Jesus took away the condemnation this woman was facing by the crowd of angry, self-righteous, overly zealous Pharisees. Their attitudes were definitely out of line, and they needed Jesus’ reminder of their imperfections. But now Jesus no longer focuses on those accusers. He puts His focus on the adulterous woman and reminds her she needs to make a change. “Leave your life of sin,” He says. In other words, don’t return to the bed of a man who is not your husband. Avoid sexual immorality. You’ve been rescued; now live in a way that shows you’ve changed. Jesus in His compassion forgives. But we should never take advantage of His compassionate nature by deliberating wallowing in sinful behavior because “He loves us anyway.”

We don’t know what happened to this woman, but I’d like to believe her gratitude to Jesus sent her down a different path and she accepted His instruction to leave her life of sin. If she did, we know she discovered a contentment no earthly illicit relationship could ever provide. Jesus saves! Do our lives reflect our appreciation?