Cast the First Stone
There was an occasion when the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman accused of adultery. The accusers said the woman had been caught in the very act of this immoral behavior. Those who accused the lady said that, according to the Law of Moses, the woman should be stoned to death. Then they asked Jesus what he taught about the punishment for adultery. When the accusers demanded an answer from Jesus, he said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). Not a single accuser stepped forward to throw the first stone. Why not? It was because not one of them was without sin. All who had accused the woman walked away one by one, defeated and condemned by their own consciences.
This text is sometimes abused in an attempt to justify sin. When sins such as homosexuality, drunkenness, adultery, and lying are condemned, someone will respond, "He that is without sin cast the first stone," as if that statement removes the guilt of sin. But it does not. To use Jesus’ statement in an attempt to remove the guilt of sin is an abuse of what the Lord said. Jesus did not overlook the woman’s sin; rather, He pointed out that she had been guilty of sin. After all the accusers had walked away, Jesus inquired of the lady, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:10-11). Notice that Jesus said go and “sin” no more. He labeled her adultery as “sin.” Jesus did not ignore the lady’s sin. In fact, Jesus never overlooked or made light of sin, and neither should we.
However, we learn from this passage that we can recognize sin without harshly judging and condemning those who are ensnared in a life of sin. Jesus said to the sin-sick lady, “Neither do I condemn thee.” This reveals the compassion and mercy of Jesus. Although he recognized this lady had committed sin, he showed compassion toward her. Therefore, if we want to be like Jesus, rather than feeling that we are spiritually superior to others we should realize that all of us have sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; I John 1:8). Since we have all sinned, we are in no position to feel we are better than others who have committed those “awful” sins. As people who have fallen short of the glory of God, we should realize our unworthiness to “cast the first stone.”
