What’s in your hand?

What’s in your hand?

John 8 v 3-11

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.”

What’s in your hand? Take a careful look because it is possible to carry stones and not realise it.

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

They were trapped – to throw a stone meant they were without sin and only God is sinless, to walk away was to admit they were sinners.

They tried to trap Jesus but in the end they were trapped by him.

What’s in your hand? Drop the stones.

For the sin of those who deserve to be stoned is equal to those who carry the stone.