In You Who Are Without Sin, Pastor Steve Linton takes us through John 8:1–11 and the story of the woman caught in adultery. When the religious leaders bring her before Jesus ready to condemn her, Jesus responds with a challenge: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one, her accusers walk away.
This message challenges us to examine how quickly we can recognize someone else’s failures while overlooking our own. Jesus did not excuse the woman’s sin, but He met her with something her accusers did not~grace, mercy, and an opportunity for transformation. When everyone else had left, Jesus told her, “Neither do I condemn you,” followed by the call to leave her life of sin.
As followers of Christ, our response to someone who has fallen should not be to gather stones. We are called to help restore people gently, remembering that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our own need for grace should keep us humble and willing to stand in the gap between the accused and the accuser.
The challenge is simple: stop collecting stones and start dropping them. Let go of judgment toward others and condemnation toward yourself. A failure does not have to define your story. Acknowledge where you fell short, receive God’s grace, get back up, and keep moving forward in what God has called you to do.
