Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” John 8:10-11 (NAS)
In his The Manhood of the Master, author Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote, “When Ulysses passed the Isle of Sirens, he had himself tied to the mast and his ears stopped with wax, that he might not hear the sirens singing. But when Orpheus passed the Isle of Sirens, he sat on the deck, indifferent, for he too was a musician and could make melody so much more beautiful than the sirens, that their alluring songs were to him discords.”
We are like Ulysses in many respects. We lash ourselves to Christian habits, and stop our ears with Christian mantras. But they are only our feeble attempts to be holy. On the other hand, Christ is like Orpheus. He is the exemplar of holy living. The beautiful melody of his life is so full, so glad, so triumphant, so much more beautiful than all the discordant sounds coming out of the world’s instruments. His loving, merciful, non-condemning sacrifice on Calvary is the greatest masterpiece of all time.
Like the sirens on the mythical island, Calvary sings to a sinful world: “Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
Dear Father, thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for your non-condemning acceptance of us. Empower us with that grace to live free from sin’s traps. Enable us to extend this non-condemning grace to others. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his acceptance and live to his glory,