August 16th, 2022

Jesus Will Forgive You

John 8:10-11 NIV

"Jesus straightened up and 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.'"

      Unforgiveness. Cold. Angry. Painful. And yet, whether we're the perpetrator or the victim, unforgiveness can be hard to overcome. For some, forgiveness comes easy. For others, taking their unforgiveness to the grave doesn't bother them. Now, for those struggling to forgive, stay tuned for tomorrow's thought. Today, however, I'm speaking to those who have committed the crime and want so badly for the other party to forgive them already. Or maybe, the other party claims to have forgiven you, but still throws your past in your face when they feel the need to, even if you've already made up for the crime against them over and over again. Naturally, people tend to use another person's offense against them as leverage in a multitude of scenarios. Maybe it's because it makes that person feel better by continuing to obtain the upper hand over the offender. Maybe it's because that person was so deeply hurt by the offense that by continuing to remind the offender of their shortcoming, they may hurt them as well. Whatever the reason may be, people seem to find holding the grudge much easier than forgiving.

      In this scripture, the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. This was normally a crime punishable by death (stoning), but they wanted to see what Jesus had to say about the matter (as they were always looking for ways to trip Him up). Jesus told them that whoever was without sin may throw the first stone. One by one, the crowd left. When it was just the woman and Jesus remaining, He asked her where everyone had gone and if they had condemned her. I'm sure as she was answering, she was expecting Him to condemn her for her offense just as the crowd had wanted, but just as Jesus says to us, He says to her, "Then neither do I condemn you." Friends, people may condemn us. People may hold our offenses over our heads. People may harbor unforgiveness towards us. The thing is, we're not perfect. We make mistakes, but when we confess our sins to Jesus and turn away from them, He doesn't condemn us but forgives us. And His forgiveness is what matters most; Not other people's. 

"Go now and leave your life of sin," you are forgiven!