We Are Not the Final Judge

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn. 8:7).

Stones have been exchanged for keystrokes. It seems with every post, article, and every thought, we find more saints willing to throw stones from their keyboards. Should we not approach correction, question, even rebuke in the digital space as we would in person? We turn, as always, to Messiah. 

In the Temple courts, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery before Yeshua/Jesus. Their hands were not empty. They carried stones. Not just physical ones, but theological ones, judicial ones, stones of condemnation shaped by their interpretation and practice of Torah and tradition. They sought to trap the Yeshua with a test of judgment. But He, the Word made flesh, even Hesed (loving-kindness) itself, knelt and wrote in the dust.

He did not dismiss the seriousness of sin. He did not deny the call to righteousness. But He exposed the deeper truth: we are not the final judge. Consider: 

Matthew 7:1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

John 7:24: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

As sinners saved by grace, we must recognize the grace we have received, even the grace we are yet receiving as we walk with Jesus. We are being perfected, but we are not yet perfected. We cannot righteously judge with a log in our eye, we must be circumspect, fearful, and humble. The measure we use should be charitable, not condenming. 

Matthew 7:1-5 is not a verse forbidding righteous judgment, but rather, hypocritical judgment. Judgment in hypocrisy. John 7:24 reminds us that there will be times when we must render a judgment, but not one based on appearances. In order to be righteous judgment, it must be done in concert with others not biased or entangled in the situation, people of standing and good reputation in the community. Then, and only then can we move past appearances, discern, and make correction according to the Word of God. 

As disciples of Messiah, we are called to discern, to uphold truth, and to walk in righteousness. Judgment is not forbidden, it is required. But the posture of judgment must be one of humility, not superiority. We do not carry stones in our hands; we carry the mercy of the One who bore our judgment on the Cross. We rely on the Word of God. 

The Torah teaches us to “judge your neighbor righteously” (Lev. 19:15), but it also commands, “Do not hate your brother in your heart” (Lev. 19:17). Righteous judgment in community is not about condemnation, it is about restoration. It is not about finality, it is about invitation to His holiness. When we forget this, we become like the accusers: eager to expose, slow to restore.

Yeshua’s response was not lawless, it was deeply lawful. He upheld the Torah’s demand for justice while revealing the heart of the Father: slow to anger, while abounding in steadfast love. He did not throw the stone. He bore the weight of it.

So we must ask: what do we carry in our hands? Are we quick to cast verdicts, or are we willing to kneel in the dust beside the broken? Do we speak truth with the intent to heal, or with the desire to win?

We are not the final judge. That seat belongs to the One who sees every heart, every motive, every wound. Our role is to reflect His justice with mercy, His truth with grace, His authority with humility. 

Let us drop the stones. Let us lift up the fallen. Let us judge righteously, but never forget that judgment belongs to the Lord. He took the stones for us, every stone we rightly deserved, He received. This is not a message to ignore sin, or not stand for His truth, but to drop the stones we, as saints, are so willing to throw at each other when the log is in our eyes, and the facts are obscured. 

Maranatha. Shalom.