John 7:53-8:11

Matthew 12:25

And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.

Todays sermon deals with adult topics…

John 7:53-8:11

Can I get a witness

Textual Criticism

Putting this story on trial

The new testament was written in Greek

In 1516 Erasmus printed the first bible in Greek .

So for 1500 years it was hand written.

John 3 manuscript pic

Main manuscript pic

As you can see, there are thousands more New Testament Greek manuscripts than any other ancient writing.  The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure.  That is an amazing accuracy.  In addition, there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages.  The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000. (Why all these copies is a good thing)

So whats the problem. This passage is not in any of those original Greek manuscripts.

Not until the 5th century does this story pop up.

John 7:52  (ESV)

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

John 8:12  (ESV)

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Early church fathers omit 8:53-8:11 up until the tenth century

In the early manuscripts it shows up in other places after John 7:36, 7:44, 21:25 and even in one manuscript Luke 21:38

Also some of the wordage is not typical of how John wrote his gospel.

So what if we just ignore it.. have we changed the gospel.. the good news is no.. there are no foundational Christian doctrines here that we cannot find else where.

n 2006, Paul D. Wegner (A Student’s Guide To Textual Criticism of the Bible): “It is important to keep in perspective the fact that only a very small part of the text is in question. . . . Of these, most variants make little difference to the meaning of any passage.”

Fredric Kenyon: “It is reassuring at the end to find that the general result of all these discoveries and all this study is to strengthen the proof of the authenticity of the Scriptures, and our conviction that we have in our hands, in substantial integrity, the veritable Word of God”

So now God’s word is not true.. not actually the opposite. The factual proof and study shows all the more how reliable it is and the idea is that this story most likely does not belong here in John.

So the question is should we study it?

Let me share what John Calvin said about it, “It is plain enough that this passage was unknown anciently to the Greek Churches; and some conjecture that it has been brought from some other place and inserted here. But as it has always been received by the Latin Churches, and is found in many old Greek manuscripts, and contains nothing unworthy of an Apostolic Spirit, there is no reason why we should refuse to apply it to our advantage.”

Most theologians argue on the text and where it belongs but most agree this is an actual event of Jesus life in which we can grow from.

Leon Morris states,

But if we cannot feel that this is part of John’s Gospel we can feel that the story is true to the character of Jesus. Throughout the history of the church it has been held that, whoever wrote it, this little story is authentic. It rings true. It speaks to our condition. It is thus worth our while to study it, though not as an authentic part of John’s writing.

Guilty as charge

The set up (trying to frame Jesus)

John 7:53-8:6a (ESV)

53 They each went to their own house, 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him

How many of us have been caught in sin?

Hebrews 4:13  (ESV)

13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Genesis 3:8 (ESV)

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

The where putting Jesus against Moses (God’s Law)

Leviticus 20:10  (ESV)

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of[a] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

She was sinful

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

Sin equals shame

Luke 12:3  (ESV)

3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Sin has a sentence

Romans 6:23a (ESV)

For the wages of sin is death.

The Silence

John 8:6b-8 (ESV)

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

Amy/Joe quality time-Jesus drawing in the dirt

The suggestion is that Jesus was writing in the dust the sins of the very men who were accusing the woman. There may be something in that. The normal Greek word for to write is graphein but here the word used is katagraphein, which can mean to write down a record against someone. (One of the meanings of kata is against). So in Job 13:26  "Thou writest (katagraphein) bitter things against me."

Jesus taking the focus of our sin and shame…

Jesus is not limited to man’s answers…

Jesus was the Law, he created the law he fulfilled the law

Matthew 5:17-18  (ESV)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

He brought grace to the law

Romans 6:14  (ESV)

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 13:8  (ESV)

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Jesus offers grace to broken hearted sinners and the law to the self-righteous..

John 1:17  (ESV)

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The Verdict

John 8:9-11 (ESV)

9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.(kyrios)” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Jesus re establishes rightenousness ..lame man

John 5:14  (ESV)

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

1 John 1:8-9  (ESV)

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

How is Jesus above the Law?

2 Corinthians 5:21  (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Intimate moments with the Savior by Ken Gire

I confess w/shame that here are times I have stood in the midst, condemned. And there are times I have stood in the crowd, condemning. There are times my heart has been filled w/adultery. And there are times my hands have been filled w/stones.

Forgive me for a heart that is so prone to wander, so quick to forget my vows to you. Forgive me, too, for my eagerness in bringing You the sins of others. And my reluctance in bringing You my own. Forgive me for the times I have stood smugly Pharisaic & measured out judgment to others. Others I am not qualified to judge. Others, who You, though qualified, refuse to.

Help me to be more like You Jesus - full of grace & truth. Help me to live not by law but by grace, by the spirit of compassion you showed to that woman so many mornings ago.

Give me, I pray, the pierced conscience of the older ones in regard to the stumblings of others so my hands may be first to drop their stones, & my feet, first to leave the circle of the self-righteous.

Prayer

As I walk now through the valley

Let Your love rise a - above every fear

Like the sun shaping the shadow

In my weakness Your glory appears

Not for a minute was I for - saken

The Lord is in this place

The Lord is in this place

Offering

Pop up pantry

compassion fund

For those who cant pay rent or pay bills