Jesus Defends The Wrong

Jesus Defends the Wrong

Theme: Jesus protects the sinner from the self-righteous.

Text: John 8:1-11

Lucy is a pretty fourteen year old girl. Maybe that was half of the problem; she was too attractive too early in life. She started dating Mark at the beginning of the school year, Mark was a good boy, and he was sixteen. Lacy felt like she was in love and Mark was curious about sex. So on Christmas Eve, when Lucy’s parents were out at a Christmas party, Lucy and Mark had sex for the first time. It was Lucy’s present to Mark to show her true love for him. But on February 6th, Lucy went to the drug store with her friend Melissa to buy a pregnancy test. In Lucy’s head, she knew she was carrying Mark’s child, but she was hoping for a negative result. As Lucy and Melissa nervously sat in Melissa bathroom, it was the slowest time has ever ticked for Lucy. What was going to be the verdict?

The test changed colors and Lucy’s life changed too. What was she going to do? She called Mark that night. Mark knew something was wrong as he jumped in his green pickup truck. She came out to meet him, and the both of them drove to a back road. There she told him the news. Mark was scared. In five minutes Lucy’s life started to fall apart. Mark had a future ahead of him that did not include a child. He broke up with Lucy that night and drove away. That was the last time Mark ever spoke to her. He would not even look at her at school. Maybe Mark felt that if he did not accept the truth that maybe somehow the reality of her being pregnant would go away.

But this child was not going to go away from Lucy. She was afraid of the future. She went to see her minister to talk with him in private about her options. She was afraid to tell her parents. Her mother was a teacher in the local High School and her Father was a deacon at the congregation. This pregnancy would bring shame to her family. There was no way that she could envision her family loving her through this situation. She was hoping that the minister could help.

It was probably the most difficult words she ever said. She was crying as she confessed to her minister that she was pregnant. The minister handled the news well. He did not scold her or talk down to her. He understood that good people can make bad choices. Lucy told the minister that she did not want to keep the child. In fact she did not even want to have the child. “There is no way that I can raise this child and there is no way that my parents would help me” she said. “I want to get an abortion” she stated firmly. The minister empathizing with her, because he knew the tremendous fear she had, did not over react. He talked with her about giving the child up for adoption. He encouraged her to discussion the situation with her parents. But Lucy was adamant. She was determined not to carry this baby. She knew it was a sin to have an abortion. She knew God’s feelings on abortion. She heard sermons and classes talking about the sanctity of life. But if knowledge always stopped sin, there would be certainly less sin in this world. Finally the minister begged her to at least think about this before she had an abortion. She promised she would as she walked out of his office.

On February 19th, Lucy called her minister at his house. “I am sorry sir, but I am going to the clinic tomorrow to have an abortion” she said emotionlessly. Her minister pleaded with her not too. But she made up her mind; tomorrow she was going to have an abortion. He knew where she was going to go. There was only one place. Her minister’s heart broke that night thinking about this little girl’s decision. As he sat down, he wife, Marge asked him what was wrong. He said “you know Lucy from church.” “Yes,” she said. “She is going to have an abortion tomorrow. I do not know what to do.”

Marge did. The next day after her husband left for the office, she jumped in the car and headed down to the clinic. She must have sat in her car for three hours before Lucy got out and started walking towards the clinic. But as Lucy started to make her way to the clinic, it so happened that there was a church group protesting abortion that day. There were numerous Christians with shirts that stated “You are a murder. God hates abortion. The blood is on your hands,” and one shirt with “God hates you.” As Lucy was going towards the doors, the protesting Christians were screaming at her. Lucy’s eyes were beginning to fill with tears as she put her head down and tried to block out the voices. At that moment, Marge, the minister’s wife pushed her way through the crowd of Christians and wrapped her arm around Lucy. Lucy defensive at first, but then realized it was Marge. “What are you doing here” she asked. “I am not going to change my mind” she forcefully stated. “I know” Marge said. “I have not come to change your mind, but to love you through this.” “You know I am against abortion, but I am for you.” “I wanted to be here to love you.” So Marge and Lucy walked through the Christian mob into the clinic. During the time there, Marge said very little. As Lucy sat in the waiting room, Marge sat with her. Finally, Lucy was invited into the back, and she asked Marge to come with her. During the procedure, Marge stood next to Lucy holding her hand while Lucy wept.