August
28, 2003
GO
AND SIN NO MORE
"When
Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman,
He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours?
Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus
said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'
" (John 8:10, 11, NKJV).
"A
group of Pharisees and scribes approached [Jesus] dragging
with them a terror-stricken woman, whom with hard, eager voices
they accused of having violated the seventh commandment. Having
pushed her into the presence of Jesus, they said to Him, with
a hypocritical show of respect, 'Moses in the law commanded
us, that such should be stoned; but what do you say?'
"Their
pretended reverence veiled a deep-laid plot for His ruin.
They had seized upon this opportunity to secure His condemnation,
thinking that whatever decision He might make, they would
find occasion to accuse Him. Should He acquit the woman, He
might be charged with despising the law of Moses. Should He
declare her worthy of death, He could be accused to the Romans
as one who was assuming authority that belonged only to them.
"Jesus
looked for a moment upon the scene, - the trembling victim
in her shame, the hard-faced dignitaries, devoid of even human
pity. His spirit of stainless purity shrank from the spectacle.
Well He knew for what purpose this case had been brought to
Him. He read the heart, and knew the character and life history
of everyone in His presence. These would-be guardians of justice
had themselves led their victim into sin, that they might
lay a snare for Jesus. Giving no sign that He had heard their
question, He stooped, and fixing His eyes upon the ground,
began to write in the dust.
"Impatient
at His delay and apparent indifference, the accusers drew
nearer, urging the matter upon His attention. But as their
eyes, following those of Jesus, fell upon the pavement at
His feet, their countenances changed. There, traced before
them, were the guilty secrets of their own lives. The people,
looking on, saw the sudden change of expression, and pressed
forward to discover what it was that they were regarding with
such astonishment and shame.
"With
all their professions of reverence for the law, these rabbis,
in bringing the charge against the woman, were disregarding
its provisions. It was the husband's duty to take action against
her, and the guilty parties were to be punished equally. The
action of the accusers was wholly unauthorized. Jesus, however,
met them on their own ground. The law specified that in punishment
by stoning, the witnesses in the case should be the first
to cast a stone. Now rising, and fixing His eyes upon the
plotting elders, Jesus said, "He
that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone
at her." And stooping down, He continued writing
on the ground.
"Jesus
had not set aside the law given through Moses, nor infringed
upon the authority of Rome. The accusers had been defeated.
Now, their robe of pretended holiness torn from them, they
trembled lest the hidden iniquity of their lives should be
laid open to the multitude; and one by one, with bowed heads
and downcast eyes, they stole away, leaving their victim with
the pitying Saviour.
"Jesus
arose, and looking at the woman said, 'Woman,
where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?'
She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her,
'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' "--Desire
of Ages, pp., 460, 461.
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