Micah 6:8 - When Mercy Abounds

"No, o Israel, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." 

(Micah 6:8 NLT)

Hello, Mrs. Kurtz. I looked at John 8:1-11, and with some research I came to some conclusions:

• The crowd was very eager to punish the adulterous womand (they wanted to stone her), but Jesus responded, saying "let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone". Jesus flipped the situation around on the crowd; He challenged the men to look at their own flaws before judging another for theirs.
• "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). In God's eyes, all people are sinners in need of salvation. He doesn't compare one sinner to another, but rather He sees that we have all fallen short in comparison to our perfect example, Jesus.
• "Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye" (Matthew 7:5). I, like the crowd, am in no position to judge others if I have not first recognized and repented of my own faults.
• After Jesus confronted the crowd, they all left because they felt convicted by Jesus's words, and left after realizing that they were in the wrong.
• Jesus did not judge the woman. He told her to "go now and leave your life of sin," which shows God's willingness to show us mercy. This should lead to a change on our part though, because, although He forgave the woman, He told her to leave her sinful life behind. He called her to repent. Repentance is not only asking for forgiveness, but also seeking a relationship with God so He can give you the power to turn from  your sins. 

     Is this what you got from that passage as well? I'd love to hear your thoughts because I am sure there is probably a lot that I missed. 

Dear friend,
     Isn't this an exciting passage? It echoes in our hearts with a message of mery and hope! I think that you did a great job of studying the passage and getting to the heart of the matter, well done! In fact, you have a great structure for teaching this passage to others, should you have the chance.
     I'm going to share below some of the takeaways that I have.

• This situation must have been very tense, yet Jesus reacted with consummate calmness. His lack of reaction quite possibly shocked the religious leaders, as well as the woman, and the bystanders who would have been watching. Jesus changed the whole tenor of the moment.
• This event in Jesus's life is just one of many attempts by religious leaders to test Jesus--they wanted Him to slip up in knowing/interpreting/applying the religious law. Sometimes I have to chuckle--don't you think they'd learn that they fail every time? It reminds me of the old saying, "bringing a knife to a gunfight".
• Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger. No one knows what He wrote. It doesn't matter, or it would have been recorded for us. But, the time He took to do this served His purpose. The people wanted a reaction, a judgment, or a statement that they could use against Him. He didn't lower Himself to their level.
• The law did indeed call for punishment, yet what was really happening here was about the religious leaders' motives. Why did they bring her? Where was the man with whom she had committed adultery? 
• Mercy abounded on that day, and all were left unable to respond or to condemn. Yes, adultery is sin. Yes, the woman could have been punished. Jesus did not condemn. He forgave. He gave the woman an opportunity to live a new life. In this moment, Jesus did not overlook sin; He already had a plan to take her punishment for her. Jesus would die to take the punishment for this woman's sin, just as He has done for you and for me. In this passage we see justice and mercy working together.
• There will be times in our lives when we will have to confront sin. You have correctly noted that we have to deal with sin in our own lives before we judge/condemn another. We'll have to examine our lives and our motives: why do we want to address this situation? What do we want for that person? **This is where the "walk humbly" part of Micah 6:8 enters in.

           As I conclude for now, I'll give you another passage to study: John 4:1-42. I think you'll see many connections. Here are some questions to consider:

• Who initiated the conversation? Why was this surprising?
• What information did Jesus disclose that stunned the woman? 
• What do you think was His motive for what He said to her? (Hint: look at the outcome)
• How did mercy abound, while still facing the truth?
• What can you and I learn and apply in our lives about living out the truths of Micah 6:8 in our world today?

Heavenly Father, we thank You, for Your ways are good. You alone can act with justice and mercy in equal measure. Will You transform us, fill us with Your Spirit, and enable us to do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with You?

How can we "speak life" into our world? Will we show abounding mercy?