more on john 8:1-6

More on John 8:1-6.

Any time Jesus looked at people, he saw people, children of God, people lost to God.

When the religious leaders saw people, they saw contribution units, possibilities of power, programs.

There are a lot of people today, and always have been I think, that are heavily involved in programs and causes, but that do not give a flip for people.

They care greatly for the thing, but do not care for the people behind the thing.

Ella worked for the financial department of a college one time. One day, one of the people said, If it were not for all these students, we could get some work done. Ella’s comment, if it were not for all these students, we wouldn’t have a job.

They saw the students as a hindrance to doing their work, when actually the students were the reason for the work.

A lot of people are that way with their causes. They become a convenient platform upon which to gain renown.

I believe that environmentalism for the most part is hucksterism. It is fake. And many people who claim to care about the planet do not. All they care about it is public power and making money on it. You can tell that by their hypocrisy: the fact that they fly in large private airplanes and travel in multi-vehicle convoys everywhere they go. If they cared, really cared, they would go a different way, one that used less resources.

Many in the Civil War days were gung ho over slavery, yet didn’t care for black people. As far as they were concerned, the former slaves could go back to Africa or wherever. To them it was a cause. The list could go on forever of like examples.

The problem is, there are people behind everything. Jesus saw the people, he cared about the people.

When the woman was caught in adultery in John 8, she was nothing more than a political point to those who caught her. She was going to be Jesus’ downfall if they could make it so.

Is she guilty and does she deserve to be stoned?

Yes, Jesus says, and they say, Aha, where is your vaunted compassion everybody talks about. You are just another legalist.

No, Jesus says, and they say, Aha, so you do not believe in the laws that God gave us and feel you can break them when it suits your fancy.

What Jesus said was, the perfect ones can start. She is guilty, yes. So are you. So the perfect people, the ones without any sin in their own lives, can start.

That took the discussion to a whole different plane. It was no longer what did God say we could do and went to God loves me.

A man once told me that if he were to err on either the side of love or the side of law, he would have to go with love. I said, No! the laws of God are plain.

Then I grew up. If Jesus could see the person behind the sin, so can I. That doesn’t mean I tolerate sin. It means I love people and teach them to be like God.

I want to be like Jesus.