One can only marvel at the wisdom of Jesus (no wonder considering who He is!) witnessed on so many occasions when the Pharisees tried to catch Him out. The accusations about the woman caught in adultery was one such occasion. The Pharisee had no compassion for the sinning woman, only glee at the chance to wrong-foot Jesus. But they had more than met their match; they ended up being the ones who were wrong-footed.
‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Jesus instructed. I imagine the stones clutched in angry fists being gradually dropped to the ground as each accuser thought ‘Am I the one who is without sin?’ Then the men quietly creeping away and as the Bible records ‘the older ones first.’ No stones were thrown that day.
Where would we have been in the stone-throwing crowd, leaving first or last? Are we gaining self-awareness as we get older? How aware are we of our own sin and the need for cleansing?