Throw the Stone

Compassion comes with age and experience. As a freshman, I slept through my alarm and missed the bus taking us to our tournament. I was mortified and embarrassed. The other freshman on the team judged me and did not show much compassion. Then, a senior on our team approached me and told me a story of when they did the same thing a few years back. They comforted me and assured me that everyone messes up, and those judging me will mess up one day and desire the compassion they are currently not giving.  

In the story above, a woman who was caught cheating was brought before Jesus and asked by the people of the town how they should punish her. Before Jesus spoke, the people wanted her to receive the maximum punishment, which was death by stoning. When they asked Jesus, He responded, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” After He said this, the older men were the first to walk away. I think that is interesting because it shows that these older men were very aware that they had also sinned in their own life. They could offer compassion because of the wisdom they had collected from learning from their mistakes. The older men were not filled with false pride concerning their actions; they knew they were sinners. 

How do you respond when someone messes up? Do you offer them compassion, knowing that everyone messes up, or are you quick to judge them? We are all sinners in need of grace. Christ offers us the grace that covers all of our sins. And God is our judge, so we should not try to take His job from Him.