February 23, 2026 | Be Connected
Jesus Forgives an Adulterous Woman
Scripture: John 8:1-11(NIV)
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Devotional
I often pray for forgiveness. Sometimes, after I am forgiven, I still pray for forgiveness again, for the same sin. I guess the big question is “Why don’t I feel forgiven, if I ask again?”
The adulterous woman had committed a sin that the Pharisees saw as unforgivable. They wanted her stoned to death. Jesus reached deep into their minds when he replied “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” I think we would be a lot like the people there if we tried to think of ourselves as without sin. As innocent as we’d like to be viewed, we’ve all sinned, and God knows it. When we really think about it, we know it as well.
The big question to consider is: can we really believe, in our hearts, that Jesus would forgive us and forget our sin? The bigger question is can we accept the fact that Jesus can forgive and forget our sin when we can’t? God’s grace and love for us is unlimited. When we view the big picture and think of our ETERNAL life in God’s presence, we sure would like those memories erased and forgotten. I want to forget my forgiven sin as much as God forgets it. Gone forever!
Dear loving and forgiving God, please help me erase my sins that you’ve forgiven. Help each of us to block out memory of forgiven sins that we might strive to live a more Holy life in your presence. Prepare us, Lord, to live in your eternal glory. Amen
