In Matthew 9:13, Jesus says, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Mercy is a word that many Christians fail to truly understand its depth and significance and how the withholding of it can impact a person’s life. In the Greek, it’s the word eleos and means “to show mercy, to show compassion, extend help for the consequence of sin.”
Mercy is an issue of the heart and we see this in Micah 6:8.
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
The word “require” does not mean “to demand.” It has more of a “relationship flavor” to it. The Hebrew word is darash. It means “to seek, to inquire of, to examine.” We could read “and what doth the LORD require of thee” this way: “and what is it that the Lord is asking of you.”
Micah 6:8 identifies three ways of living that the Lord asks of those who choose to follow Him: be just, love mercy, and walk in humility with Him. Notice the verse says the Lord asks us “to love mercy.” He just doesn’t want us to extend mercy. He wants us to love doing it!
Today, we’re going to see that mercy is both withheld and extended in John 8, the story of the woman caught in adultery. I pray the narrative approach blesses you and helps you see how the Lord can bring Scripture to life when we spend time thinking about what we have read. Let’s begin with verse 2.
I refer to the story as "The Great Set Up."
Let's begin with verse 2.
(2) And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them.
(3) And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, … (verses 2-3)
It’s early in the morning and the sun is beginning to peak over the horizon. Jesus is back in the temple, just as He had been the previous day, and people are around Him listening to His teaching. Some are sitting. Some are standing. Suddenly, He pauses and turns His head towards the entryway to the temple. So do the people.
In the distance, He hears a woman shrieking and crying. She’s begging for mercy. “Please! Please! I’m sorry! Let me go! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! Please!” The temple guards, who are dragging her, are cussing and yelling at her. “What in the world is going on,” Jesus wonders.
And then He sees them.
The scribes and Pharisees are walking toward Him. Some have their arms by their sides and others have their arms crossed. Their faces are not hiding the disdain and utter contempt that they have for Jesus as they walk toward Him at the slow and deliberate pace that has become symbolic of their authority, and their arrogance. The people acknowledge the presence of the religious aristocracy and move aside as they bow their heads and pay homage. The religious leaders revel in this display of respect.
Then Jesus sees the woman.
Temple guards are walking behind the religious leaders. They are dragging a half-naked woman, who is struggling violently to free herself. Her arms are bruised from the way the guards are handling her and her feet are bleeding from the small rocks and pebbles that were on the street.
They sling her to the ground, and she lands awkwardly in front of Jesus. She looks up at Him as she slowly grabs her badly torn clothing and pulls them up around her shoulders. Her tears are flowing. Her eyes are pleading. Her body is shaking uncontrollably.
Let's pick up the record with verse 4 and the first part of verse 5.
(4) They (the religious leaders) say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
(5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: (verses 4-5a)
What was the penalty for committing adultery and how was it determined?
Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 22 for the answer.
(22) If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
(23) If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
(24) Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
(25) But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
(26) But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:
(27) For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her. (Deuteronomy 22:22-27)
The religious leaders look at Jesus and, with Academy Award-winning performances, treat Him as if He were one of their own. “Teacher,” they say with a hint of disdain and sarcasm, “this woman was caught committing adultery. We know that Moses said in the law that her punishment is death by stoning. And, of course, you know this too.”
The scribes and Pharisees pause and slowly scan the faces of the people and then smile at Jesus. They want to make sure that what they say next has its full impact.
I call this the “triple-dog dare.”
Oh, how they must have rehearsed their lines. For hours they had thought about every possible response Jesus could give them when they ask Him the question. They were ready to prove that He was nothing more than the latest charlatan whose teachings were leading the people to hell. They look around at “their audience” and then they issue the “triple-dog dare” of the day:
(5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
(6) This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him. (verses 5-6a)
“Good teacher, surely you are not going to disagree with the sentence that Moses commanded in the law for such a crime, are you?”
You can hear the gasp from the wide-eyed and amazed crowd. They had never seen a religious leader confront another rabbi like this before. They are shocked, but at the same time, enjoying this impromptu theater. And then there’s silence. All eyes are now on Jesus. You can hear the people whispering among themselves: “I wonder what He’s going to say?”
The religious leaders are enjoying this. They glance at each other smiling and nodding their heads in agreement – “Gotcha”. They then look at the people, satisfied that the dagger had hit its mark. “He’s a cornered dog,” they whisper among themselves. “He has nowhere to go. The law is clear. He has no choice. He must comply. This woman will be stoned.”
But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not. (verse 6b)
Jesus is seeking the Father’s heart.
