John 8 Devotional

Mercy That Sets Free

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”John 8:36 (BSB)

The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery and use her to set a trap for Jesus (8:3-6). He invites whichever of them has no sin to begin the stoning, and one by one, oldest first, they leave (8:7-9). Jesus is the one person left with any right to condemn her (8:46), and he does not. He sends her away with a command to leave her sin behind (8:10-11). Mercy comes first, and a new life follows it.

The rest of the chapter shows why he has that right. Jesus calls himself the light of the world (8:12). He tells those who believe him that sin enslaves everyone who commits it, but the freedom the Son gives is real freedom (8:34-36). When challenged, he claims to have existed before Abraham was born, echoing the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (8:58; Exodus 3:14). The one who refuses to condemn is the eternal God himself. His freedom is not permission to keep sinning. It is release from a slavery you could never break.

To think about: Where are you still living as if condemned, when Jesus has spoken a word of mercy and freedom?