Condemning the Condemners

Although Marilyn Monroe became an American icon, she lived a tragic life.

She was involved with a succession of men, and all of them let her down in the end. “She was a lady born into turmoil,” said biographer Charles Casillo, “and she spent the rest of her life looking to be saved.”

Tragically she never was, at least that we know of.

The Bible tells the story of a woman who made some bad moral choices, but Jesus Christ saved her. John’s gospel tells us that one day while Jesus was speaking to a crowd, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’” (8:3–4 NLT).

But instead of answering them, Jesus bent down and wrote something in the dirt. I love what happened next: “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust” (verses 7–8 NLT).

We don’t know what Jesus wrote down that day. But whatever it was, it made the accusers leave, one by one, from the oldest to the youngest.

Jesus had condemned this woman’s condemners. And He will do the same for us. When we put our faith in Christ, we’re forgiven of our sin.

The Bible says, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NLT).

Jesus died for you on the cross and bore the judgment of God in your place. God will forgive your sin right now, right where you are.