Every Woman's Bible Journaling Edition, Filament Enabled - Book - Page 31
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The Woman
IDENTIT Y
CAUGHT IN ADULTERY
Turned by Tenderness
She remembers . . .
I knew the possible consequences for infidelity, but I wasn’t afraid. After all, the Temple police
didn’t even have the courage to arrest Jesus, the man claiming to be God. But when Jesus’
accusers tested his commitment to the Torah, they used me as an object lesson.
Stripped of my dignity and completely shamed, I stood before the crowd while they
questioned Jesus on my fate. Terror describes this near-death experience. Our law was clear—
both my lover and I deserved death (Leviticus 20:10). But since the religious leaders chose not
to follow the law and prosecute my lover, I was facing the
repercussions all alone. I thought my only hope was Roman
law—which forbade my execution without Roman approval.
Jesus turns
But Jesus kept bending down and writing in the dust on
our hearts with
the ground, deflecting attention away from me. My accusers
had meant to trap Jesus by exposing me, but he exposed
tenderness.
them: I may have been caught in the act of adultery, but
these men were caught in the act of hypocrisy. One by one,
they quietly walked away until just Jesus and I were left before the watching crowd. I had no
idea he would pass the religious leaders’ test and save my life.
Jesus didn’t overlook my wrongdoing, but he did show me dignity. He forgave and
corrected me, and the way he treated me changed my life’s course. My faith story lives on in
anyone who knows this tender kindness of Jesus.
THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY’S STORY IS TOLD IN JOHN 8:1-11.
IDENTIFY
How has the tender
kindness of Jesus turned
your life?
How has God’s Word
reminded you of your
dignity when others’ words
or actions have not?
“My husband, Aaron, has
at times stepped in front
of me to buffer unwanted
attention. The simple act
of deflection is a tender
kindness. On a deeper
level, I feel similar protection from Jesus, my
ultimate shame deflector.
Jesus took time to welcome, rescue, heal, and
commission women and
dignify their existence and
ministry.”
KAT ARMSTRONG, MA, is
a Bible teacher, preacher,
coach, and ministry
leader. She cofounded
the Polished Network and
authored No More Holding
Back, The In-Between
Place, and the Storyline
Bible Studies series.
