Mercy meets Judgment

“Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

James 2:13 (NIV)

Hi My Beautiful Friends,

Happy Friday!!!!

The Woman Caught in Adultery

Have you ever felt so exposed by your own mistakes that all people do is gossip and judge?

I have.

There were moments in my life where I felt like everyone was pointing fingers. Like my sin was the headline of someone else's conversation. It’s painful to sit in shame while others ignore their own.

Not long ago, I asked my friend David what his favorite scripture was. He said it wasn’t a verse, but a story. The one where Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery. That story has stayed on my heart ever since.

The first time I heard it was in church, and I remember how deeply it moved me.

In John 8, the religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery and made her stand before a crowd. They said to Jesus:

“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Now what do you say?”

They weren’t asking because they cared about justice. They were trying to trap Jesus.

What most people don’t realize is the law required both the man and the woman to be punished. But only she was brought forward. They were using her as bait to set Jesus up. If He said not to stone her, they’d accuse Him of disobeying the Moses’ law. If He said to stone her, they’d report Him to the Romans, who didn’t allow Jewish executions.

But Jesus didn’t answer right away. Instead, He knelt and began writing in the dirt with His finger. Then He stood up and said:

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

One by one, they dropped their stones and walked away.

I remember my pastor saying we don’t know exactly what Jesus wrote, but some believe He was listing the sins of the men standing there. And honestly? That would make perfect sense. One by one, they began to walk away. Not because they had a sudden change of heart, but because they felt exposed. Seen. Humbled.

Do you think they would have owned up to their sins if Jesus hadn’t written them down?

Probably not.

It wasn’t confession that stopped them. It was conviction. Jesus didn’t argue. He didn’t shame them. He simply revealed the truth and it was enough to make them drop the stones in their hands.

Jesus turned to the woman and asked:

“Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she replied.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus said.
“Go now and leave your life of sin.”

That moment is such a powerful picture of mercy and grace.

Jesus showed mercy by not giving her the punishment she deserved.
He extended grace by offering her a new beginning she didn’t earn.

That’s the heart of Jesus.

He didn’t ignore her sin. He didn’t pretend it didn’t matter. But He also didn’t shame her. He invited her to freedom. To transformation. To wholeness.

And He invites us to the same.

Sometimes we are so quick to point out other people’s flaws that we ignore our own. We gossip. We judge. We condemn. But what if instead of throwing stones, we started praying for healing? What if we spoke life into people, even when we don’t understand their battles?

This message is for me too. It’s hard to show mercy and grace to people who’ve hurt you. But when you’re the one in the woman’s shoes, wouldn’t you pray someone will choose…

Mercy over Judgment?

And Grace over Shame?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. Building our relationship with God and learning to navigate through our daily struggles. We are in this together! Please if you are in need of any prayers. Fill out a prayer form on Valfaith Bible Study Page.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday <3

with love,

Your Friend, Chelsey