Forgiven

Pastel on paper - 2000 (NFS, private collection)

My mom found particular comfort in this story from John 8:1-11 during one season of her life. I illustrated it as a gift to encourage her. It is about a woman caught in the act of adultery and dragged by the religious leaders to the temple courts for judgement. That had nothing to do with my mom’s story, but she had a growing awareness that her sin, in many of areas of life, deserved judgement. The Law of Moses called for such a person to be stoned, and they were testing Jesus to see if he would order the punishment. But when he suggested that whoever of the large group of men present was without sin might throw the first stone, what happened next was powerful:

“When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (NLT)

The woman was left standing, free to go, in a warm sunny courtyard strewn with powerless stones. That is what forgiveness feels like. I think that image helped my mom feel free too.