From her book ‘100 favorite verses To Bring You Closer to Christ’ contributor Shauna Humphreys shared:
When Jesus lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said to her, Woman, where are thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her. Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more. (John 8:10-11)
In this familiar and powerful incident, the Savior teaches us valuable lessons about mercy and repentance. In the context of the time in which this interchange occurred, adultery was punishable by a slow and painful stoning death. We can only imagine the terror and shame this woman felt as the scribes and Pharisees thrust her before the Savior, demanding that He pronounce judgment upon her. His response was astonishing to both the accusers and the accused as He invited only those who were without sin to cast the first stones (and we can probably quite safely assume that rocks were at the ready”). One by one the woman’s accusers quietly slunk away, purposely avoiding the eyes of their peers, the sinful woman, and most especially the Savior.
What follows next is breath taking, Certainly the woman’s terror must have receded to some degree, but uncertainty of her fate still weighed heavily upon her. Had the Savior reserved the pleasure of punishment for Himself? Imagine this poor woman’s feelings as Jesus spoke personally and quietly to her. He did not tell her that she was forgiven of her sins at that point, nor was the Savior indicating that she should continue down the same degrading path that had placed her in this life-and-soul threatening situation when he told her to go her way. It is His final words to her that pack the eternal punch—“sin no more”. There is a clear indication to repent and thereby merit the Lord’s forgiveness; there is hope extended to one whose situation had but minutes earlier seemed hopeless.
And what He says to one, He says to all. He allows us—even encourages us—to change. Unlike the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus takes no pleasure in pointing an accusing finger at us; rather, He holds out His hands to us, beckoning us to abandon sin’s way and follow Him. His palms still bear the scars of His Crucifixion, a reminder of who he is and what he has done for us, a reminder that He has graven us—sorrows, and sins, flaws and failures and all—on the palms of His hands (see 1 Nephi 21:16; Isiah 49:16). His scars are a gracious guarantee that He remembers us and loves us and that we can count on His promise of forgiveness as we truly and sincerely repent. A far cry from a handful of stones!
. . . . we read in James 5:11 that “the Lord is very pitiful [full of pity] and of tender mercy.” Surely His greatest mercy is demonstrated by His great atoning sacrifice in our behalf. His Atonement lifts us and motivates us to change our choices. It was a second chance for the woman accused and brought before the Lord, and it is our second chance—immeasurable mercy from Him who is all about second chances.
“But thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Neh. 9:17).
~ Shauna Humphreys, 100 favorite verses TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO CHRIST (Covenant Communications, Inc.: American Fork), 2012, 59-60
