Can You Throw The Stone?

“…But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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 8:6-9
 
 
Yesterday, we talked about how people are leaving the church at such a high rate. One study shows that almost 70% of people who grew up in church leave it by the time they are young adults. Of that group, a third of them leave because the church is too judgmental. This means 7 in 10 young people who went to church choose to leave once they get freedom. 1 in 3 of that group do so because the people within the church are judgmental.
 
As Christians, we should strive to be more like Jesus. The Scripture tells a story of a woman who had committed adultery. The teachers of the law and Pharisees brought the woman in and then tried to trap Jesus by using the Law of Moses to suggest the woman should be stoned.
 
Jesus responded to them saying, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus turned the spotlight from the woman back on to the people condemning her and had them check their own lives before judging the woman.  
 
Do you find yourself constantly judging others, maybe even within the church? You think because they are Christians, they should be above the sin they are struggling with. The reality is, we all deal with sin. It can be in many different forms. You might even believe yours is not as severe as another person’s sin. But God does not rank sins. And because we all struggle, Jesus is reminding us to turn our attention from another person’s sin to our own. So, the next time you begin to think about someone else’s shortcomings, ask yourself, “Can I throw the stone?”