Who Will Cast the First Stone?

Text: John 7:53–8:11 Key Verse: Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

A Sin So Great, So Unforgivable

I am grieved this morning, it is tough for me to stand up here today.

I have learned something so terrible, so chocking.

Someone in this room has committed a terrible sin.

Not just a small mistake. Not just a lapse in judgment. A sin so grievous, so inexcusable, that if we all knew, you would want to disappear.

You’ve hidden it well—so far. Maybe no one has found out. Maybe you have convinced yourself that if you ignore it, it will go away. But deep down, you know it’s there. It haunts you.

And if we knew… if we knew the whole story… how quickly would we reach for stones?

How quickly would we shake our heads, murmur our judgments, and decide that you don’t deserve grace?

And if God were to shine a spotlight on that part of your life, if He were to drag it out into the open, you would want to run and hide.

But what if He did?

What if your sin was dragged into the middle of the church right now, and we all had a rock in our hands?

What then?

Who is with me, when I call this person

Who will pick up stones and help me throw them at the person.

Who in this room is pure enough—holy enough—to cast the first stone?

Who here is without sin?

Before we answer too quickly, let’s step into this story.

Dragged Into the Light

John 8:3 ESV

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst

She had no escape.

One moment, she was entangled in sin; the next, she was yanked from the shadows and thrown into the brutal light of day.

She had been caught. There was no denying it. No excuses. No second chances.

Can you imagine her shame?

Can you feel her terror?

The religious leaders seized her by the arm, dragged her through the streets, past her neighbors, past the people who had once respected her, past the children who now looked away in disgust.

The crowd swelled around her, a sea of angry faces. Their hands clenched heavy stones.

And then, they reached their target: Jesus.

The teachers of the law stood tall, their robes flowing, their eyes burning with righteous fury. They pointed to the woman and demanded justice.

John 8:4–5 ESV

they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

“Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery. The Law of Moses commands us to stone such women. What do You say?”

It was a trap. If Jesus said to stone her, He would be just another judge in a cruel world. If He said to let her go, He would be accused of breaking God’s Law.

And the woman… she did not beg for mercy.

She knew she had no excuse.

The Writing in the Dust

John 8:6 ESV

This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

Jesus did not answer.

He did not argue.

He did not lecture.

He stooped down, His fingers writing something in the dust.

The crowd grew restless. The woman’s accusers shifted impatiently. What was He doing? What was He writing?

Some scholars believe He was listing their sins. Others think He was writing a verse from the law. We don’t know.

But we do know this:

When He finally stood and spoke, His words shattered the silence like a thunderclap.

John 8:7 ESV

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Silence.

John 8:8 ESV

And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

A stone dropped to the ground. Then another. Then another.

John 8:9 ESV

But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

The older ones left first, their years weighing heavy with sins they could no longer deny. The younger ones followed, their self-righteous anger dissolving into shame.

Until at last, she was alone with Jesus.

Modern-Day Stones

We love to pick up stones, don’t we? I am a bit of a rock collector myself.

Maybe we don’t hold actual rocks, but our words? Our judgments? Our condemnation?

We scroll through social media, eager to expose someone’s failure.

We whisper about that family down the street whose child rebelled, shaking our heads in disapproval.

We condemn the addict, the adulterer, the one who failed publicly—without ever looking in the mirror at our own hidden sins.

A few years ago, a well known pastor was exposed for having an affair. The news spread like wildfire.

People talked about him on the radio, on the internet, and even in the church pews.

Some said, “How could he do such a thing?” Others said, “His poor wife and kids!” Some even said, “He should never show his face in public again.”

And the man? He felt the weight of a thousand stones.

He resigned.

He avoided people.

He even said He felt like there was no way back.

But what did Jesus do with this sinners? Especially such a grave sinner, Especially a man of the cloth.

He did what Jesus always does, met him at his lowest point.

He did not ignore sin. But He did something so shocking, so scandalous.

He forgave him.

A Different Kind of Judgment

John 8:10 ESV

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

She braced herself. Surely, Jesus would be the one to condemn her. He had every right.

But His voice was not filled with wrath. It was filled with grace.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

She lifted her head, her eyes wide with disbelief. The stones lay scattered. The crowd was gone.

John 8:11 ESV

She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

“No one, Lord,” she whispered.

Then He spoke the words that changed everything.

“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

A Savior Who Took Our Stones

Jesus did not ignore her sin.

He did not excuse it.

He did not say, “It’s no big deal.”

He told her to leave her old life behind.

But first—He forgave.

Do you know why?

Because not long after this, He would take her place.

Because not long after this, the crowd would pick up stones again.

Not for her.

For Him.

At the Cross, the world threw its stones at Jesus.

They struck Him.

They mocked Him.

They crucified Him.

And instead of throwing stones back, He stretched out His arms and said, “Father, forgive them.”

He took our punishment.

He bore our shame.

He died so that you and I—no matter how great our sin—could hear the same words He spoke to the woman that day:

“Neither do I condemn you.”

The Call to Grace: Drop the Stones and Walk in Freedom

So let me ask you one more time—who will cast the first stone?

Will it be you?

We live in a world that thrives on judgment. We live in a culture that is quick to condemn, quick to expose, quick to destroy reputations with a single accusation.

How easy it is to pick up a stone and throw it at someone whose sin is out in the open—someone who has fallen, someone who has failed. But before we throw that stone, we must hear Jesus’ words again:

"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her."

Do you see yourself in that crowd?

Do you see how easy it is to stand with the accusers? To shake your head in judgment, forgetting your own need for grace?

The religious leaders walked away, one by one, because they knew the truth. They knew they were just as guilty.

And so are we.

But here’s the miracle of the gospel—Jesus does not walk away from us.

He stays.

He stands beside the guilty.

He silences the accusers, not because our sin doesn’t matter, but because He came to take the punishment for it Himself.

He did not come to throw stones.

He came to take them.

On the cross, He took the blows we deserved. He took the shame. He took the condemnation.

And in return, He offers forgiveness.

Not cheap forgiveness that says, “It’s fine, do whatever you want.”

But costly forgiveness that says, “I have paid for your sin—now go, and sin no more.”

What Will You Do with Your Stone?

So what will you do?

Will you hold on to your stone, gripping it tightly, ready to hurl it at someone who has fallen?

Or will you drop it at the feet of Jesus and choose grace instead?

Maybe today, you’re not holding the stone.

Maybe you’re the one standing in the dust, waiting for the judgment to fall.

Maybe you’ve been carrying shame for far too long.

Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that your sin is too great, that you have gone too far, that God could never forgive you.

But listen to Jesus’ words again:

"Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more."

He does not say, “Try harder and maybe I’ll accept you.”

He does not say, “Clean up your life first.”

He meets you where you are, in your guilt and shame, and He offers you what no one else can—grace.

Grace that forgives.

Grace that restores.

Grace that transforms.

Will You Accept His Grace?

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

No condemnation. No stones waiting to be thrown. No judgment that will stick.

Because Jesus has already taken it all.

Today, let the stones fall.

Drop the ones you’ve been holding against others.

Drop the ones you’ve been holding against yourself.

And walk in the freedom of the One who sets sinners free.

Amen.