March 4, 2018
Morning Service

As we finished chapter 7 last week Jesus was attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  Part of the celebration included the priest daily pouring water onto the altar to signify the rock that gave life giving water to the children of Israel in the wilderness.  As Jesus spoke to the crowd He proclaimed “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”  He said this to show that He fulfilled the image of the rock as He will give “rivers of living water.”  The crowd remained divided as some believed Jesus to be a prophet, some the Christ, and some were still unsure.  In his writings John always brings up the fact that following Christ is a choice.  We choose to believe and follow Christ as our Savior or we choose to reject Him.  As we begin chapter 8, Jesus is still in Jerusalem at the Feast.

 John 8:1-6 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  (2)  And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him. And He sat down and taught them.  (3)  And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. And standing her in the midst, (4) they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.  (5)  Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such should be stoned. You, then, what do you say?”  (6)  They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear.

·        The scribes and Pharisees were leading Jesus into what they thought would be a no win decision for Him.  The Law was clear about what the outcome should be. The Pharisees had actually already broken the Law themselves because they brought only the woman who was caught and not the man.  Both the man and woman should have been brought.

Deuteronomy 22:22  If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall put away evil from Israel.

·        The trap they were setting for Jesus seemed perfect; there seemed to be no way to escape.  If He responds by telling them not to stone her, they then could accuse Him of violating Moses’ law.  If He urges them to stone her, then they could report Him to Roman authorities.  Roman law did not permit the Jews to carry out their own executions (which later plays into the story of why Pilot had to sign off on the crucifixion of Jesus).

·        Jesus followed the advice James later gave to the church to be quick to listen and slow to speak.  With all eyes upon Him, Jesus stooped and wrote on the ground with His finger.  Though He didn’t need the time to think, He used the silence to magnify the words of wisdom He would speak.

John 8:7-8 But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.”  (8)  And again bending down, He wrote on the ground.

·        What wisdom Jesus shows here.  It reminds me of the time Solomon had to choose between the two women who both claimed to be a single child’s mother.

·        Jesus upheld the letter of the law in saying to stone her.  He however, threw an unforeseen curve ball as He commanded that the person without sin cast the first stone. This is a very significant statement about judging others.  Jesus highlighted the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and perspective.

·        Are we quick to pass judgment on others?

·          If so, aren’t we like the Pharisees proclaiming that we are without sin and casting that first condemning stone?  It is God’s role to judge, it is our role to show love, and to offer forgiveness and hope to the sinner.  A big knock against the Christian faith is that we seem judgmental to those who are not part of us.  We give this persona of “holier than thou.”  We must all take the perspective that we are all sinners saved by grace.  How dare us to judge others; Jesus says:

 

Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that you may not be judged.  (2)  For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again.  (3)  And why do you look on the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye?  (4)  Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull the splinter out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?  (5)  Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast the splinter out of your brother's eye.

·        Any judgement we hand out must be done first in the mirror.  This does not take a theology degree to understand these verses.  Do not judge others because we are no better than they are.  “But by the grace of God goes I.”  Let’s finish our story.

 

John 8:9-11 And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  (10)  And bending back up, and seeing no one but the woman, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are the ones who accused you? Has no one condemned you?”  (11)  And she said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.”

·        The conscience of each of the accusers won out as they left one by one from the oldest to the youngest.  With age comes a clearer realization of who we really are.  It was the older men who realized the truth in Jesus’ statement and began walking away.  The law stated that there had to be two or more witnesses to condemn someone, so once the accusers all left the woman was lawfully acquitted.

·        It is situations like this that we learn so much about our Lord and Savior.  Jesus did not condemn her, but neither did He ignore or condone her sin.  He gave her a new start with His forgiveness and told her to make changes in her life to remove sin from it.  Remember these verses?

 

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

·        Jesus was not sent to condemn us, but to save us.  He came to save you and me.  We were once that woman standing guilty before Jesus with no excuse for our sins.  We know what it is that we deserve.  We were caught red handed with no defense but to ask for the forgiveness that we did not earn or deserve.  Jesus is our only Hope and He will not fail us.  He says to you this morning as we stand before Him in our sins; “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more” as He gazes into your repentant eyes.  “I have paid the price for you sins and you are forgiven.”

·        Do you fully grasp what that means?

·          Despite all you have done, all the sin in your life, He loves you and has forgiven you.  You get to start over, a whole new life with Him by your side to guide, comfort and bless you.  That is why we choose to follow Him.

 

 

 

·        What do you think ever happened to this woman?

·          I believe her life began all new from that day forward just like ours did the day we were forgiven.  Every time she would hit a tough spot in life, she can remember the day Jesus forgave her of her sins.  When you truly understand and accept what Jesus has done for you; you will never be the same.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 So that if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

·        Have you been made new this morning?  Maybe that was years ago and you have slowly allowed the world to creep into your life and take away that “new” feeling.  Come to Jesus and make things right.  He came to save us, not to condemn us.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us, thank You for sending Jesus, not to condemn us, but to save us.  Please help us to “Go and sin no more.”