Lets go back to the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11 where the people of the town were going to stone her. This is one of the coolest stories in the New Testament. Jesus responds to the situation by saying “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” This is brilliant!

The people begin to put down their stones and walk away and the scene is left with this woman and Jesus alone in the town square. She is wrapped in nothing but a bed sheet and her shame. Jesus says “did they not condemn you?” “No, none of them Lord,” she said. Then Jesus says, “Neither do I and go and sin no more!”

Wait a minute, what?

Right next to this incredible tenderness, kindness, love and grace…in the next breath, Jesus says stop it!

We see the same thing in this story in John 5:1-15. In this story we find the paraplegic man at of the pool of Bethesda who had been hanging around at the pool as a beggar for 30+ years. This guy is living a horrible life.

He is hoping to get healed and Jesus approached him and asks him if he wants to get well…and heals this man right on the spot. Jesus tells him to get up, pick up his mat and go. The man does this and immediately causes a stir because it was against the law and the religious police jump all over his case.

Later Jesus finds him in the temple and says to him “you look wonderful, now stop sinning or something worse will happen to you!”

Wait a minute, what?

It’s almost like this story is pure Jesus up until the last sentence. Kindess, grace, mercy, intervention and help. Jesus does something really importnat here…He confronts the deeper issue!

The deeper issue here is not just about getting your body back…its about getting your soul back! Its about salvation!

This is vintage Jesus!

Ok, Jesus is incredible grace, love mercy kindness and at the same time an unwavering posture to the design and standards that God put forth. They are both Jesus and He wouldn’t be the same Jesus if you removed either side.

Not sure you’ve seen this played out, but I have noticed people usually camp out in one of two spots. One camp is the fierce doctrinal “right” and other camp is fierce compassion, sympathy with big hearts and big heads. One side confronts the sin without love and grace and the other side gives out plenty of love and grace but completely ignores the sin. Does Jesus play both ends against the middle here? Yup!

Do you know someone in one of these camps? Which one?

The deeper issue is sin and its destroying you! Some of this stuff is tough to let go. Remember Gollum in the Lord of the Rings? He was obsessed with the ring (sin) and would not let it go. Over the years it transformed him alright…it completely consumed him and disfigured him. No matter what you have done, come to Jesus. He is extending His hand of grace but He doesn’t want to leave you where you’re at, He wants to confront the deeper issue. If our deeper issue is not confronted it will ultimately destroy us…remember what happened to Gollum at the end of the story!

Are you going to hold onto your sin [fill in the blank] and punt or let Jesus deal with the deeper issue?