Instead of immediately responding to their demands for an answer, Jesus seeks the mind and will of His Father. He bends down, writes on the ground, and waits until He hears His Father’s instructions. In my mind, I see Him rehearsing verses like the ones we see in the Psalms.
Psalm 25:5 - "Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."
Psalm 69:6 - "Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel."
Psalm 130:5-6 - "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."
“Father, what do you want Me to do?” Jesus asks as He kneels and then moves His finger on the dirt floor of the temple. “Father, what is your heart in this matter? How do you want Me to handle this? What can I say that will show everyone your heart is to always extend mercy and forgiveness to those who need it?
Do you remember the “triple-dog dare”?
“Good teacher, surely you are not going to disagree with the sentence that Moses commanded in the law for such a crime, are you?”
Now look at verses 7 and 8.
(7) So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
(8) And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
When Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone,” what was the sin that He was referring to? According to the context, the sin was that of adultery. Not only did Jesus expose the religious leaders’ hypocrisy, He also exposed the truth that, as witnesses to the sin, but they were also supposed to be the first to cast the stone.
The religious leaders never saw the public rebuke coming and we see this in verse 9.
"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."
The religious leaders couldn’t deny the truth of the law and nor could they deny their responsibility to execute it. In the presence of the people, they had failed in their duty to uphold the law that they had so defiantly tried to use against Jesus. So, Jesus bends down a second time and this gives them a chance to leave without any further humiliation.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Father’s heart is to always, always, always offer mercy and forgiveness first. (Read twice)
This reminds me of a confrontation that Jesus had with the religious leader in Matthew 9. They had asked His disciples why their Master ate with publicans and sinners and Jesus, overhearing their question, responds in verses 12 and 13. For the sake of space, I am sharing His response as presented in the Amplified Bible.
(12) But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are week and sick.
(13) Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free of sin). (Matthew 9:12-13 AMP)
We know from Luke 19:10 and Matthew 18:11 that Jesus left heaven and came to earth for one reason – to seek and save the lost – to deliver the condemned from the sin nature and an eternity in the lake of fire. And this passage in Matthew 9, as rendered by the Amplified Bible, paints a wonderful picture of the Father’s heart for the lost.
Now back to John 8.
(10) When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
(11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
After the religious leaders slowly fade into the shadows, Jesus turns and asks the woman, “Where are your accusers? Where are the ones who pronounced you guilty and condemned you to death? Isn’t there anyone here to condemn you?” The woman, not looking directly at Jesus, says, “There is no one left to condemn me Lord,” as she wonders in her mind what punishment awaits her.
But, oh, the Father’s heart is on full display!
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (verse 11)
Why didn’t Jesus pronounce the condemning sentence of death against her that she deserved for breaking the law? Why did He let the guilty go free? We find the answer in Matthew 5.
(17) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
(18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The word destroy is kataluo and means “to loose, to dissolve, demolish, throw down.” Whatever was in place according to the law, Jesus said He didn’t come to undo any of it. The word fulfill is pleroo and means “to bring to a full end, accomplish, complete.” Instead of doing away with the law, Jesus said He was the one who would completely fulfill the law.
Jesus knew the day was coming when He would fulfill the law and all its requirements for sin and, as a result, take her sins upon Himself to the cross.
Let’s read verse 11 again.
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
I can see Jesus sternly looking at her and saying: “You knew that Moses’ law said that if you commit adultery the punishment would be death, right?” I can see the woman, avoiding His gaze, look down and shake her head in agreement. “And yet, you did it anyway,” Jesus says. “Look at Me,” He says gently as He leans down to see her face. “You do realize how wrong you were and how close you came to dying, right?” “Yes, Rabbi. I know that it was wrong, but I have feelings for him,” she replies. “Listen to Me,” Jesus says. “You may have feelings for him, but acting on those feelings is a death sentence.”
He looks at her. She can see the love and compassion in His eyes when He says “Don’t let your feelings bring you this close to death again. Never commit this sin again.” Her tears are flowing again, this time with thanksgiving for the mercy she has received. Jesus gently wipes away her tears, smiles, and says, “Now go home and praise the God of Abraham for the great mercy He has shown to you today.”
Dear child of God, like Jesus, we must always, always, always extend mercy and forgiveness first when we are dealing with people who don’t know the mercy and forgiveness that our Father so desperately wants to give them. We must see them as He sees them – people who can be birthed into His family.
And we must be full of mercy and forgiveness for our family – especially for our brothers and sisters who have lost their way.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)
And trust me: your Father will make note of that in the book of life next to your name.
