ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS: WEEK FOUR
Thank you for joining us for Encounters with Jesus. Each week, we will hear a story from the Bible told from the perspective someone who encountered Jesus firsthand. While this man's encounter is not found in the Bible, we wanted to present the actual encounter, found in John 8:1-11, from a different perspective.
LISTEN TO THE DEVOTIONAL:
READ THE DEVOTIONAL:
I didn’t know what to do.
I just stood there… hidden in the shadows, safe from the crowd that surrounded her. I wanted to run—to get as far from there as I could—but I couldn’t move. I was too afraid, too ashamed.
I had been caught by the Pharisees. They caught us both, actually. But they only took her. They didn’t even touch me. They knew I was guilty, but I wasn’t the one being dragged through town—exposed—for everyone to see. Why was I spared from their judgment?
My mind raced as I watched them parade her around. I recognized more than a few faces. I saw their anger, their judgment. Her face, however, was filled with humiliation. I felt the sting of guilt knowing that my actions had contributed to her public disgrace. Still, a part of me couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that the spotlight was on her, not me.
They marched her into the temple courtyard and set her in front of a man I didn’t know but had heard of. His name was Jesus. Some said he was the Messiah because he’d done miracles and said he’d been sent from God. I didn’t know about any of that, but the way he taught about God sure made our religious leaders mad.
I listened as the accusations about her flew to him. They said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
As they pressed for a verdict, Jesus bent down and began writing on the ground. I couldn’t see what he wrote. I was too distracted by the voice whispering within me, urging me to step forward, to confess my wrongdoing and face the consequences. But fear held me back—fear of judgment and condemnation.
But then, in a moment that would forever change my life, Jesus stood and spoke words of compassion and grace:
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."
I stared in disbelief as the crowd fell silent and, one by one, dropped their stones and walked away. There was only the woman left.
I watched in awe as Jesus stood and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No, Lord.”
I’ll never forget his response:
“Then neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
As the crowd dispersed and the chaos faded, I remained rooted to the spot, grappling with the enormity of what just happened. Though I hadn’t stood accused before Jesus, I felt the wave of his mercy wash over me like a cleansing tide. In that moment, I knew that I, too, had been forgiven—not by the judgment of men, but by the boundless love of something… no, of Someone far greater.
And in that instant, my fear gave way to courage, and I knew I would never be the same.
