K—Kindness

Journey through the Gospel of John from A to Z with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their friend, Tina.

Today we examine a story that exhibits the kindness and compassion of Jesus toward one who has erred.  It carries a message we all need to hear.

This story, preserved for us in John 8:3-11, 
is set in the temple where Jesus was teaching.  Some religious leaders interrupt Him and bring in a woman, forcing her to stand in the temple court before the crowd that had gathered to hear Jesus.

Accusers:    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?

We are told that this question is a trap.  Perhaps they wanted to see how Jesus would balance the two legal systems that they lived under: the Roman law that did not permit the Jews to execute someone, and the Mosaic law that sometimes called for stoning. What makes this story so captivating is how beautifully Jesus balances grace and truth and addresses the heart.

The accusers persist in questioning until Jesus answers.

Jesus:        If any one of you is without sin, let him be 
                 the first to throw a stone at her. 

Gradually, the crowd dissipates. The audience disappears one at a time.  At last, only Jesus and the women are left.  

Jesus:        Woman, where are they? 
                  Has no one condemned you?  

Woman:     No one sir.

Jesus:        Then neither do I condemn you,
                  Go now and sin no more.

It is not difficult for us to imagine the superior attitudes of the accusers, or the woman's shame, humiliation and fear.  But Jesus did not have to imagine.  John makes it clear that Jesus knew what was in the heart of man in John 2:24. We see Jesus demonstrate his intimate knowledge of others when He speaks to the woman at the well about her husbands, and to Nathaniel about the fig tree.

Here we have Jesus addressing the needs in the heart of each person present. He points the audience in the direction of humility, suggesting that they cannot consider themselves better than a fellow sinner.  Without condemning the woman, He admonishes her to stop sinning.

The tender mercy demonstrated here is breath-taking.  The gentle nudge toward humility and holiness so inspiring. The kindness from One who knows the depth of sin in the human heart, so divine!

Surely, John's word's from the Prologue are echoed here:  "we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." —John 1:14

G—Grace

Journey through the Gospel of John from A to Z with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their good friend, Tina.

Today we will look at a theme that runs through the entire gospel of John, the theme of GRACE.

This theme is first sounded in the Prologue, when John explains that the very character and nature of God is reflected in Jesus:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Exactly what is grace? Grace can be defined as favor or blessing that is bestowed as a gift, without being earned.

John is telling us that this beauteous generosity is part of the essence of God's very nature, so of course it characterizes His dealings with us.  
And from his fullness we have all 
received grace upon grace.  (John 1:14-16)

In other words, because of who God is, He has given us favor we don't deserve, and He will keep on lavishing that grace upon us.

Grace is at the root of John 3:16 that says that "God so loved the world that He gave..." Over and over we see how God gives to us out of His own nature, a nature of love.

Grace is the core of what Jesus was trying to communicate to Nicodemus and to the woman at the well.

Nicodemus needed to hear about grace because he had bought into a behavior-based system where people had to try to work their way into being acceptable. Jesus sought to free him from this performance trap by explaining that coming into eternal life was more like a birth. And that birth would bring him into the very family of God. As a son, he would not have to work for acceptance.  "But to all who receive Jesus, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."  (John 1:12)

The woman at the well needed to hear the message of grace even more desperately, for she had fallen to a place where she likely felt that she could never be acceptable.  But because grace is based on God's love and character, it didn't matter what she had done.  Jesus encouraged her to ask for the living water, she would be changed internally through His gift.

The GRACE that Jesus offers is really AMAZING.  We don't need to worry that our self-worth, our success, our security, or even that our salvation is based on our behavior. 

Do you know that God loves you and freely gives grace upon grace?

When you grasp that truth you can be free indeed.  Free from fear and striving.