第一块石头
耶稣向准备拿石头打死一个有罪妇人的人群发出挑战。祂说，只有没有犯过罪的人才有权利扔石头——接着，那些控诉者一个接一个地离开了，不得不承认他们自己也是罪人。
耶稣在提醒我们，我们常常对自己的罪视而不见。我们会很快地批评配偶说了轻率的话，很快地论断一个名人堕落了，或很快地看不起一个触犯法律的邻居。但我们很快就会忘记自己曾经犯过的罪——或许我们所犯的是同样的罪。在这个故事中我们看见，我们都同样需要被饶恕，只有耶稣有权力审判。
为什么我们会这么快批评或指责呢？或许是因为这比审视我们自己更容易。我们生活在这样一个世界，它提供了无数的方法来避免反省的痛苦。但如果我们诚实的话，我们必须承认，我们和别人一样犯了违反神律法的罪。
然而耶稣有话对我们说。只要我们认罪并且相信，我们就会被饶恕，这是个礼物。然后，祂鼓励我们离开罪中的生活，重生，并成为有基督形像的新造的人。
父啊，求你赦免我喜欢论断人这一倾向。帮助我在指出别人的罪时慢下来，及早看见自己也是需要被赦免的。阿们。
约翰福音 8:2-11
2清早又回到殿里，众百姓都到他那里去，他就坐下教训他们。
3文士和法利赛人带着一个行淫时被拿的妇人来，叫她站在当中，
4就对耶稣说：“夫子，这妇人是正行淫之时被拿的。
5摩西在律法上吩咐我们把这样的妇人用石头打死，你说该把她怎么样呢？”
6他们说这话乃试探耶稣，要得着告他的把柄。耶稣却弯着腰，用指头在地上画字。
7他们还是不住地问他，耶稣就直起腰来，对他们说：“你们中间谁是没有罪的，谁就可以先拿石头打她。”
8于是又弯着腰，用指头在地上画字。
9他们听见这话，就从老到少，一个一个地都出去了，只剩下耶稣一人，还有那妇人仍然站在当中。
10耶稣就直起腰来，对她说：“妇人，那些人在哪里呢？没有人定你的罪吗？”
11她说：“主啊，没有。”耶稣说：“我也不定你的罪。去吧，从此不要再犯罪了！”
The First Stone
"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." - John 8:7
Jesus challenges a crowd that is ready to stone a sinful woman to death. He says that only those who are without sin have the right to throw a stone—and, one by one, the accusers walk away, forced to admit that they too are sinners.
Jesus is reminding us that we are often blind to our own sin. We can be quick to criticize a spouse for a thoughtless comment, quick to judge a fallen celebrity, or quick to look down on a neighbor for breaking a law. But we quickly forget that we too have sinned—perhaps even in the same ways. In this story we see that we all stand equally in need of forgiveness and that only Jesus has the right to judge.
Why are we so quick to criticize and condemn? Probably because it is much easier than looking inside ourselves. We live in a world that provides limitless ways to avoid the pain of self-reflection. But if we are honest, we must admit that we are just as guilty of violating God's law as anyone else.
And yet Jesus has a word for us. When we repent and believe, we experience the gift of forgiveness. Then he encourages us to leave our life of sin and be born again, becoming a new creation in the image of Christ.
Father, forgive me for my tendency to judge people. Help me to be slower to speak about the sins of others and to see my own need for your forgiveness. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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