Our focus determines what we see. This is true in every aspect of our lives. Our perceptions of others, our views on politics and religion, what we see as possibilities for the future, and how we see ourselves, are all determined by the point of our focus. People who focus only on the negative, see only the bad, and people who focus only on the good will be blindsided by tragic evens and the works of the wicked.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees focused only on gaining power and wealth. Therefore, when they saw Jesus teaching in the temples, they did not see the opportunity to learn and be changed. They saw only a chance to trap Jesus. They were blinded by their own selfish focus.

The crowd listening to Jesus heard their leaders charge the woman with adultery. They were focused on the need for God’s Chosen People to be keepers of the law. Their narrow focus did not let them see an equally important truth; God’s people are to live in right relationship with others. Righteousness includes forgiveness, compassion and mercy. They deceived themselves: They focused on one truth so much that they failed to see equal but balancing truth. Narrow focus results in self delusion.

Jesus was focused on everything. He saw the leader’s wickedness, the crowd’s self delusion and the women’s sin. He did not deny the woman’s guilt, but He required the crowd to focus upon their own guilt before throwing a stone. The leaders were caught in their own trap. By taking their focus off of her guilt and placing it upon their own everything changed. Guilt or repentance was not the factor that caused the leaders leave. They left because throwing a stone would have revealed their hypocrisy and wickedness. The crowd left after seeing their own sin in vivid recall. Later some would find forgiveness through faith in Jesus.

The woman focused on Jesus and was forgiven. Focusing on Jesus changes us and our focus on everything.