“They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’” (John 8:7 NLT)
We are very reluctant to face our own sin unless or until we have no choice. My sense is that to be in the presence of Jesus is to see yourself in a new way. The men who stood poised to end the life of a woman caught “in the act of adultery” were blinded to their own sin by their self-righteousness. To drag a woman they’d set up just to see how Jesus would react reveals their heart by revealing their motive. It’s much easier to overlook our own sin when we’re pointing out someone else’s.
These men had no clue how it all would play out, but my guess is they never dreamed how Jesus would point them back to their own sin. Rosario Butterfield wrote: “Love the sinner but hate the sin? Even better: Love the sinner but hate your own sin.”
Hating our own sin, as I understand it, isn’t self-condemnation or constantly beating ourselves up for all the ways we’ve violated our Savior or dishonored Him through our thoughts, attitudes, or actions. To me it’s more an issue of self-awareness. It’s recognizing that we’re all in the same boat and none of us is any better than another.
We’re all lost sheep who by God’s grace have been given the privilege of finding a new Shepherd. We did nothing to earn or deserve to be loved by God, but we reveal how much His love means to us by how we love others. When we hate the sins of others more than our own sin, it’s usually because their sin has negatively impacted our lives in some way.
When my wife left me for another man, while my heart was broken, it wasn’t the fault of the man into whose arms she found solace, it was my fault. My sin drove her away! My inability to love her like Jesus, pushed her away, and I had no one to blame but myself. There’s likely never been a time in my life when I most hated my sin.
If we ever hope to be effective in our walk with the Lord, we need to keep the spotlight on our own heart. The sins of others, while they may be different, aren’t any better or worse than our sin. Sin is sin and sin separates us from God and from one another. We should be the first to offer reconciliation when a brother or sister falls. We gain nothing by condemning or shunning them.
Sometime after our divorce, while I was attending a district church meeting, a young man who was part of a singing group who’d performed at a church I served, walked up to me and asked: “Where’s _______ (my former wife’s first name)?” I told him what I sensed he already knew when I said: “We’re no longer together.” He asked no questions, made no comment, but the expression on his face said it all as he turned and walked away.
Sometimes we act like someone’s sin is contagious, it’s as if when we embrace or forgive them, it’s going to have a negative effect on us. Aren’t you grateful that’s not how the Lord views our sin? One of the most telling scenes in all the Bible to me, in terms of the kind of Savior we love, is when He asked: “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” Then after she affirmed that none did, Jesus said to her these welcoming words: “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
I won’t know for sure until I get to heaven, but I believe this woman was the one who poured the expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet, dried them with her hair, and couldn’t stop kissing them. She’s my hero when it comes to expressing her love to Jesus. Nothing I’ve ever done comes close.
I’m glad Jesus loved her and forgave her, and when I meet her, I won’t be looking for her sin, I’ll be looking for one of the biggest smiles and most loving hearts in heaven.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 