Neither Do I Condemn Thee

To my son,

                One of the most famous stories about the Savior’s earthly ministry is that of the woman taken in adultery and brought before Jesus to see how He would treat her. She had committed serious sin, and the scribes and Pharisees brought her to Him with these words, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” How would He respond to someone who had violated the law in a significant way? They were hoping to catch Him in His words, claiming that He had no mercy if He condemned her and that He violated the law if He wouldn’t punish her. He gave this powerful response: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” He knew of course that there were none without sin, and the account continues this way: “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:4-11). He of course did not condone the sin and she had work to do if she wanted full forgiveness of her transgression, but He did not condemn her. Instead He gave her the opportunity to repent and change and encouraged her to do so. And it appears that she did, for the JST adds this note: “And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name.”

                I love this story because it helps us see how we should treat those around us who may not be making the best choices. We should not approve of or adopt their sins, but we can love them and hope that they will repent. We can encourage them to stop the behavior, whatever it may be, while still showing kindness and compassion towards them. These wicked scribes and Pharisees wanted to condemn her and pass a kind of final judgment on her, but the Savior still knew she could repent and change which He encouraged her to do. Elder Renlund said this about the Savior: “Christ’s advocacy is, at least in part, to remind us that He has paid for our sins and that no one is excluded from the reach of God’s mercy. For those who believe in Jesus Christ, repent, are baptized, and endure to the end—a process that leads to reconciliation—the Savior forgives, heals, and advocates. He is our helper, consoler, and intercessor—attesting to and vouching for our reconciliation with God.”  On the other hand, Satan wants to constantly condemn us like those who brought this woman to Jesus. The scriptures describe him as “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Elder Renlund continued, “Lucifer is this accuser. He spoke against us in the premortal existence, and he continues to denounce us in this life. He seeks to drag us down. He wants us to experience endless woe. He is the one who tells us we are not adequate, the one who tells us we are not good enough, the one who tells us there is no recovery from a mistake. He is the ultimate bully, the one who kicks us when we are down.” He then described how Christ and Satan would respond to a child learning to walk who stumbled. He said, “[Lucifer] would scream at the child, punish him, and tell him to quit trying. Lucifer’s ways bring discouragement and despair—eventually and always.” Christ, on the other hand, “would help the child get up and encourage the next steps. Christ is the helper and consoler. His ways bring joy and hope—eventually and always.”

                I hope that you and I can be like Christ and not Satan in how we treat others, especially those who stumble and make mistakes. Instead of being an accuser of those who do wrong, we should be an advocate for those who struggle and try to help them. Gratefully we never need to pass final judgment on someone; we can leave that to the Lord and simply try to help and heal, ennoble and encourage, especially when someone is sinning. Always remember this invitation of the Savior to His disciples in this dispensation: “Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings” (Doctrine and Covenants 108:7). Know that you can overcome all your mistakes and weakness with the Savior’s help.

Love,

Dad