Day 76 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day seventy-six of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 76 Readings: John 6:1-15:17

Included in today's reading is the woman taken in adultery (although it is not in some of the earliest manuscripts as well as others). At some point it got included in the manuscript and eventually settled in this location.

Jesus was teaching and a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery was thrown down before Jesus. She was probably not clad with much. She was noticeably missing her partner in crime (hard to commit adultery without another person). She was guilty and trapped and liable to being stoned to death as per the Law through Moses.

The teachers of the Law are trying to trap Jesus. Either he teaches contrary to the Law or he lacks the compassion and care that was his reputation. This is akin to when people tried to trap Jesus with if he paid the Temple tax or not. Jesus writes in the sand (much speculation about what he was writing) and then invites the one without sin to throw the first stone.

Jesus doesn't take himself up on his own offer. He refuses to condemn the woman. Others, realizing their own sins, have also left her alone as they shuffled away.

Jesus doesn't ignore the sin but he does allow forgiveness and restoration to trump the harsh application of the Law. This is a foreshadowing of the transaction on the cross.


God, help us to find ways to let your mercy and grace restore others. Teach us to seek not to condemn but to restore. Help us accept your forgiveness and leave our own ways of sin through your power. Amen.