If you broke Sabbath and did not keep it holy, you were put to death (Exodus 31:14); if you curse your father or mother, you were put to death (Exodus 21:17). In John 8:2-11, the Pharisees brought forth a woman caught in the act of committing adultery. Armed with stones and eager to punish the woman, the Pharisees asked Jesus what should be done to the woman (the intention was to trap Jesus). The Pharisees added that the Law of Moses commanded such women to be stoned.
So, what do all of the accounts have in common? If you sin, you die. Under the Law of Moses and the Old Covanent laws found in the book of Exodus, it was made clear that there were major punishments for committing various sins, and the major punishment was death (Exodus 20-23). There was no hope if you were caught in sin because that is what the Old Covenant was about.
Now, if we go back to the story of the adulterous woman, we notice that Jesus' response connects to what the New Covenant does in contrast to the Old Covenant:
"Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7)"
We are all seen as sinners, including the Pharisees, yet the difference between the Old and New Covenant is not the sinning, but the saving. Consider what made the New Covenant a necessary change to the laws:
First:
Hebrews 8:6 makes it clear: "But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood (Old Covenant), for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises (NLT)" In other words, God has brought about a better covenant through Jesus Christ.
Second:
Hebrews 8:7 gives us the reason a new agreement was formed: "If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: 'The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.'" Keep in mind as to why God formed a new covanent through Jesus. Clearly, God found fault with the people. We could not live up to the temptations (consider Cain in Genesis 4), the evil, and the ability to remain faithful. To put it plainly, we could not uphold the old covenant because we were dirty sinners. We needed hope, and the New Covenant was that hope.
Third:
Hebrews 8:12 is the redemption scene: "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." It is through this statement that grace has been magnified through the remodeling of the Old Covenant. God, seeing that we messed up the Old Covenant, wanted to express his love and grace towards us by creating a new agreement that we could withstand.
Exit death and punishment.
Enter grace and love.
Before we throw the Old Covenant out because it is considered "obsolete" (Hebrews 13:8), we have to realize the intentions of Jesus. While Jesus did come to introduce a new Covenant, it does not mean we should erase the Old Covenant that was around for so long. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (read Matthew 5:17) - as a puzzle piece finishes a puzzle. The law, incomplete through the disobedience of the people, is now made complete through Jesus.
Most importantly, the Old Covanent required that animal sacrifices were made every year to atone for one's sins. The beauty of the New Covanent is that Jesus is that sacrifice. Blood sacrifices are no longer necessary and all stones can permanently be put away because Jesus is considered the permanent savior of sins. Not only is He the symbol of saving grace, but He is also the introduction of a new promise of life through the grace of God.
Although it is the transgressions of the people that caused the New Covenant to surface, we can take joy in what this New Covenant is all about: Love and Grace. "You are put to death," was the phrase that came with the laws of the Old Covanent. "You are redeemed, forgiven, and covered by the blood of Jesus" is the phrase that comes with the New Covenant. The Law of Love and Grace is now the engine that runs the vehicle.
So, dear friends, let us live in this glorious era and realize the New Covenant is symbolic of the love and grace God bestows upon us everyday. We are no longer the image of sin, but the representation of forgiveness, love, and unfathomable grace.