever be qualified to do for we have all sinned and have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). 

• What Should We Throw? 

We should throw ourselves down to the ground and ask God to forgive us for the sins we have committed.  After we have done that we will be in a better position to hand out mercy and grace to the ones who also have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
 
When we extend forgiveness to those who have sinned we become more like God than we will ever realize. 

• The Choice Is Ours 

We have a choice before us today. We can either be like this Pharisee or this tax collector in the parable Jesus tells in the book of Luke.
 
Luke 18:9-14 - And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
 
We will never be permitted to be stone-throwers, but we are allowed to have contrite hearts.
 
Think About This:
 
We should forgive others as quickly as we expect God to forgive us.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago 

Minister of God's Word