A Woman Condemned

There is a story in the Bible of a woman condemned and the vultures – my own turn of phrase – swiftly gathering around. Yeshua (Jesus) turns the tables on her accusers. His love overcomes their evil intent, creating something good.

We read of her plight, here.

The context. Yeshua walks down from the Mount of Olives and enters the Temple in the city of Jerusalem. Soon the people gathered around to learn from His teaching.

Not far behind, the Scribes and Pharisees appear, bringing a woman caught in adultery. And they ask Yeshua a question:

Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?

They were testing Yeshua in order to accuse Him. Yeshua stoops down and begins to write on the ground but they keep pestering Him. So He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone”.

Yeshua once again stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

“Is there no one to condemn you, Yeshua asked her. No she said. Then Yeshua declared:

Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.

He does not condemn yet He speaks the truth by saying to her, go now and sin no more.

This is one of a number of occasions where Yeshua shows His grace towards woman. Recall his dramatic conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well where He makes known to her that He is the promised Messiah.

Even when He was on the cross and near death He turned to His mother placing her in the care of John the Apostle.

Heh. If there is a way out for this woman…. there is a way out for you and me.