Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭2-11‬ NKJV)

Per Google, shame is a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Let’s break down the story of the scribes, Pharisees, adulterous woman, and Jesus using the Romans 12:2 approach.

Look Out (Pattern of the World) – When it comes to shame, the world is real quick to point a finger and to seek some kind of public humiliation or retribution. I would say that we even have a tendency to hold others to a higher standard than we have already obtained.

Remember this, reputation is how man sees you. Character is how God sees you. Let God handle your reputation, and you work on your character!

Look In (Search Your Thoughts) – Our task is not to prove ourselves as Blame Less. We have to take responsibility for our actions, and desire forgiveness. We are focusing on Shame Less, and shame can only be erased by the forgiveness that come from the grace of God and His sacrifice in Jesus.

We can be our biggest accusers; however, it is not our place to forgive ourselves. There is only one judge who sits on the throne. There is only One who will separate the righteous from the unrighteous on the day of judgement. When we stand before Jesus, He isn’t going to ask if we have forgiven ourselves. He will ask what we did with His sacrifice. Did we accept that He was the way, the truth, and the life? Did we acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness through His shed blood?

God does not desire that we forgive ouselves; rather, for us to accept that He has forgiven us!

Look Up (Search for Jesus) – Jesus asks, “Woman, where are your accusers?” But, He knew that He had run them off through whatever His mysterious writings were on the ground. Jesus knew that the penalty for sin and death would be paid for her sins by His sacrifice. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ NKJV) So, He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Jesus loved us enough to die for us, but also enough to not leave us the way we are. He wants us to accept and believe we are forgiven. Then, go and sin no more!

Challenge: It is time to ask, receive, and BELIEVE you are forgiven!  Take time to lay specific recurring thoughts of shame from your past at the feet of Jesus!