Behavior is the result of your identity(who you perceive yourself to be), or in other words your world view and your values.

Which part of the being of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 did Jesus minister to?

"1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.

3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

5 "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"

6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"

11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.""

John 8:1-12, NKJV.

Edification.

Dr. Mark Rutland, president of Southeastern College and Global Servants, told a heart-warming story of a Central African tribe and their customs. When a member of the tribe commits an offense, or is caught in a crime, the put him/her in the middle of a circle made up of the entire village. But instead of stoning him/her, each one takes a turn and tells a story of how the offender had been a blessing in the past. They each take turns and make a positive statement about the offender. They each bless the offender. The edification turns into healing. Think about it!

God does not stone us for our behavior, rather He goes into the soil of our hearts to change our worldview, or who we see ourselves as. He attempts to go to the root and deal with the surface issues. We don't know exactly what He wrote in the sand, or exactly what made the woman call Him Lord, but we do know that He gave the woman power to go and sin no more.

Larry Chkoreff November, 2002