Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]
Neither Do I Condemn You

Neither Do I Condemn You

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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.  

John 8:7 

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 8:10-11 

How did Christ view this situation and the people who were the principal actors in it?  Our text reveals the answer to that question. Because Christ is God, nothing surprises Him. Nothing takes Him off guard. He would have known the woman, her situation, her fellow adulterer, her accusers, and all of their sins as well. He was more than prepared for this occasion. How did He respond to the query, ‘Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?’ He let them stew for a few moments by stooping to write in the dust on the Temple floor. After that, He stood up and said, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ This took all the air out of the accusers. They were so convicted by their consciences they said nothing more, and fled the scene. After they left, Christ addressed the woman. His words are the second portion of our text. Here is Christ being most Christ-like. Here is the premier example for us to imitate. He answered her accusers and addressed her with compassion. This is a Christ worth having. This is a view worth adopting.  

Our Glorious, Living Christ, 
we rejoice that You are the example of all that is good. 
We praise You that as we contemplate You, 
we learn to imitate You. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Now, Moses Commanded

Now, Moses Commanded

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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? 

John 8:3-5 

Every generation has, what P.J. O’Rourke once called, ‘the moral aristocracy.’ In Christ’s day, Israel had the scribes and Pharisees. The Pharisees’ name meant, ‘Separatist.’ They were extremely scrupulous about their ostensible obedience to the law of God. To them, image was astronomically important. They were ostentatious in their practice of religion and insistent that everyone they could influence be just as they were. They arrogantly looked down upon the majority of their fellow Israelites and upon Jesus particularly. Everything Christ said and did exposed them for the frauds they were. He challenged all their self-righteous preconceptions. When the situation arose where they caught this woman in the act of adultery, they saw and seized the opportunity to use her to entrap Christ. Their perspective was that they, who obeyed the law, could finally expose Christ by forcing Him to either condemn the woman or ignore the law. They were full of plans to defeat Him and show themselves to be righteous. Parts of us may identify with them. Within each of us lies the inclination for self-righteousness. Christ has the answer for us all.  

Our Gracious and Wise God, 
we rejoice that You know us better than we know ourselves. 
We praise You that You are ever ready 
to show us what is good and right.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

This Woman

This Woman

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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? 

John 8:3-5 

How do we gain perspective? One of the ways we do so, is by viewing things from another person’s position. How would I feel if this was me? In the passage from which our text derives there are at least four points of view: the woman’s, the accuser’s, Christ’s, and the crowd’s. If we consider these views by turns, we may find we identify with each view in one way or another. If we begin with the woman, we may quickly find how we identify with her. Her accuser’s dragged her into the temple where Christ was teaching a large group of people. Without courtesy or ceremony, they deposited her in the midst of the crowd and before Christ. Our text describes the essence of the situation. How would the woman have felt? Certainly she would have been experiencing guilt, shame, embarrassment, and fear, perhaps even terror. If we are honest with ourselves, here is someone with whom we can readily identify. If the secrets of our lives were publicly broadcast and the consequences were imminent, we would feel exactly as she did. We are all as guilty as she was. For this guilt, Christ is the answer.  

Our Wise and Holy God, 
we rejoice that You show us ourselves in Your Word. 
We praise You that we see, not only our own sin, 
but also Your grace.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Be Anxious For Nothing

Be Anxious For Nothing

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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 4:6-7  

How should we understand the tenor of this statement? From the mouths of some it has all the comfort of a swinging baseball bat. It is very much like having someone scream, ‘I love you!’ with a rage-contorted face, only inches from yours. By contrast, if God is our Father, and by His Holy Spirit He is speaking in this verse, is that how He communicates this phrase? Consider this scenario: A father carries his small girl up to bed. He tucks her in, gives her, her favorite stuffed toy, and makes his way to the door.  As he turns out the light, the wee child says, ‘Daddy, I’m scared.’ He responds, ‘What are you afraid of, Baby Girl?’ She says, ‘I’m afraid of the dark.’ He says, ‘I understand, so I will pull up a chair and sit with you.’ She says, ‘but I’m afraid of the monsters.’ He says, ‘I will deal with the monsters. I won’t leave you alone. Don’t worry about anything.’ What did the father say? He said, ‘Be anxious for nothing, don’t worry about anything.’ These are words of genuine comfort from the mouth of a loving father. They carry with them a real peace which comes from the Giver of peace.  

Our Gracious God and our Heavenly Father,  
we rejoice in Your words of comfort and encouragement   
to Your anxious people.  
We praise You that we receive these words   
as children from a loving Father. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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