The Only One

She was… DEAD to them. She was nothing but an adulterous woman… a sinner… caught in the act of her sin. There was no denying her actions… and the law on such matters was clear - she was to be stoned to death.

She was powerless in this situation… she had nothing to say, no defense to offer.

We have no details regarding her relationship with whoever… and we have no idea how the Pharisees “caught” her in the act of her sin.

But truly… none of this mattered to her accusers… they didn’t care about her soul… all they could see was her sin. And she would be the PERFECT person to use for their agenda as they tried to trap Jesus. They so desperately wanted to find something they could accuse Him of.

Most of us are familiar with this story. It comes from John 8 and it is a remarkable situation.

Jesus was teaching in the temple courts and the people were gathered around Him. The Pharisees were not happy about this… so they disrupted His teaching with a test. After being presented with a few details, they ask Jesus a question in John 8:5

John 8:5 (NIV)

5b “Now what do you say?”

And I can just about hear what they were thinking in their minds… “WE GOT HIM! He will have no answer for this situation other than to stone the sinful woman… and if He goes against the law of Moses then we KNOW He is not who He says He is!”

I really think the Pharisees saw this as kind of a drop the mic moment. Now what, Jesus?

Little did they know, they had just opened the door for one of Jesus’ most powerful teaching moments in all of Scripture… and… I hope we are listening.

This morning, we continue the series The Power of God with a message called The Only One. And you might be asking yourself what does a group of Pharisees bringing an adulterous woman to the feet of Jesus for accusation have to do with the power of God?

What these guys had failed to realize was… the power of God… was standing right before them! They weren’t just testing Jesus, they were testing the power of God!

Think about it for a moment… from where did they get their presumed power for accusation regarding the woman and Jesus? From the law of Moses. Who was the author of the law of Moses? God Himself!

These guys believed the law had given them the power to destroy the woman for her sin. And if Jesus stopped their action, they would then have the power to come against the One who claimed to be the Son of God.

What they didn’t realize was… they had brought the woman to the very place she needed to be. They had brought her to the very person she needed most in her situation!

They thought this encounter would end in her destruction… but because of God’s loving power… this encounter would end in her DELIVERANCE!

How was it that this drastic change came about? Simple. They brought a sinner to the ONLY ONE that could set her free from her sin!

The Pharisees had hoped to trap Jesus in this moment. They had hoped to prove a point. They were operating in their own interest and agenda… and it didn’t end up working well for them.

Consider this:

Regarding the claim the Pharisees made against the woman, this particular method of execution was used when thee was a very specific set of circumstances (see Deuteronomy 22:23-24) that may or may not have been applied here. In addition, the law would have required the execution of both parties involved. Also, the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences on their own.

These guys literally wanted to see… what Jesus would do. And Jesus did… something only He could have done.

Do we truly believe today… that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life? Do we truly believe that the ONLY way back to the Father… is through Jesus?

We live in a culture that likes options. “Have it your way” is the popular way in America.

This is true regarding just about anything you can think of. But when it comes to finding our way back to God… JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY. He is the only One with the POWER and AUTHORITY to forgive our sins!

The Pharisees struggled to accept this in their day… and people struggle with this even today. But church, Jesus is the ONLY ONE who can offer deliverance in place of destruction!

And this story in John 8 shows us exactly how He does this. And as we look at this today, I want us to kin of… place ourselves in the story.

Some of us might find ourselves in the same position as the woman - maybe not caught in adultery, but entangled in some other sin. Some might find themselves in the position of the Pharisees, accusatory and bending the law for personal agenda. Lastly, you might be one of the people who had come to hear Jesus teach.

Here’s the deal: EVERY PERSON PRESENT learned a lesson from Jesus that day… and I believe God wants us to learn today as well. So what does Jesus do first?

First, Jesus Clears the Air.

After being presented with the question from the Pharisees, Jesus gives His answer.

John 8:6–8 (NIV)

6 ...Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

The first thing Jesus does is… He reminds the crowd of their own sins. He reminds everyone… including the religious higher ups that they themselves… have fallen short.

