Go and sin no more !

Thursday 3 June 2021

Go and sin no more !

John 8.11 - Jesus said to him : "I do not condemn you either : go, and sin no more".

If you are used to reading Bible stories, you know this story : a woman is caught in the act of adultery, "self-righteous" bring her to Jesus with the motivation of "cornering" Him. They intend to stone her in front of Him, hoping that He will, in order to save her, denigrate the Law. You probably know the rest : Jesus will put them in front of their own guilt and they will withdraw without touching a single hair of this woman. A happy ending that encourages us to believe that God's forgiveness is for everyone !

But my thinking goes further. Until this day, I have believed that Jesus was giving this woman a recommendation. I realize today that this phrase from the Lord : "Go and sin no more" has much more authority than a recommendation. Jesus is the Word made flesh. In the beginning, when God said : "Let there be light," light was created. When Jesus speaks, something is created. In our case, by saying these words, the deliverance of this woman was created. In other words, Jesus said : “I command the powers of darkness to leave you alone ! I order that you may go free and that this sin of adultery will no longer have any hold on you !". By this declaration, He gave her the power to stop sinning, the choice to get out of it was open to her. That's what I think.

Besides that, I also think that it takes a disposition of heart for the Lord to speak this Word. He did not speak it for his accusers despite their being picked up in their conscience. I honestly believe this woman had had enough of this adulterous situation. It is not known how she "got caught up" in this mess, as someone once said : "The heart has reasons that reason does not know", but she had to look for a solution to get out of it. Sin sometimes gives an impression of well-being, but in the end it is death and she had to die slowly.

The Lord Jesus, as usual, saw much beyond appearances. He Himself was the solution sought by this woman. When He said these words, He gave her the chance to restart her life, a new chance of sorts.

This message is for you. Maybe you are "bogged down" in situations that weigh you down, that cause shame, that pull you down, a little more every day. Come to Jesus' feet and ask Him to speak this liberating Word on your life. It is never too late if your heart is repentant.

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries)