Jesus Was Honest and Came to Save, Not Condemn: RRE 34
Religion Ruins Everything Daily 10.14.16 from One Life Network on Vimeo.
[1] Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. [2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. [5] Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” [6] This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. [7] And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” [8] And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. [9] But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
John 8:1–11 ESV
Jesus, who of all of the people there was able to condemn, didn’t condemn this woman. In John 3:17 He said He didn’t come to condemn the world but to save it. His purpose wasn’t to condemn but to set us free.
At the same time, He didn’t call a wrong thing right. He called her out of her sin and into a new life free from sin. He showed that it is possible to be honest about the evil of sin while being loving and gracious toward a person. Jesus could lead with love and mercy, but be honest about what sin is.