Lifted Up or Cast Down

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  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.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  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.  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.” – John 5:10-11

When the pastor shared today’s passage in his sermon on Sunday, which was about the things that make God angry, I had one of those moments when God opened my mind very clearly to issues that I needed to address.

Every time I’ve read this story I’ve been hypocritially angry at the men who watched in waiting to catch this woman in sin. Then in their self-righteous arrogance, brought her to Jesus and threw her at His feet while accusing her. Today, the Lord told me, I was acting just like those men.

There are some habits that a dear friend of mine has that just frustrate me. It’s a struggle they face and in my self-righteousness, I can’t understand why they don’t give it to God and stop doing it. But just like the men in this story, I find myself watching and waiting for my friend to subcome to temptation, then I quickly tell God what’s happening – casting my friend before the Lord and telling God that they are all His and then waiting to see His response.

It was as if Jesus was writing in the sand just for me today. I was ashamed to see my actions so in line with those who I’ve destested. I’ve been judging. I’ve been condemning. I’ve been throwing my friend at the feet of Jesus while accusing them and haughtily asking God what He’s going to do about it.

Rather than doing any of those things, I should be lifting my friend up to the throne of God. When I see my friend struggling and even subcoming to temptations, it should be a que to pray not condemn. I should be following the example of the friends who carried their paralytic friend to Jesus, trusting that He would heal them.

Thank you Lord for your vivid correction and please forgive me for judging, condemning and being a hypocrite. Help me to never pick up those stones again. Lord, I lift my friend up to you. Give my friend strength to overcome, a desire to leave that life of sin behind and find new life in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.