Humility

I must have read John 8:1-11 a hundred times, but no matter how many times I’ve read it, I still marvel at the way our LORD handles this situation.

The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus. They asked Him, “What should we do with this woman?” Had Jesus answered, “Let her go!” He would have been accused of breaking the Law of Moses. If He said, “Stone her!” He would have been in trouble with the Roman government. When Jesus did not answer them, He seemed to be in a pickle. However, when the Scribes and Pharisees persisted, Jesus answered, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Touché, Jesus! A reply worthy of God! I can imagine the astonishment on the faces of the Scribes and Pharisees! I would have loved to have been there to see them come to Jesus as roaring lions, to watch their smug expressions turn different shades of purple and red, and then to turn and slowly tiptoe out of His presence.

If I were in Jesus’ shoes, I would have folded my arms, would have tried to make eye contact, and I would have victoriously basked in the moment. But Jesus doesn’t do that. Jesus does not smirk or sneer like I would have done. There is not even a hint of smugness from Jesus.

As much as I am captured by the genius of Jesus, I am even more fascinated by His humility. Jesus did not have the, “I guess I told you!” look on His face. Instead, the Scriptures inform us that He “stooped down and wrote on the ground.”

Like the woman adulteress, the Scribes and Pharisees were also, “caught in the very act.” One minute they were reveling in their fleshly lusts, the next moment they found themselves being disrobed and standing “naked” before the crowd awaiting conviction. One glance from the piercing “All Knowing” eyes of Jesus would have shattered any dignity that the Scribes and Pharisees had left. But love and humility does not respond that way (I Cor. 13:4-7) and neither did Jesus.

I strongly suspect that Jesus did not want to see the embarrassment on their faces or the humiliation that was in their eyes. It’s the same love and humility that we see in Jesus as He turns His eyes away from the jeering crowd to look to His Father and cry, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

What an amazing plea. What an astonishing heart. What a marvelous Savior. Praise God!