Theme Text: John 8:3-8

‘The Scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery. They placed her in the midst of the crowd, saying that according to the Law, such should be stoned. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. They continued to ask, so Jesus said to them, “He who is without sin, let him first cast the stone”. And again, He stooped down and wrote in the ground’.

Theme Word: ‘The Writing In The Sand’
They caught her uncovered, exposed, vulnerable, bare and ashamed. Instead of screening her nakedness, they drag her into the public arena with shouts of condemnation, accusations, abuse, and judgement. Of course, the other guilty party was nowhere to be seen. He was ‘let off’, freed, released from blame. She, on the other hand, was not going to be let off lightly. The verdict was already issued: She was going to be stoned. This was the perfect opportunity for these ‘teachers of the Law’ to tempt Jesus, ‘that they might have cause to accuse Him’.

So, they brought the woman to Jesus with stones in their hands. We are made aware that she was caught in the act of ‘sin’, but still, my heart goes out to this woman. It is possible that she did not get a chance to grab any clothing. She may have just stood there, naked and ashamed. Please listen to my story. I had a friend who I hadn’t seen for a long time. I decided to do a ‘surprise’ visit. However, she was really reluctant to let me in. She was heavily pregnant. My friend was going through a terrible time; she was lonely, depressed, isolated, and hungry. Her food bill at the store needed to be paid. The result of her decision caused her to hide from me. I did not need to stone her, she was already ‘stoning’ herself: hiding from everyone, feeling mortified, embarrassed, humiliated, and fallen from grace. There was no ‘Boaz’ to offer her covering, neither was there a ‘kings-man redeemer’ to fight for her at the ‘city gate’.

How are you feeling today? Lonely, uncertain, uncovered, unprotected, anxious, forgotten, let down, unloved? Watch God re-write your story. He alone is the ‘Author and Finisher of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus Knows how to re-compose our script, making Him the main character of our stories.

Isaiah 59 (Message version) states it well, ‘God looked, but there was no sign of justice. He couldn’t believe what He saw: Not a soul to correct this awful situation. So, He did it Himself. He put on judgement like an overcoat and threw a cloak of passion across His shoulder’. That cloak and overcoat was specially designed with your name on it. These teachers wrote the Law with stones, but Jesus stooped down and wrote ‘Grace’.

PROPHETIC PRAYER

– Father God, You are my Redeemer. You have purchased and sealed me with the Blood of Jesus, Your Son.
– You came after me when I was most vulnerable. When I was forsaken and abandoned, you came running after me. You told me I was Yours.
– Father, You choose to leave ninety-nine sheep behind, to come looking for me, just to ensure that I was safely carried back home.
– I am protected, secure, sealed, selected, chosen, and wanted. Hallelujah.
– I am not an orphan; I am not illegitimate; I am not a reject: I belong to God.
– My worship will confuse the enemy. My shout will burst the eardrum of the adversary.
– Today, as I worship, it breaks every curse, every negative word, every locked door, every iron gate, every blockage preventing my breakthrough. In Jesus’ Name. Amen