Jesus For All People

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:1-11

Our first immigrant congregation fell apart over one question: Is Jesus’ Good News for all people, or not? There was a woman with a bad reputation in the community. When she came to worship at our church, some of the leaders said, “We can’t allow women with her reputation to visit our church.” They ordered the pastor to make her leave. He refused, saying that Jesus came for sinners.

Eventually the church split. The pastor and those who supported him moved to a new building and continued worshiping there. The other part destroyed itself within two years.

Our pastor knew this story—how Jesus protected a woman caught in adultery, and sent her away forgiven afterward. And so he refused to shut her out of the church and away from Jesus. Where else was she going to hear the news of Jesus, who suffered, died, and rose again to save her? Where else are WE going to hear that Gospel, which we need to hear again and again and again?

And so as Christians, we throw open the doors of the church to everyone who needs to hear about Jesus—which is every human being ever born. We know how they need him, because we know how we need him—with all our hearts and minds and strength.

Dear Savior, help us to share you with others around us—no matter where they come from or what their lives have been like. Amen.

By Dr. Kari Vo