Let’s end the week by discussing kindness in its richest form, grace given where none seems possible. In the story, the religious leaders bring Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. The law was clear, the punishment was clear, and it seemed as though Jesus would have to agree that the woman should be stoned.
Still, in that no win situation, Jesus found a way to be kind to a sinner exposed and without excuse. Jesus looked at the crowd of self-righteous judges and in one statement, equalized the entire community. “Let the one without sin throw the first stone…”
A shocked woman, watched as the haughty group that dragged her out into the street, slowly dispersed and walked back toward their homes. Jesus stood alone with the broken woman; fully within His rights to condemn and execute the her. Instead, our Lord kindly sent her on her way with the charge that she take this second chance at life and walk with God rather than away from Him.
The same grace that acted as a life-liberating kindness for the adulteress, also acts as a life-liberating kindness for each of us. Without God’s grace, we each live exposed as the sinners that we are.
Like the adulteress, we can only look into the eyes of our Savior and see His love and kindness. Jesus’ love not only clears the sin from our lives, but it also directs us to a life walking with God, rather than one walking independently from Him. We can show God’s grace and kindness to others that are as exposed as the woman, and as exposed as we are.
Kindness is a wonderful fruit of God’s Holy Spirit. It is a mirror to God’s heart and the center stage of Jesus ministry.
God Bless You
At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Walking With God 