John 1:17 New
International Version (NIV)
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ.
The Pharisees (the keepers of the law) were trying to trap
Jesus to see if He would obey the law and agree to the stoning of the woman
caught in adultery: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to
throw a stone at her. (John 8:7) Jesus demonstrated a higher law of grace by
pointing out that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Grace is receiving
what we don’t deserve. It is easy to see how the Pharisees were so caught up
with the law that they did not apply grace, but as Christians, we also fall
into the trap of being self-righteous and legalistic. Why is it so easy to
point a finger at others while refusing to see our own wrongdoings? Jesus
condemned the hypocrisy of this: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in
your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew
7:3) The Pharisees were accusing the adulterous woman of her sin, but they
refused to look at their own sin.
Jesus exhibited grace, undeserved by the prostitute, and He
spoke truth to the Pharisees. They must have been cut to the quick when He
showed them their guilty sinful hearts.
What about you? Do you quickly judge others of their sin and
disregard the sin in your own life? Have you judged someone harshly, attempting
to remove the “sawdust” out of their eye when a plank remains in your own eye?
The Lord is full of grace and truth, and as we seek to be more like Him, we
will relate to others through the lens of grace.
Thought for today:
Am I quick to judge?
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