Remember when there was the woman caught in the act of adultery in john 8? The pharisees thought they had asked an impossible question of Jesus. It was "tempting" to Him, so He stooped down, as if He hadn't heard their question, and began to write in the sand. Then He finally stood up and gave that famous line, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Again, He bent down, and continued to draw.
Jesus took something very clear-cut -- the law that she deserved death -- and diffused its finality with mercy. He refused to humiliate the woman by deflecting the attention off of her. He used her sin to speak to the sin of everyone who was present and pressing Him.
Was Jesus soft on sin? A pushover? Some Christians today are indeed so. They struggle to call sin, sin. But Jesus did not wink at sin, did not let that which is bad be called good. He called it like it is, and spoke nonthreateningly to her, impacting her deeply by means of His mercy and advocacy. We have no record, but, it probably worked to redeem her life.
He was a perfect example of grace balanced by truth. What are we?
All Grace - (No Truth) - Licentiousness, license to sin, all things are permissible.
All Truth - (No Grace) - Who would be ever drawn into a culture of no grace? Here lies hypocrisy & close-mindedness.
If you are not yet balanced, for which are you prone: compassion over honesty, or, honesty over compassion?
No tact?
Always keeping the peace?
Jesus didn't sacrifice either one.
I think now, improving upon the message given by our pastor tonight. Jesus' famous answer "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," was covered before and after by His descent to the ground to make drawings. Perhaps the first drawing was the calibration of the law, and the second was the calibration of kindness?
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