John 8:1-11

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn, He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?”
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger.
7 When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

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Jesus Christ is grace and love. He is holy. He is the One without sin. He is the One who lived a life of holiness, the One who yielded Himself before God the Father. Jesus is the spotless Lamb. He is the One with eyes like fire. He is the One who is jealous for His creation. Jesus is the Savior of the world, the Redeemer, and the Son of God.

Jesus, the King of Kings, is the One who meets you where you are. He wants to go into the depths of your heart. He desires to know you deeply. He gave everything for you. He wants to become the lover of your soul and give you your true identity as His daughter(or son). Jesus, the Holy One, wants to meet you wherever you find yourself today.

In this passage, we see a woman full of fear and sorrow—a heartbroken woman, a woman full of sin and sadness, a woman confused, without identity or value, abandoned and rejected. She was tormented, with a mind filled with dark desires, a woman with no purpose—one who had betrayed her husband with another man.

And sadly, as humans, we would have been quick to label her: an adulterer, a sinner—someone who should never have come near Jesus.

But Jesus met her right where she was.

The passage says that early in the morning, Jesus went into the temple courts and began teaching. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law came to Him and said:

Verse 4-5: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?”

Verse 6-7: Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger.

Jesus bends down and begins writing.

Maybe the place you find yourself in is filled with guilt, shame, loneliness, sadness, and hopelessness. Maybe you feel unclean and unworthy.

But Jesus wants to meet you right there. He wants to sit with you and hold you near. He wants to give you hope.

Verse 7: When they kept on questioning Him, He stood up and said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Understand this: Jesus is your defender. He is for you. Jesus, the Holy One, does not condemn you. Guilt and shame are traps—and Jesus doesn’t want you to live trapped by them.

Jesus didn’t come to condemn you—He came to save you. And if anyone has told you that God is a condemning God, I want to say: I’m sorry. You were lied to.

Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He would go to any dark place to find you and sit with you until you’re ready to say yes to Him. His love never tires, and it never gives up.
(1 John 4:16)

Verse 10-11: Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

You might ask, “Why did Jesus say, ‘Go now and leave your life of sin’?” Maybe your religious mindset says, “See—God still condemns, because it’s impossible to live without sin.”

But understand this: a declaration is a statement of what is being made possible. Jesus wasn’t condemning her—He was declaring what His sacrifice would make possible.

He was pointing forward to the cross.

Jesus died for you and me so that we could live a life free from sin.

This woman encountered her true lover—Jesus. In that moment, Jesus changed her identity by declaring, “You can go now and leave your life of sin.” He purified her. He made a declaration over her life that no one could accuse her—and the only One who could have, didn’t.

Jesus declared her holy.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT): “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit, God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.”

Prayer: Father, I say yes to you. Father, I let you into my heart. Father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for coming my way to meet me in my darkest hole, to come, sit, and speak into my life. I need you, Jesus. Jesus, I lay down any guilt and shame before you. Jesus, I surrender it all. I surrender my emotions. I surrender my life. Come into the deepest part of my heart, heal me, and make me whole in you.

Holy Spirit, I pray that any person reading this can feel the touch of your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.

-With love Claudia C.