the 1000th time's a charm...

There are so many things in life that we feel are givens.
Things that we've figured out.
We're sure about.
We know the quick answer.
We're ready to respond.
We know the truth.
We're ready to execute justice.


Do you ever have it where you've read something 999 times, and the thousandth time around you see something different? Something that's been there all along, but you've been too focused on other things, other points of view, that you've passed over the obvious?

I had that the other day when I was chatting with a friend about the the adulterous woman, cast before Jesus by the religious leaders.
The truth was obvious.
She was caught.
Guilty.
No discussion needed.
No defense offered.
Deserving death under their current Jewish law.

And we all know how Jesus responded.
He drew in the dirt.
He gave the leaders a show-stopping one liner:
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
And they dropped their stones.
They left.
One by one.
Guilty.
They knew the truth.

But this is when it dawned on me...
"Let he who is without sin..."

There was one person who remained with the woman...
He was without sin.
He had a collection of stones ready at hand.
He could have used them to execute justice.
He met the requirements of a sinless judge.

But instead of exercising His right for justice,
He exercised His way of mercy.
Grace.
And in doing so, He was committing Himself to the cross,
to carry her guilt instead of making her pay the penalty.
He knew the truth...
Because He was the truth
and the light.
But He was also the way...
the only way back to a right relationship with God
and eternal life.

And I thought about the body of believers..
and how often we can be quick stone-throwers...
especially when the truth is obvious.
May we learn the way of executing grace
and be quick to see not just the sinner,
but the eternal destiny of their soul.