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.”
– John 8:7 (NIV)

I have always loved this story from chapter 8 of the Gospel of John; mainly because I have felt such a strong connection to the adulteress who was about to be stoned for her sin by a group of religious leaders. Having lived in a home where my minister father was a “do as I say, not as I do” religious leader, I was familiar with the type who were out to condemn this woman. I received a major sense of satisfaction when Jesus put them in their place. In fact, I felt like His words were a protective covering for me. His action in that moment shielded me from the self-righteous judgment of religious leaders for all time.

Until today…

I hate to admit this, but I have spent a significant amount of time over the last day sitting in self-righteous judgment of someone. At some point, the thought came to me that maybe I should take some time to re-focus my attitude by deciding what to write about in my blog. When I need ideas for writing, I usually go to my Bible and randomly open it to find inspiration. Wouldn’t you know it, the first book my Bible opened itself to this time was John; and it was John 8:7 (already highlighted and underlined from previous readings) that leapt off the page and slapped me in the face.

Today, I know that these words of Jesus are directed at me. When I read them, I recognize that the self-righteousness I have been marinating in has become sour and slimy. Who am I to sit in judgment of anyone else? Even if the behavior of another is complicating my circumstances, it is not my job to point at them and sneer.

How do I go from being the adulteress in the story to being the self-righteous ones? I rely on my human understanding of a situation and allow myself to judge. I believe the liar in my head that tells me I am better than someone else. I fall away from God.

Thanks be to God, I am able to look to His word for help. Thanks be to God, I am open to the messages He places before me. Thanks be to God, I am compelled to drop the stone in my own hand.

Perhaps one day I will read this story and be neither the adulteress nor the self-righteous ones. Until then, I will keep going to God to ask Him to change my heart.