Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

1 Corinthians 13:6

King James version reads “love rejoiceth not in iniquity.” Iniquity is often used to describe sin in the Bible but also means injustice or immoral. Of course injustice or immoral acts are always tied to sin; however, the definition to point us to injustice calibrates my soul to visualize an evil that would be anti-truth or against the truth.

Jesus said “I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”.

John 14:6 

I searched the gospels for an example Christ gives us of not only recognizing truth and rejoicing in it; but also the anti-truth, or iniquity, that has caused the correction from our Savior.  

“Teacher! This woman was caught in the act of adultery! In the Law, Moses commands us to stone such a woman. What do you say?”

John 8:3-5

The Pharisees and teachers thought because they were seeking justice by what was written in the law, their pursuit was righteous. The motive found in each of their hearts would prove their intentions to be anything but righteous. In fact, the likely half-dressed woman drug before the Messiah by the hands of these leaders was just a prop in their plan to catch this “Love Radical” up in a mistake that would prove Him to be a fake.  These religious bosses were too caught up drooling over the trap they had planned for Christ to even notice how fearful, full of shame, and broken this woman was.  This daughter that they had paraded in the courts like an animal. 

But Jesus saw ALL that was in front of him.

These men were rejoicing in the plan that they believed would expose Him for the fake they believed Him to be. They were seething with rage that this so called “ Messiah” had disrupted their lives, their temple, their religion, their law! Because of the posture of their hearts, these leaders lost any possibility in finding the truth and the justice they thought they were getting ready to capture. This rebellion against love was getting ready to be shown for the iniquity it truly was.

“Let anyone who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.“

John 8:7

Now this is righteous justice!

Only the pure love of our Savior could defuse and redirect so perfectly. This crowd of men was so full of pride and offense that they were blind to their own hearts' sicknesses. Guilt was behind the pointing fingers of every Pharisee in this crowd; that is why they dropped their stones when they began to consider their own shortcomings of the law.

I think of this woman as I reread this verse over and over. Remove her sin and the accusations brought against her, just like Jesus did that day. 

Now, what do you see?

I see a wife, a mother maybe, I see a friend to someone, a student to another, maybe an aunt or a cousin. I see someone’s child, a daughter, I see God’s princess. I think of my own nine year old girl asleep in bed as I write this, this woman was someone’s little nine-year-old girl in bed asleep once. Jesus saw past her sin, He saw past her accusers, He saw past those who were rejoicing in the iniquity that surrounded her at that moment of her life. Jesus saw her for who she was now that He was involved in her mess: Spotless, blameless, child of the Most High.

“Then neither do I condemn you.”

John 8:11

He not only saved her, He forgave her and defused the accuser’s case against her; 

“Neither do I!” The King Pronounced!

Love rejoices in the truth, and the truth is Jesus.

The world may still call you drunk, addict, bum, failure, drop out, sell out, divorced or adulterous...  

Jesus Christ, the truth, He calls you clean, He calls you chosen, He calls you Son and Daughter! Rejoice in the truth, rejoice in Jesus our Savior!