Luke 7:34
The son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, “Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners!”
We all live with some painful stuff, and often we feel we have nowhere to go to unload the heavy burdens that life seems to heap on us. Today, however, I invite you to consider going to God.
On one occasion, those who were guilty of many secret sins brought a woman who had been taken in sin to Christ. They thought that He would pronounce judgment against her, and then they could accuse Him of taking judgment into His own hands. While they were presenting the case, Christ busily wrote in the sand. He said nothing, and when they pressed Him for a decision, He was in no hurry to pronounce judgment. One person after another came near to Him to see what He was writing, and there in the sand they saw the record of their own sins.
Then Christ said to them, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” Not a single stone was cast. They went away, leaving the woman with Him. He said to her, “Where are those thine accusers? Doth no man condemn you?” She said, “No man, Lord.” Christ answered, “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.” On that day, God could have outed everyone—the woman for sleeping with another woman’s husband and the men for their utter hypocrisy. Instead, he wrote each of their flaws in the sand. Each man recognized his own sins but was allowed to remain anonymous. Thus, Christ chastised them but kept their misdeeds a secret.
Only God is able to address the offender with compassion and soothe the pain of the offended at the same time. Regardless of where you are in the pendulum as it swings, His compassion is able to address your issues, heal you, and preserve you.
