Read: John 8:1–11
Imagine your most humiliating sin going viral. Thats essentially what we read in John 8. A woman accused of adultery was thrown into a crowd of people who wanted to see her punished. The law said she deserved a penalty, and they were ready to give it.
But Jesus didn’t join the angry crowd. Instead, Jesus utters one of his most powerful statements ever recorded: “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.”
One by one, the accusers left, until it was just Jesus and the woman standing in silence. She expected condemnation, but Jesus gave her something entirely different: “I don’t condemn you. Go and sin no more.” He didn’t ignore her brokenness, but he refused to let it define her.
Sometimes we’re the woman, painfully aware of our failure and afraid of what others think. And sometimes, we’re part of the crowd, quick to judge someone else’s sin while hiding our own. But this story shows us that no matter where we stand, there’s grace available to us.
If you’re carrying shame, Jesus doesn’t turn away from you. He doesn’t define you by your worst moments, and he isn’t holding a stone ready to throw at you. He wants to redeem you and invite you into freedom. And if you’ve been quick to condemn others, slow down. Take a look at your own heart. Grace flows best through people who recognize how much they need it, too.
Today, step away from shame and toward Jesus. Let his grace rewrite your story, and let it shape the way you treat others who need it just as much.