When They Miss The Mark

“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 
 
Over the past week, we have discussed the futility of perfectionism. As human beings, we are not and cannot be perfect. If we make perfection our goal, we are setting ourselves up for failure. God has set us free from the strenuous law of the Old Testament through salvation.  

There is a passage in John 8 where a woman is caught in the act of adultery. And those who were teachers of the religious law brought the woman before Jesus. They were trying to trap Jesus, as the law of Moses said they should stone her.  

They wanted Jesus to answer so they could see if He would contradict the law. So, Jesus answers them in John 8:7, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” We have all sinned and have no place to be the judge and jury for others.
 
Is there someone in your life that you are ready to stone? Not literally, but you wish they would be punished. They have wronged you, and you want revenge. You keep waiting for God to bury them with punishment. You want to see them suffer. But have you considered your wrongdoing in plotting their demise?

The same measure God judges them is the same measure He judges us. And we all miss the mark from time to time. We are all sinners, and we all mess up. Jesus didn’t just die for you. He died for your friend, your family, your coworkers, and even your adversaries. He died for everyone.  

God has given us grace and mercy as wonderful gifts, knowing we will never be perfect. And as believers, we should exemplify those amazing gifts. Just as Jesus has extended grace and mercy to us, we should do the same to those who have wronged us!