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.” (NIV)

Jewish leaders were fearing losing their position of power and authority to Jesus.  So, they hatched a plan to tear Jesus down. In Jesus’s time, adultery was not just a sin, but a serious crime punishable by death. They wanted to put Jesus in a situation where he had two choices.  Either choice would make him look bad. So, they brought this woman before Jesus to see what he would do.  

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One anticipated response to this woman’s crime was to abide by the Jewish law laid down in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and have her stoned. This would cause Jesus to lose his reputation for love and mercy and being a friend of sinners: a win for these Jewish leaders. The other anticipated response was to not abide by Jewish law and instead pardon her, where Jesus would be accused of breaking doctrine and be considered a heretic to the Jewish Old Testament teachings.  

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The trap was to expose Jesus as either unmerciful in stoning or unjust in pardoning. But Jesus simply states, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her” (v. 7). As we read in today’s verse, the Jewish leaders walk away one by one. No stone is thrown, and their trap is diffused.

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Jesus then tells the woman she is no longer condemned, or, in other words, she is forgiven. In response to his forgiveness, Jesus frees her to pursue a life of holiness instead of sin.  Jesus’s response balances something the religious leaders didn’t expect: the demand for both justice and mercy.

Jesus’ equal righteousness and mercifulness allows us space for correction – it provides us the opportunity to repent of our sins and offers us pardon. It also proves that man cannot hold this tension in perfect execution. Only Jesus can forgive our sins in fullness. So, in our humanness, how can we extend mercy to those whose sin affects us, and what does our forgiveness toward them look like?

Maybe someone has falsely accused you of wrong or questioned your motives. Or maybe you’ve seen a wrong and felt a need to act. Some situations capture our attention and almost demand a response. Like Jesus, we have a choice to make.

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We could ignore it, walk away from it, and let it linger. We could push it under the rug, never to be dealt with, or to bubble up at an inopportune time in the future. Either way, the situation is still present in our heart.  

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We could get angry and demand punishment for that person. Even though this might be warranted, our desires reflect our honest heart: The desire for punishment stems not from a place of justice but from our own impure motives of anger and hurt.

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Lastly, we could react with a heart of love and mercy, seeing the other–even with what they’ve done–as an image bearer of Christ, as we ourselves are. This forgiveness comes from a good, God-centered place. Our response is from the work God has done in our heart and says more about the work God has done than it does about the other’s actions. There might be rightful punishment involved, but it comes from and is for love, like a parent disciplining a child.

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How do we show this mercy that springs from our hearts, however difficult this love might sometimes be? This can be a really difficult journey, but we do have the Holy Spirit to walk it with us.  As Jesus was led by the Spirit, we can make a conscious decision to follow his example, leaning into the strength and wisdom that the Spirit provides.  And for the person who sinned against us, supreme and eternal forgiveness can only come from God. We can have peace, knowing that total forgiveness comes from the Lord, and that he will use it to challenge our growth and continue to form our hearts to be more like the heart of Jesus.

Lord, help me see others as you see them. Let your mercy flow from me in difficult situations. Help me to forgive from a heart of gratitude for the ultimate forgiveness you’ve shown me. Amen.