Jesus never treated people like many thought He was supposed to. Under the Law the proper response for outrageous sin was wrath. Yet, Jesus most often responded to outrageous sin with outrageous love. He showed a love so great that if often made people mad. A perfect example is His encounter with a woman caught in adultery.

Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “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?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

John 8:2-11

The Pharisees were quite right in their understanding of the Law. The Law of Moses did command the death penalty for those caught in adultery. However, their hypocrisy is apparent from the beginning. Where was the man who was also caught in adultery? Did he not also deserve to die? Actually, this scenario revealed the common idea of the day that it was the woman’s fault when a man committed this sin. He was the victim!

Jesus handled this situation masterfully. The woman’s accusers ended up becoming the accused, and the woman left not with condemnation but acceptance. What do you think Jesus was writing on the ground? There were many transgressions that carried the death penalty under the Law of Moses. Even Sabbath breaking was a sin worthy of death. Do you suppose Jesus stooped at the feet of one of the accusers and wrote “Sabbath breaker”?

Many would consider it outrageous that Jesus would let this woman go unpunished. She should get what she deserved! Yet, people never seemed to get what they deserved when Jesus was around. They got outrageous love instead. Jesus also taught His followers to show outrageous love even the in face of great injustice.

In the next few posts we will take a look at the outrageous love of Christ. May we let God love us outrageously, and may love others with outrageous love.