Day 7: Only Jesus
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 (John 8:9).
O Lord God, You sit enthroned as the righteous judge...You rule the world in righteousness and judge the people with equity (Psalm 9:4,8). Yet, in this, Your hour of grace, the time of Your favor, the time of salvation, You delight to show mercy (Micah 7:18).
We know that judgment belongs to God (Deuteronomy 1:17). But in Your grace and mercy You provided us a way for us to escape judgment: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him (John 3:17). And incredibly, the One qualified to judge not only took our judgment, but in coming to live among us, showed us true and genuine application of grace and mercy.
For though in Your Law You had expressly commanded: Do not pervert justice or show partiality (Deuteronomy 16:19), the very teachers and guardians of the Law determined their own parameters for applying the law. And in the remarkable blindness of human judgment and self-righteousness, they made [the woman they had singled out] stand before the group (John 8:4).
But You, Lord Jesus—even as You validated the Law You had come to fulfill (Matthew 5:17)— You exposed their own culpability and hypocrisy as You challenged them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). And finally, crushed by the weight of their own guilt, they began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
You alone were left, Jesus—Son of God, fullness of the Deity... in bodily form (Colossians 2:9)—God alone who is without sin. Yet You threw no stones, but extended instead Your matchless grace, and Your call to forgiveness, "Neither do I condemn You. Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11).
Thank You loving Savior, that Your doors of grace are still wide open—now is the time of God's favor, now is the time of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Thank You that during this brief earthly sojourn of ours, this mere handbreadth of our days (Psalm 39:5), Your call to forgiveness still stands.
Thank You that Your mercy extends to small and great—with You, there is no injustice or partiality... (Deuteronomy 1:17, 2 Chronicles 19:7). Thank You that it covers the humiliator and the humiliated, the bully and the bullied, the publican and the Pharisee. Thank You that it covers even me.
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