It Didn't Even Cross My Mind...

I am reading Unexpected Love by Julie Coleman.  A book written about how Jesus really feels about women.  As I am reading Chapter 5 about the adulterous woman whom the Pharisees wanted to stone for her sin... and Jesus' famous line "Let He who is without sin cast the first stone" comes in to play.

I am noticing there is a fair amount of judgement heaped on the Pharisees in this Chapter... "The Pharisees on the other hand had no goal of redemption. There was nothing constructive about their dealings with this woman.  They had already condemned her, written her off. Moving toward restoration hadn't even crossed their minds." (Unexpected Love by Julie Coleman location 1483 on Kindle)

I guess the part that really sticks with me in the above passage is that restoration hadn't even crossed their minds.  You see I used to be like that.  I was a Rusty Humphries "Heck Ya", cure the homosexual sinners, the bums on welfare need to get a job, if everyone just spanked their children more... the world would be a better place... kind of girl.  And in that it didn't even cross my mind that my thinking was out of line with the love of Christ.

I know people who are still in that mindset... because that is what generations before them have passed down them... that is what they have been shown as a picture of righteousness... and they are doing the best they know how to be a "good Christian" in the place that they are...

So be gentle when you come across one of these brothers or sisters... remember that just as the Pharisees were trying to be clean people... trying to obey the law... trying to be good in the eyes of God... so are they. And Jesus loves them too.