A wonderful example of God's grace is shown in the book of St. John chapter 8. John tells us of one occasion, when Jesus was teaching at the temple, how a group of Jewish leaders took a woman who was caught in the act of adultery and prepared to stone her. They brought her to Jesus in order that he may comment on what they should do with her according to the Law of Moses and to somehow trap him in his words.  Now it was known, according to Old Testament law, that the punishment for adultery was death. So in verses 2-6, John records:

             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. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"  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. (NKJV)

            The reply that Jesus gives, after seemingly ignoring their deceptive question, was powerful, because contained in his answer lies the reason why we need God's grace. Verses 7-8 reads:

    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." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. (NKJV)

            What an answer! Jesus brought to bear upon all those present, the reality of their own sinfulness. Yes, this woman sinned, but she wasn’t the only one. As a matter of fact, many of them had probably committed the same sin countless times., but they just hadn’t been caught or  reported on. From a purely unbiased moral perspective, to execute her would be only the beginning. Everybody else there would need to be executed as well. As we stated earlier, quoting David in Psalms 130:3," If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Additionally, Romans 6:23a says: For the wages of sin is death. Jesus was saying to them that just because you are accusing this woman of wrong does not mean that you are excluded from your own guilt. You are just as guilty of sinning as she is. God is telling us that sin is a disease that we all have been plagued with and the remedy that Jesus gives this woman, as we will see, is in fact, the remedy for us all: grace. Romans 3: 23 says:

            Verse 9 says: And they which heard it , being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the  midst.

            Can you imagine this scene? All of these accusers of this woman become paralyzed by the thought of their own sin and finally had to leave this woman alone. They all left, from the eldest to the youngest. It is interesting that John records the manner in which they left, from the eldest to the youngest. This suggests to us that the older they were, the more sins they would have probably committed. And now, being challenged, by the Savior, to come face to face with their past, a cloud of guilt over a history of sin, shadowed any moral legitimacy they thought they had in putting this woman to death. Their shame forces them to leave, from the seasoned sinner to the novice one.  Suddenly, no one is there except Jesus and the woman. 

This is so profound. When a sinner comes to God, with a repentant heart, the only one he or she has to answer to is Jesus. She doesn’t have to face the accusation of other people, explain or defend her present condition, or allow others to keep her from experiencing God's forgiveness. He or she only needs to stand in the presence of Christ and await his answer.