Have you ever experienced walking in a jungle? Some of the first things
you will hear are the cries of baboons and monkeys. They can make quite
a ruckus! If you try to speak with your trekking partner, you won't be
able to hear one another!
Then, unexpectedly, everything becomes
still. You are intrigued. Why the sudden silence? Wait. The leaves are
moving, and in the stillness, you can hear them rustle at the steps of a
heavy creature. Then, as you watch, a regal lion steps into view.
No wonder the monkeys stopped chattering! All the animals are now
focused on the King of the forest!
We, too, need to focus on the
King of Kings. If we would only follow the example of the animals of the
jungle, we could avoid so many blunders.
Take for example, the
nameless adulteress accused by the Pharisees and religion scholars: "The
religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an
act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said,
'Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery.
Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you
say?'" (John 8:3-5 MSG)
That poor woman was destined to be stoned. No one on earth could save
her. After all, the law is the law.
Interestingly enough,
adultery involves at least two people. Where was the other guilty party?
Jesus did not answer the religious leaders. Instead, He began
writing in the dirt. The Bible doesn't say what He wrote. Possibly He
indicated the sins of those who wanted to stone that poor woman, or
maybe He wrote down the name of the guy who was involved with her.
Whatever it was, no one was looking at the adulteress any longer. They
were all focused on Jesus. It's as if He had taken all the sins of that
adulteress upon Himself.
Then He said something quite revolutionary: "The sinless one among you,
go first: Throw the stone." (John 8:7 MSG) These words hit those
religious leaders head on: "Hearing that, they walked away, one after
another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone." (John 8:9 MSG). Never had it happened that the guilty party was left behind
without being stoned! What stopped those pious men from stoning that
poor women? They were focused on Jesus! These religious "baboons" were
silenced by the presence of the mighty lion!
"Jesus stood up and
spoke to her. 'Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?'" (John
8:10 MSG) It's then that this poor woman looked around her. Her
accusers were all gone! "'No one, Master.' 'Neither do I,' said Jesus.
'Go on your way. From now on, don't sin.'" (John 8:11 MSG) Humans tend
to accuse others, even with no proof. Jesus just loves and forgives
indeterminably.
Have you ever fallen into temptation? Do you feel
that no one could ever forgive you? Think again. Jesus tells you:
"Neither do I, Go on your way. From now on, don't sin." (John 8:11 MSG).
He has forgiven you! "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
(1
John 1:9 NIV)
A young Muslim teenager (This is a true story) gave her heart to Jesus.
Her family hoped that she would come back to her senses and return to
Islam. She eventually became engaged to a Christian. Sadly, one of the
family members committed suicide the day before the wedding. The family
got together and came to the conclusion that this girl's conversion to
Christianity had cursed her family, and it was for this reason that the
uncle was "pushed" to suicide. They went after her, urging her
forcefully to recant her faith. They threw her on the floor, but there
was no way would she deny Jesus. When her uncles threated to kill her,
however, she eventually recanted her faith.
Afterwards she was so
ashamed! She left the house and spent the next several hours walking the
streets. She wanted to go to church and see her fiance, but the
forgiveness she needed wouldn't come from him. It had to come from
Jesus.
That night she dreamed that she was in a bathtub filled
with snow. Then Jesus showed up and washed her clean. When she looked at
herself in the mirror, she was covered with snow. This reminds us of the
following Bible verse: "'Come on now, let's discuss this!' Says the
LORD. 'Though your sins are bright red, they will become as white as
snow. Though they are dark red, they will become as white as wool.'"
(Isaiah 1:18 GW) Love and forgiveness are not only characteristics of
Jesus, but of all the Godhead. He showed this clearly while he was in
our neighborhood. He loves us so much that He was willing to die for
us-for US!-so that we could have an everlasting future!
Focusing
on Jesus certainly makes an impact on us. After all, He is the Lion of
Judah: "The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won the
victory." (Revelation 5:5b GW)
Rob Chaffart