“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. John 8:4-9 (NLT)
It’s interesting how quick we can be to judge others. When we make a mistake, we want compassion and forgiveness from God and others. But when others make a mistake, we are typically harsher in our reaction to their sin. It’s as if we try to dismiss what we’ve done as minor or insignificant, but we highlight and criticize the mistakes of others.
Jesus wasn’t condoning the woman’s actions. He was simply pointing out the irony of how people react toward others. Have you ever been quick to judge someone else? Have you ever made a big deal out of their mistakes but tried to minimize the mistakes in your own life? Take a few minutes to reflect on what you read. Be thankful that God will forgive your sins and the mistakes of others.