John 8:11  Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.

John 8:1-11 records the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery. In an instant, the woman is yanked from private passion to public spectacle. She's dragged before scribes and Pharisees who overwhelm her with public shame. We know what that feels like. Branded by a divorce. Marked by a handicap. Saddled with alcoholic parents. Crushed because of a child's arrest. We feel stigmatized because we lost our job, we lost our house, we lost our life's savings. Now everyone knows.

There's also private shame. Maybe you've been pushed to the edge by an abusive spouse or molested by a perverted parent. Maybe you were seduced by a sneaky superior or teased without mercy by other children. No one else knows. But we know. It's all enough to bury us in shame.

Jesus takes away sin and shame. To do it, He took the nails. On a God-forsaken cross, Jesus took the nails. Taking the nails, Jesus takes away all our sin and shame, our guilt and regret. He hung there, for us, so we don't have to relive the pain, the horror, and the nightmare.

Read this very carefully. Jesus is still speaking, "Neither do I condemn you." And watch. Watch very carefully. Jesus is writing again. He's leaving a message. In John 8, He writes on the ground. At the cross, He writes with His blood. His message has four words. "I love you. Forever."
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,