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Hank was driving through a small Texas town when he failed to come to a complete stop at an intersection before continuing on his way. Unfortunately, a highway patrolman witnessed the infraction and pulled him over.
Within minutes, Hank would learn that a ticket wasn’t the worse thing he could get from a cop.
Approaching Hank’s window, the lawman asked for his license and registration. Perturbed by the delay, Hank rudely asked, “What for?”
The patrolman calmly replied, “You failed to stop at that intersection back there. I need to see your driver’s license and vehicle registration, please.”
Hank quickly shot back, “Well, I slowed down! No one was coming! What’s the big deal, anyway?”
Growing a bit impatient himself, the highway patrolman replied, “The law requires that you come to a complete stop, not just slow down, sir. I need to see your driver’s license and registration. Now.”
“Stop! Slow down! What’s the difference?” Hank growled back.
That last outburst was the trooper’s limit. He asked Hank to step out of his car, which he did, a bit reluctantly, of course, sensing he’d pushed the patrolman a little too far. As soon as Hank cleared the door of his car, the Texas lawman drew his nightstick and proceeded to give him the beating of his life.
Thirty seconds into the roadside whooping, the patrolman leaned over Hank’s body which was tucked in the fetal position and asked an important question: “Now, do you want me to stop…or just slow down?”
Hank learned that there’s a huge difference between “stopping” and “slowing down” when it comes to driving. There’s also a huge difference between stopping and slowing down when it comes to sin. Jesus doesn’t want us to “slow down” our sinning; He wants us to complete “stop” it. Take a look at what He told the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11.
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Topics Illustrated Include:
Behavior
Commands
Disobedience
Impatient
Jesus’ Teachings
Law
Lesson
Police
Respect
Rules
Sin
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
