January 3, 2014

“A Place of Beginning Again”

At the beginning of a new year I am always reminded of Ken Medema’s story-song “A Place of Beginning Again”...tried to find a recording, youtube...anything...to no avail.
It is Ken’s account of the following passage in John 8. I remember being strongly impacted by Ken’s bottom-line redaction of the passage.

The Lord gave the woman a “place to begin again.”

Read the account:

John 8:1-11

1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

We have examined this passage several times in the past.
So much here.
Remember…
The Religionists were using the woman to setup Jesus.
She was caught in the very act.
Where is the “he” of the act?
Likely a Religionist who volunteered for the plot.
The Religionists could not have cared less about the woman.

Jesus saw the trap.
Jesus saw the hurt of the woman.

Jesus did not justify her sin.
He did not condemn her, though the Law did.

Jesus told her to go and sin no more.

A vivid picture of the grace of the Lord.
A profound example of the mercy of the Lord.

Many think that their sin is beyond the forgiveness of the Lord.
Such is not true.

He forgives.
He will give us a place to begin again.
Will we take it?
At the beginning of this new year, will we “go and sin no more”?