Post by Betty on May 21, 2005 5:45:03 GMT -5
Title: The Gift of Criticism
And early in the morning He came again into the
temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He
sat down, and taught them.
It was after a church service one morning in
which the minister had preached on spiritual
gifts that he was greeted at the door by a lady
who said, "Pastor, I believe I have the gift of
criticism." The pastor looked at her and asked,
"Remember the person in Jesus' parable who had
the one talent?" The woman nodded her
understanding. "Do you recall what he did with
it?" "Yes," replied the lady, "he went out and
buried it." The pastor suggested, "Go, thou, and
do likewise!"
The Pharisees and Sadducees apparently felt they
too had the gift of criticism. Frequently they
attempted to ensnare the Lord Jesus. As was the
Master's habit, He entered Jerusalem, crossing
the Mount of Olives; and "early in the morning He
came again into the temple, and all the people
came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them"
(John 8:2). His reappearance in the temple
provided an opportunity for the Pharisees and
scribes to lay a subtle snare for Him. They
brought a woman taken in the very act of
adultery. The Feast of Tabernacles had just been
celebrated, and acts of immorality during that
festive week were not unusual. The scribes
attempted to put Christ in a dilemma by quoting
the law of Moses. They knew that if He answered
that the woman should be stoned, He would violate
the Roman law, which forbade such acts. However,
if Jesus answered that the woman should not be
stoned, He would be violating Moses' law
(Deuteronomy 22:24).
The religious leaders were not so much interested
in the adulterous woman as they were in Jesus'
response to her situation. Their criticism of her
was motivated by their desire to entrap Him. But
Christ knew well how to repel such attacks by an
appeal to higher principles. The same law that
adjudged the guilty to be stoned to death also
required the witnesses to cast the first stones.
Jesus' statement, "He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her," was sure
to bring an end to their criticism. The crowd,
one by one, stealthily left the scene. Ironically
the only one who was left was the Lord Jesus, the
only one of the crowd who had lived a perfect
life and had a right to condemn her.
This very teaching is reiterated by the Apostle
Paul in Romans 8. Paul asks the hypothetical
questions, "What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
. . . who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he
that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us" (Romans 8:31, 33-34). Only the mind of
God could conceive of a plan whereby the one
person who lived a righteous life and had the
right to condemn us was the very person who laid
down that life to die for us. The woman taken in
adultery was speaking to the one who did not come
into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world.
One businessman keeps a fairly large stone on his
desk. The stone is mounted and lettered with one
word: "First." This acts as a constant reminder
to him of Jesus' words, "He that is without sin .
. . let him first cast a stone." When his
employees enter his office and there is reason to
criticize them for their lack of achievement, the
man looks at the stone and recalls his own
shortcomings. He deals with his employees in
mercy and grace.
This passage of Scripture does not teach us to
look the other way when people sin. It does not
teach us that we ought to condone adultery or any
other crime. What it does teach us, however, is
that it is not the responsibility of a Christian
continually to be on the lookout for sin in other
Christians--or anyone else for that matter. If we
have lived a perfect life, we can be watchdogs
on others who have not lived a perfect life. But
we have enough trouble keeping ourselves in line;
we need not constantly be critical of the way
others live. Jesus was teaching the critical
religious leaders of His day that although the
woman was a great sinner, she was no greater a
sinner than they were. We must remember the same
as we meet others today.
MORNING HYMN
More like the Master I would live and grow,
More of His love to others I would show;
More self-denial like His in Galilee,
More like the Master I long to ever be.
_______________________________
Author: Woodrow Kroll
And early in the morning He came again into the
temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He
sat down, and taught them.
It was after a church service one morning in
which the minister had preached on spiritual
gifts that he was greeted at the door by a lady
who said, "Pastor, I believe I have the gift of
criticism." The pastor looked at her and asked,
"Remember the person in Jesus' parable who had
the one talent?" The woman nodded her
understanding. "Do you recall what he did with
it?" "Yes," replied the lady, "he went out and
buried it." The pastor suggested, "Go, thou, and
do likewise!"
The Pharisees and Sadducees apparently felt they
too had the gift of criticism. Frequently they
attempted to ensnare the Lord Jesus. As was the
Master's habit, He entered Jerusalem, crossing
the Mount of Olives; and "early in the morning He
came again into the temple, and all the people
came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them"
(John 8:2). His reappearance in the temple
provided an opportunity for the Pharisees and
scribes to lay a subtle snare for Him. They
brought a woman taken in the very act of
adultery. The Feast of Tabernacles had just been
celebrated, and acts of immorality during that
festive week were not unusual. The scribes
attempted to put Christ in a dilemma by quoting
the law of Moses. They knew that if He answered
that the woman should be stoned, He would violate
the Roman law, which forbade such acts. However,
if Jesus answered that the woman should not be
stoned, He would be violating Moses' law
(Deuteronomy 22:24).
The religious leaders were not so much interested
in the adulterous woman as they were in Jesus'
response to her situation. Their criticism of her
was motivated by their desire to entrap Him. But
Christ knew well how to repel such attacks by an
appeal to higher principles. The same law that
adjudged the guilty to be stoned to death also
required the witnesses to cast the first stones.
Jesus' statement, "He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her," was sure
to bring an end to their criticism. The crowd,
one by one, stealthily left the scene. Ironically
the only one who was left was the Lord Jesus, the
only one of the crowd who had lived a perfect
life and had a right to condemn her.
This very teaching is reiterated by the Apostle
Paul in Romans 8. Paul asks the hypothetical
questions, "What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
. . . who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he
that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us" (Romans 8:31, 33-34). Only the mind of
God could conceive of a plan whereby the one
person who lived a righteous life and had the
right to condemn us was the very person who laid
down that life to die for us. The woman taken in
adultery was speaking to the one who did not come
into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world.
One businessman keeps a fairly large stone on his
desk. The stone is mounted and lettered with one
word: "First." This acts as a constant reminder
to him of Jesus' words, "He that is without sin .
. . let him first cast a stone." When his
employees enter his office and there is reason to
criticize them for their lack of achievement, the
man looks at the stone and recalls his own
shortcomings. He deals with his employees in
mercy and grace.
This passage of Scripture does not teach us to
look the other way when people sin. It does not
teach us that we ought to condone adultery or any
other crime. What it does teach us, however, is
that it is not the responsibility of a Christian
continually to be on the lookout for sin in other
Christians--or anyone else for that matter. If we
have lived a perfect life, we can be watchdogs
on others who have not lived a perfect life. But
we have enough trouble keeping ourselves in line;
we need not constantly be critical of the way
others live. Jesus was teaching the critical
religious leaders of His day that although the
woman was a great sinner, she was no greater a
sinner than they were. We must remember the same
as we meet others today.
MORNING HYMN
More like the Master I would live and grow,
More of His love to others I would show;
More self-denial like His in Galilee,
More like the Master I long to ever be.
_______________________________
Author: Woodrow Kroll
