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Ever since the sexual revolution, pornography has dramatically risen. Today, with instant access through phones and computers, porn usage has spiked. Annual revenue from pornography in the US is estimated to be $6 billion to $15 billion—and that was before COVID. In the same year, the total US box office for all movies was nearly $12 billion.
A study recently found that around 73 percent of women and 98 percent of men used internet porn in the last six months. This was taken from a limited sample, but it reflects the head-spinning scope of porn’s influence.
Pornography has taken the modern world by a vice grip. Access to cheap, twisted versions of sexual attachment gives Satan the perfect tool to fuel destructive addictions. The COVID pandemic accelerated an already growing problem of isolation and anxiety, two factors that break down defenses against the seemingly ever-present temptation of pornography.
These realities have created the perfect storm in America and across the world for widespread sexual sin, abuse of minors, and rape of young women. Even secular companies have started to open their eyes to porn’s egregious abuses. In 2020, Mastercard and Visa announced they would block payments to Pornhub, the most popular site for pornography, due to videos often depicting underage girls.
This perfect storm should not leave us hopeless, for Jesus can calm the storm. He has the power to heal relationships and marriages and to instill us with the spirit to overcome temptation. He allows us to return to him with failure, and in return he gives grace. That grace empowers healing without shame.
As followers of Jesus, what are we to do with this reality? How can we guard against isolation in our own lives that would make us turn to temptation and distractions? How do we respond to others in our lives who may be encountering or engaging in pornography consumption?
Jesus and the woman caught in adultery
There is an account in Scripture where Jesus interacts with a woman caught in adultery. In John 8, Jesus gives us a model and a template for how we, as his followers, are to respond to sexual sin.
Take a moment to read John 8:1–11 to yourself right now.
This is such an incredibly poignant scene! This account in Scripture highlights the tenor of Jesus’ character and ministry beautifully.
Jesus always gave his audience and followers the unexpected. These Scribes and Pharisees expected Jesus, who came to the temple to teach, to follow the letter of the law of Moses and agree with them in the condemnation and penalty of this woman’s actions.
But Jesus, full of grace and truth, did the unthinkable. He showed mercy. He sided with the sinner and left the self-righteous without satisfaction. Jesus always sides with the sinner over the self-righteous.
I can’t help but picture the scene described by John in this passage.
First, we picture this woman: probably face-down, tears flowing and shaking with fear from the impending doom she is sure to face from these self-righteous men. Jesus then “stooped down and wrote on the ground” (v. 8).
At some point, their eyes must have met near the ground. His eyes conveyed a different message than the glares of the self-righteous men. Jesus was the embodiment of love. His gaze healed the inner wounds. His gaze was not condemning or accusing. His gaze would have given this woman something she could have never imagined, nor could she have ever deserved—acceptance and love!
What we learn from this scene and others like it is that Jesus always leads with grace.
Grace, by definition, means that we receive something we don’t deserve.
This woman did not deserve the warmth and love Jesus showed her. He gave it to her anyway.
By leading with grace, Jesus showed her a love and acceptance that she had never felt.
Jesus established the foundation of a relationship with her, and that foundation was love.
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