Could you guess what would be Jesus’s response?
John 8:7 But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
On the flip side…If we look only at the example and not the lesson, then we should at least understand the meaning of stoning a person to death under the Old Testament law; for it was not only a physical condemnation, but also a spiritual one.
The crowd who wanted to stone the woman was not just trying to condemn her physical life; they were also trying to condemn her soul. That’s why, even to this day, people use the phrase “casting stones” in the context of judging others.
But, if we apply the example only to physical condemnation, then the lesson is ONLY for those having authority to execute people, so that the lesson has no meaning for vast majority…that’s not the way scripture works since its purpose is to preach to the masses and not the extreme minority.
But, if we allow ourselves to apply it to only those in authority to carry out executions, then why do the conversions of those having such authority in the New Testament lack any mention of them giving up such authority?:
1) Cornelius, the first gentile convert, was a man of war, a centurion, with 100 other men of war under his command. Yet no mention of him relinquishing his command is noted in scripture. Furthermore, he was commended as being a God fearing man evening before his conversion to Christianity.
2) The Proconsul of Paphos was converted and didn’t leave his profession.
3) The Philippian jailer, who carried a sword and the authority to execute, did not leave his post upon his conversion. To the contrary, he returned to his job!
In fact, of the thirteen conversion scenes noted in the book of Acts, four involve men charged with the authority to carry out executions. Of those four, three of them are mentioned above, but none of the three changed professions. (The fourth was Paul, formerly known as Saul, who was carrying out a religious persecution of Christians.) Yet, the sexually immoral left their lives of sin, as did the idolaters, thieves, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers, etc. So why not the executioners?
On top of all of that, the New Testament shows respect for executioners and calls them “agents of God’s wrath.”
