Who Will Throw the First Stone?

Then each went to his own house, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them," Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the e1ders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, " Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin anymore."
(John 8:1-11)

This story has always amazed me.

Here is Jesus, confronted with a dilemma. If he says, "Don't stone her," he breaks the Law; if he says, "Stone her," then he is abandoning his own teaching. They keep urging him, "What is your answer?" He leans over and starts writing in the sand with his finger. How long this went on we don't know, but everybody was getting restless. What was he writing? What was he doing? We don’t really know. Maybe he was simply passing the time of day, somewhat as students bored at school drawing in their notebooks.

His accusers were not about to let him out of the trap that they had so carefully fashioned. So they kept urging him, "Master, what is the solution to this difficult case?" At last he straightened up, looked around at those zealots of the Law and said, "Let the man who has no sin on his conscience throw the first stone." Then he bent down and continued to write in the sand.

Notice that he did not challenge their right to carry out the Law; he simply insisted on a condition: "Go ahead and throw stones provided you don't have any sin on your own conscience." They got the message very quickly, One by one they began to leave.
I need this lesson daily. We live in a world of hurting people. I pray Father, that I have a heart for forgiveness and a heart that wishes to help those desperately seeking help and guidance. Because I need it daily myself.