Dear readers, blogging will commence at least till 12 Jan 2014 because I am currently working overseas for 3 weeks. Currently situated in a place previously ruled by nomadic empires decades ago, Mongolia.
Being here at this time of the year is awesome, though the temperatures are rather harsh, it is still an an eye opening experience. Temperatures go as low as -20 degrees celsius for a week now and was told it can go as low as -30 degrees celsius. Quoted from a fellow Mongolian, he says, "The temperature is considered warm now." Hearing that, I knew I really had to keep really warm.
Mongolians are very polite people and very pleasant to work with. Mongolians grow up with great history and they have full of respect for people, even animals. I read a short brochure from my hotel room explaining how cashmere originated. It also shared how nomads, even present day Mongolians have such high respect for goats as goats were a picture of a strong animal that were able to brave the harsh weathers here.
During my first few days, I was very surprised to witness the Mongolian's love for meat. Their meals were made up of just meat. I was rather amused when I came across a phrase in a restaurant that says, "Meat for men, grass for animals!"
I must say 90% of the food menu is made up of mutton and horse meat. Personally not a big fan of mutton/horse meat and if I could, I would avoid them at all cost. You would be surprised to even see dumpling made from mutton, boiled mutton soup or stir fried horse meat. Mutton appears to be a national meat.
So, whilst in preparation for this trip, I actually bought the book recently launched by Pastor Prince, "The Power of Right Believing". I picked up the book at the Rock Bookstore during the recent Sunday only to find myself glued to random 2 pages in there. I passed it to my wife and the same happened. We were then led by the Lord to the cashier after that.
Tonight, as I continue to read where I left off, I came across this chapter which talked about a story of an adulterous woman from the bible. The revelation of Jesus literally jumped at me. I felt so inspired to blog and share this beauty of Jesus.
She was hauled into the streets by men from the temple and she had no match for the rabble who seized her. She struggled frantically to recover her footing as she was shoved in all directions. Cold fear gripped her like a serpent and she was drowned in the scornful taunts of the commotion who drew near to watch her. Images of a woman who attempted to crawl away from heavy stones hurled at her flashed in her head continuously. She witnessed the scornful mob who called for God's justice to be meted out. She never imagined that she would one day face the same fate. She had never set out to commit adultery. She knew it was a mistake to meet him alone. It was a terrible mistake, and now it was too late. According to the law of Moses, capital punishment was the price to pay and there was no escape from the law.
Thrown into the temple like a rag doll, she recognised the fragrance of the offerings being made on the bronze altar. Snatches of her father telling her that God would rain His blessings down upon their family flashed in her mind's eye, just before she was hauled before the feet of a man they called Teacher.
She knew her trial had begun, that this man must be her chief executioner. Shivering uncontrollably, she bowed her head and covered her eyes with her hair as best as she could so that she could not see the curious onlookers around her awaiting to witness her sentence.
Then her merciless accusers fired the first salvo: "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say?" (John 8:4-5). Anticipating further humiliation, she braced herself for further condemning words of judgement from the teacher.
But she heard nothing, other than a deafening silence. It was as if the teacher had turned a deaf ear to the accusatory charges read against her. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the teacher stooping down and writing with His finger on the ground. The Pharisees, holding rocks in their hands and infuriated by the delay, demanded "What do you say, teacher? Do we stone her now?"
The teacher stood up before them, spoke with such resounding majesty that caught her breath in her throat. He declared, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first" (John 8:7). Then, He stooped to the ground once more and resumed writing as though there were no one present.
She was left bewildered. Many questions ran through her mind. The rocks that would have battered her to death fell impotent to the ground. One by one, the accusers turned and moved away. The crowds that had gathered also began to disperse, since it became clear that there would be no spectacle.
He lifted her head, and she saw His face for the first time. It was a face of compassion and love. A face that glowed with acceptance and assurance. She let her pent-up tears flow as He asked her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" (John 8:10). Throughout the ordeal, no one had spoken to her. She was not mattered. All that mattered was that she had done the deed and that it warranted her death. But the man who rescued her was looking and speaking to her as if she mattered.
Gratefully, she breathed, "No one, Lord!" She knew beyond a doubt that this teacher was no ordinary teacher. That is why she addressed Him as "Lord" and not "teacher" like the Pharisees did. Then she heard the words that she would never forget for the rest of her life: "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11). As she made her way home, she recounted these words to herself over and over again, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." He had saved her life and she knew it would never be the same again.
In this story, Jesus demonstrated something very important. What enables someone to have the power to overcome sin? The law obviously did not stop the woman from committing adultery. But receiving Jesus' acceptance - knowing that even though she deserved to be stoned to death, He did not condemn her - that gave her the power to "go and sin no more."
Let's take a step back and examine the series of events. Jesus saved the woman righteously. He did not say, "Don't stone her. Show mercy on her." What He said was, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." And on their own accord, the religious folks left one by one.
Notice how, after that, Jesus did not ask the woman, "Why did you sin?" Most of the time when we come across people's failure, we come hard on them by asking, "Why did you do that? Why can't you do better?" It is usually a targeted attack on the victim. If we look at Jesus' response, He asked, "Where are those who accuse you? Has no one condemned you?" It seems as if Jesus was more preoccupied with the condemnation of the sin than the sin itself. He ensured that she walked away without the feeling of condemnation and shame. When God says something comes first, it must come first. What God puts first, man cannot put last. God says "no condemnation" comes first, and then you can "go and sin no more."
I tried to picture myself being in the shoes of the woman. Being there at the moment, I would surely be filled with remorse and keen to start life anew. Under normal circumstances, if Jesus was not present, the accusers would definitely have their way and all that is left is just a bloodied body. We will not have a chance to know that Jesus does not condemn us. How priceless would that truth be if I was there.
Sometimes, we say it this way: "Go and sin nore more first then we will not condemn you." All we need to understand that when there is no condemnation, people are empowered to live victorious lives, lives that glorify Jesus. This is where out empowerment comes from. Grace produces an effortless empowerment through the revelation of no condemnation. It is unmerited and completely undeserved. But we can receive it because Jesus paid for it at the cross to give us this gift of no condemnation.
The truth is, no one could cast the first stone at this woman. We have all sinned and fallen short. Our confidence today is not in our ability to keep the law perfectly. It is in the only one, Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the law itself. In Christ, we are all equal. If someone has committed a sin, our place is not to judge them, but to restore them by pointing them to the forgiveness and gift of no condemnation that is found in Jesus. Doing that gives them the power to do good and lead a powerful life.
In this story, Jesus was in the flesh to demonstrate God's heart. His heart is unveiled in His grace and His forgiveness.
Know the truth that God does not condemn you today and that it is only by His grace that gives you the power to go and sin no more!
