Jesus on Judging

We have such an aversion to being called out on anything. We are quick to tell the "caller" to mind their own business, and that there is a prohibition to judging. Imagine if the woman in John 8 who was "caught in the act of adultery" had stood up after the men walked away and said defiantly "I'm glad they are gone. Now I can get back to what I was doing. It is none of their business what I do in the privacy of my own home. If I want to sleep with someone who is not my husband what is that to them? No one should tell me who I can love. In fact I am really getting tired of these religious people harping on these ten commandments and acting like they are so good themselves. And, Jesus I want to thank you for getting me out of this jam, but what I do is none of your business either. Telling me you don't condemn me either and to go and sin no more is really sweet but I don't need your forgiveness and you preaching to me. I don't know what the rest of you are looking at. Quit judging me, go home, and leave me alone. Have a nice day!"  This would not be far fetched to hear these days. But, I am here to tell you that Jesus has every right to bring charges against us, to define our sin, to offer us a way out of it, and to tell us to stop sinning. The person who cannot or will not accept this Jesus will not accept the Real Jesus. He was not soft on sin. He was so tough on it that He stretched out on a rough Roman cross and let cruel and heartless men drive large spikes in His hands and feet in order to put sin to death.

In this story Jesus teaches us some things though. He teaches us that there is a different between accusing someone of something, making the case against someone, proving the case against someone, and actually "condemning someone." We get this confused. If I point out to you that you are doing something against God's will and can prove that you are, it does not mean I am condemning you. Notice in this story that Jesus asked the woman if anyone had condemned her (8:10). Most of us would say "Yes." She said, "No one." But, didn't they drag her out of her adulterous bed, charge her with breaking the Law of Moses, level the prospect of punishment by stoning before her, and stand ready to carry out the sentence? Yes, they did all that, but that was not "condemnation." Condemnation is the actual sentence being carried out. Up until that time there is always the possibility of pardon. Jesus did not condemn her either. She was not stoned. She was not punished for her crime. She walked. Her case failed to stand up in court because there were no witnesses left to testify against her. But, this did not mean she was not guilty or that the charges were false. She was caught in the act. She stood condemned under the law, but the sentence was not carried out.

When someone one says, "Stop condemning me" they need to understand that this is usually not what they mean. Rather they mean, "Stop accusing me." Or they mean, "Stop telling me what the penalty is for my sin according to the Law of God." Or they might be saying, "Stop telling me what will happen if I don't repent." But, condemnation is only what hangs over our heads if we do not have a Savior. Condemnation is what is coming upon us if we do not repent. Condemnation is future. Any attempt to point out sin and to get people to repent and turn to a Savior is the most humane and compassionate thing we can do. Jesus was not upset with the Jewish leaders because they pointed out this woman's sin. He was upset because they didn't really care about her as a person but rather merely used her as bait. He disqualified them as being adequate to carry out the sentence of condemnation, but Jesus did not remove the prospect of condemnation from this woman. That is why her told her (didn't ask her) to go and sin no more.