Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 8:1–11

Why is it important to read the Bible every day? 

What if I asked you to give someone utterly unfamiliar with the Bible, faith, or God a one-word answer to the above question? What would your one-word answer be?

If you know me, you know I’m less a “one-word” person and much more of a “soliloquy” person. 

Yet, I have a single-word answer for this question, and it has much to do with this Sunday’s gospel reading. 

Let’s start there.

We find Jesus in the temple area sitting and teaching a crowd of people when, unexpectedly, the scribes and Pharisees burst into the crowd, throwing a woman onto the dirt in the middle of everyone. 

The behavior of these leaders reveals their disdain; their body language, with eyes filled with disgust and contempt, and their tone of voice when addressing Jesus suggest the woman they have thrown before the crowd is a sinner.

John notes in the passage that this disturbance, incited by the scribes and Pharisees, was a test designed to trap Jesus into making an error in His teachings. What would Jesus do—follow the law and punish this woman for her sin?

Jesus bends down and writes something on the ground with His finger. We do not know what He wrote—whether it was the sins of the men or something else, this remains unknown.

What is known are the words Jesus then directs to the scribes and Pharisees: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

The men, eager to catch Jesus in a misinterpretation of Mosaic law and to find concrete evidence for His arrest, have instead been caught themselves, in something new.

Jesus is doing something new, something the Pharisees had not yet perceived. Yet, where there seems to be no path forward—as for this woman, the law already determined her fate—Jesus makes a way. Where there is only wasteland and parched desert, Jesus offers living water for His chosen people to drink (Isaiah 43:19–20). 

Jesus steps in front of this woman, indeed a sinner, rightfully caught in a transgression. Instead of condemnation, Jesus offers compassion. Instead of further judgment and punishment, Jesus offers mercy and freedom. 

Instead of standing against her, Jesus stands with her. Instead of seeing only her sin, Jesus sees the fullness of her person with the dignity of a precious daughter. Instead of desiring her death, He wants only for her to live.

Jesus doesn’t abandon those He loves in their sin. That is not love; that is condemnation. And, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Love stoops down to where the sinner lies ashamed and draws in close. 

What is my one-word answer to the question, “Why is it important to read the Bible every day?”

Stonecatcher.

Let me explain.

Numerous stones are thrown at us daily—judgment, condemnation, hate, anger, ignorance, and fear. We all have both experiences: being the target of stones cast at us and being eager to pick up and throw a stone at someone else. 

However, Jesus calls for us to put down our stones. And, even more than that, He invites us to stand between those who cast the stones and the condemned and oppressed. Jesus calls us to be stonecatchers: to advocate for grace, compassion, and mercy instead of punishment and death.

“For God so loved the world, that he sent His only Son” (John 3:16). Jesus freely chose to stoop down from His heavenly seat to this world, where each and every one of us is the woman in the dirt, thrown before a crowd of people, condemned, awaiting death. 

Every single one of us is a sinner, and because of this fact, every single one of us deserves death. And yet, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are eternally saved from the stones of condemnation and death.

As guardians of this knowledge and members of the world that Jesus came to save, we must be willing to stand in the line of fire, position ourselves in front of our fellow sinners who have fallen into the dirt, and catch the stones hurled toward them.

Make no mistake: we will get caught in the crossfire. We will be hit and hurt in our attempt to shield another. Because of where we have chosen to stand and who we have chosen to stand in front of, more stones may even come our way.

This is why immersing ourselves in the Word of God is vital. As we become the shield for others, as stones are cast upon us, and we are mocked, humiliated, injured, and condemned, we can remember the truth—the truth that Jesus chose to walk blamelessly toward His passion and death, the punishment we were due. 

He freely endured every last stone the enemy hurled toward us so that we could live. 

Knowing this, how can we not catch the stones meant for others?

When we read the Bible daily, we saturate our minds in the truth, and we are reminded that “[w]hile we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, emphasis added). 

Knowing this, how can we not begin to extend the same graces extended to us?

How often do we tend toward the heart of a Pharisee, hardened and critical of others? Yet, when we read Scripture, we discover God’s desire to remove our stony hearts, replacing them with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 26:36), softened so we can be molded like clay in His hands (Jeremiah 18:6).  

Knowing this, how can our hearts not be opened to the suffering and mistreatment that another faces?

Being rooted in God’s Word transforms us into people who act wisely, who forgive often, who freely offer grace rather than judgment and mercy rather than vengeance. “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).  

Jesus caught your stones. He caught mine. Believing this truth, how can we choose anything but living as stonecatchers for each other? 

In Christ,
Jeannine

Food for thought or journaling … 

What are the stones that you are throwing? Who are you throwing them toward? Imagine Jesus stepping in front of those you throw toward. He is asking you to put down your stones and draw near to Him, where He will teach you the way of mercy and forgiveness. 

Use the words from the following song to ask the Lord for the mercy and grace to put down the stones and instead live as a stonecatcher for others: 

“Will I give out
Only that which I myself was given once?
Where is all the mercy that was promised us?
Perhaps we ask too much
Coulda just as well been me
Brought before them head down in that midday heat
Only defined by my most heinous deed

Well, who would trace a finger through the dust? ...
When it reaches me
Let me be a stonecatcher, please.” [1]

P.S. Unsure how to read the Bible every day? Start with our 365-day devotional, Be Still. Each day, you'll get a Scripture verse and a short reflection to help you apply it to your life.

[1] Mumford, Marcus. “Stonecatcher” Genius.com, (Accessed March 7, 2025), www.genius.com/Marcus-mumford-stonecatcher-lyrics

Note: This blog was based on the gospel passage from the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C.