“Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’”
John 8:10-11
People love watching others get judged. People also like to watch leaders fail, especially those who challenge comfort zones.
These verses are the end of the story of the “woman caught in adultery.” Jesus was teaching in the Temple while the religious leaders were determined to bring about His downfall. They brought before Him a woman who was reportedly caught in the act of adultery. They wanted to execute her and asked Jesus about it. He didn’t argue with them. He simply called for someone from the group who had never sinned to throw the first stone. Honestly, I’m surprised that the group was self-aware enough not to throw the stone. They knew that they were not perfect. Slowly, they all walked away.
Once they had all left, Jesus encouraged her to continue her life without engaging in such sin.
A few verses later, Jesus says, “You judge by human standards; I judge no one.” I had never noticed this verse before this reading.
Too often, we in the Church are eager to judge. We claim we are doing it according to God’s standards because “the Bible says so” or because “scripture is clear.” Maybe those Pharisees John wrote about would have said the same. But Jesus said, “I judge no one.” A few chapters later, Jesus says, “I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world but to save the world.”
It isn’t that there is no judgment. Jesus says in John 12, “on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge.” But notice that the judgment is not now, and we are not the judges.
Why then are we always so eager to judge?
I can’t say for sure. Maybe it is because we believe that when we judge others, our own sins are obscured, hidden from the eyes of others.
What I can say is that if we are committed to being as Christ-like as possible, we need to spend our time showing love and forgiveness rather than judgment. We need to be content to leave judgment to someone more worthy and to accept it in God’s timing.
A Quote to Consider:
“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Character and reputation are very important to some of us. I know character is important to me. But I also admit to, at times, allowing my reputation to stand as a substitute for actual character.
There have been times in my life when I have been okay with my character flaws so long as they did not taint my reputation. There have also been times when damage to my reputation really bothered me, especially if the hit on my reputation did not reflect actual failings in my character.
Lincoln was wise to distinguish between the shadow of reputation and the solidity of character.
We would all like to have good reputations, but sometimes lies are told about us. Sometimes our failures are not noticed. Sometimes small failures are blown out of proportion. A good reputation is good to have, but it is a matter of perception, not reality.
Character is, as Lincoln said, the real thing. Character is the most important thing. Failures in our character tell us things about ourselves even if nobody else notices.
We cannot control how we are perceived, and as frustrating as it is, sometimes protecting our reputation is beyond our control. Character, however, is within our control, and it is what matters.
Prayer:
Lord,
Make us slow to condemn and quick to love. Shape our character in hidden places and teach us to leave judgment in Your hands.
Amen.
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