By Kara Benson
I find it interesting that we live within a Christian culture which can so easily throw stones at the LGBTQ community without first thinking about our own sin, or the soul of each person who so desperately and perhaps unknowingly needs a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Instead, and I have been guilty of this myself, we stand there like the smug townspeople looking at the woman caught in the act of adultery who was brought on trial. As the woman, stood next to Jesus the crowd seeks His response to use this next question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” John 8:4-5
Let’s say that this woman instead of caught in the act of adultery was perhaps transgender or a lesbian, What would Jesus say to us and what would Jesus say to her? I think we can actually know this answer from this very passage.
Jesus said let him who is without sin cast the first stone. Little by little everybody walked away because they realized absolutely no one could cast a stone at this woman. I don’t know what Jesus wrote in that dirt but what we know is the woman felt shame and we know the woman was fearful for her life. She knew the sin she had been caught in, and she probably knew that it was wrong even before she was caught. What did Jesus say?
Woman has no one condemned you? Jesus said.
No one sir, she said.
I’m sure her statement was said with surprise and awe at this man, Messiah, who did not pick up the first stone.
Yet, Jesus, before anyone else, had all authority to cast the first stone since He is holy and perfect. Instead Jesus said, after all her accusers left, with ultimate gentleness and authority, neither do I condemn you, go now and leave your life of sin.
If this woman had been a lesbian, transgender, a murderer, a thief, a liar, a shoplifter…A private sin is not worse than someone else’s public sin. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. So if this woman had been ANY ONE OF US Jesus would say the same thing he told her.
Go now and leave your life of sin.
How dare we as Christians, simply because the person is flaunting a lifestyle that we know. God does not approve of act as if we are holier, better, begin casting stones and disassociating ourselves. Of all the people Jesus rebuked in Scripture it was the self-righteous. If our Savior does not cast a stone, then we should not. We are saved by the grace of God. We are redeemed and praise Him for snatching us out of the fire.
How dare we, cast the stone at Alastair Begg as his response is more Christ-like than many have realized.
I was reading on this one person’s post, who I respect much of what he says. (I’ll tag him but I don’t feel the need to mention him). And beneath his response to Alistair people are asking things such as:
Well, Is it okay to go to a wedding of a Christian and a non-Christian?
or how about people who have slept together,
why don’t we just add to that?
How about alcoholics?
how about people that party at nightclubs?
how about swingers?
How about addicts?
Overeaters?
People who watch pornography?
People who watch reality TV?
Listen to true crime?
Dabbled in witchcraft?
Is it ok to go to their weddings???
As if somehow we are without sin, sitting in pews of piety.
We are not better, the only thing better in us, if we are saved, is Jesus. On our own we are filthy wretches.
The entire statement was also taken out of context with Alistair. He asked the grandmother. Does your grandson know that you love Jesus and that you do not affirm his lifestyle choices. The grandmother answered yes and then Alistair said then I think you should go and I think you should buy them a gift. (Although people are leaving this part out of their posts).
Alistair then says,
” Well, here’s the thing: your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, ‘These people are what I always thought: judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything.’”
And it is a fine line, isn’t it? It really is. And people need to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. But I think we’re going to take that risk. We’re going to have to take that risk a lot more if we want to build bridges into the hearts and lives of those who don’t understand Jesus and don’t understand that he is a King.”
This grandmother loves her grandson. Just as our heavenly father loves his children. How about the story of the prodigal son who walked away and squandered his life and partied and drank and did who knows what until he came crawling back to his father who saw him from afar, covered in filth and ran to meet him and showered him gifts.
One of the biggest problems we have is that we do not see people as God sees people and so therefore we judge. We do not see eternity and because of this we have such short-sighted responses like don’t go to the wedding of a gay relative or clearly any person who sins…. This is shameful. Jesus sat and dined with the outcasts of his culture and you will not attend a wedding of someone who believes differently than you. (This is not just in regards to a gay wedding as the comments were ones such as what if they were unbelievers, or one was a Christian and one was not or if they had sex before marriage).
Matthew 9:10-13 NIV
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Can I ask would you go to their funeral? Because at this point you are too late. You have been too busy sitting on your pious pedestal to dine with those who need Christ the most, who need to see the light of Christ in their lives, who need co-workers and acquaintances and friends who love Jesus and don’t shun them but pray for opportunities to have loving conversations with them about an identity that is secure and a God who loves them eternally and sent his son to die for them.
Can we speak the truth in love yes, and this grandmother has, Can we also still show up and show that the love of Christ is boundless, that he comes next to us in our sin and encourages us ever so gently to leave the life of sin that we’re in.
How can you be next to a person if you shun them?
How can you show the light of Christ when you turn your back on them?
I pray we stop casting stones and we repent of our Pharisaical attitudes and that instead we get on our knees and we pray earnestly for souls.
May we Pray more than we speak.
An open sin is not worse than the sin we have in our hearts, We need to find a better way to sit with those who need Jesus most and stop acting as if we have caught someone in an unforgivable act of sin ready to stone them. Hate the sin and love the sinner, because every sinner needs Jesus Christ.
Quoted content Alistair had with this grandmother
Alistair: And in very specific areas this comes across. I mean, you and I know that we field questions all the time that go along the lines of “My grandson is about to be married to a transgender person, and I don’t know what to do about this, and I’m calling to ask you to tell me what to do”—which is a huge responsibility.
And in a conversation like that just a few days ago—and people may not like this answer—but I asked the grandmother, “Does your grandson understand your belief in Jesus?”
“Yes.”
“Does your grandson understand that your belief in Jesus makes it such that you can’t countenance in any affirming way the choices that he has made in life?”
“Yes.”
I said, “Well then, okay. As long as he knows that, then I suggest that you do go to the ceremony. And I suggest that you buy them a gift.”
“Oh,” she said, “what?” She was caught off guard.
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