Jesus did not do this in hopes to embarrass the people in the crowd… I believe He did this to humble some hearts! Jesus… leveled the playing field. Jesus just reminded the people of the universal sin problem… and He reminded them of their need for a Savior.

Church… sin is a problem… a very REAL and DESTRUCTIVE problem! It is not something that only impacts a few, the Scriptures are clear and accurate as it reports in Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 NIV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

I have sinned, you have sinned, we have all fallen short. And this is no laughing matter… this is nothing to just ignore or sweep under the rug. Because we know that the wages of sin is death.

The woman in the story was facing that death in the moment. She was a captive of her accusers… facing what appeared to be an inescapable death sentence. She was standing in the middle of the circle… alone. Her situation appeared to be… hopeless. And I’m sure she felt that way as well.

What Jesus did was… He helped the crowd to remember that everyone one of them deserved to stand beside her.

And this story also reminds us that we too… have fallen short. This story reminds us of the severity of sin’s consequence.

Everyone present in that moment knew they COULD NOT throw a stone for if they did, they would be ling about their spiritual reality.

Jesus had just used the trap of His would-be accusers against them as He leveled the playing field.

Secondly, Jesus Stood in the Gap.

Without being asked by the woman, Jesus REMAINS in the circle with her. Not as an equal to her sin, but as a Savior who loved her despite her sin.

It is important to note that Jesus loved every soul that was there just as He loves every soul in this room. There wasn’t a single person there that Jesus didn’t love!

And… I want you to consider this thought as well: the very law that the Pharisees tried to use against this woman was not given because God wanted to see His people perish under the weight of the law… it was given in love that His people might stay away from sin!

God’s laws, His commands, His instructions, are given that we might choose life over death. His Word is a guide… a guide that keeps us from sin and points us to the Savior!

Jesus loved the accused… and the accusers… and He stood in the gap… IN LOVE… that all who were present would see His love in action.

And as time went by… no one challenged the word given by Jesus… and no one questioned His love.

John 8:9 NIV

9 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.

Did you see what Scripture say? ONLY JESUS WAS LEFT. This is significant for us to understand. Per the words spoken by Jesus… He was the only one qualified to carry out her death sentence. He was without sin… but instead of picking up a stone… He chose to carry her cross.

And it wasn’t only her cross that He carried to Calvary. He carried the cross of every sinner. He bore the weight of our sin, of our transgressions, of our mistakes. When it came time for our death penalty to be carried out… JESUS STOOD IN THE GAP FOR ALL SINNERS!

It saddens me that in this moment, no one else came to Jesus. Everyone else… left. They acknowledged their sin, but turned from the Savior.

I wish more would have decided to join the woman in the place of accusation. I wish more would have chosen to come to Jesus… the ONLY ONE that could do something about their sin.

You see, too often we take on the role of the Pharisees in this story instead of the accused sinner. We look for faults in others… we stand ready to come against their sin and their mistakes. We identify the person with their sin instead of remembering they are a beautiful creation of God… made in His image.

We are quick to pick up stones… fast to gloss over our own sin, and stand in our own self righteousness. We might think that because we have some understanding of the Word that we have the power to break down sinners!

You know what just might make a huge difference in this world? IF THE CHURCH WOULD STOP TAKING UP STONES AND START TAKING UP THE CROSS.

What do I mean by taking up the cross? Jesus said in Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Jesus never called His church to pick up stones… He called His followers to take up their cross daily. Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the law meaning… He would pay the price the law demanded we pay… a price we could not pay on our own.

So can I encourage us today… to stop charging the world for a debt Christ has already satisfied!

Now, am I suggesting that we overlook sin and we make it okay and we dismiss immorality and we just go do whatever our fleshly impulses would lead us to do?

Certainly not! Jesus gave His life that we would be DELIVERED from such things! Jesus stood in the gap for the woman in the story and He stood in the gap for you and me and He has one more instruction we need to look at in John 8.

Three: Jesus Set A New Course

There they were… Just Jesus and the woman were left in the temple courts. Everyone else had left the place. Jesus and the woman get to speak to one another directly… for the first time in this story.

John 8:10–11 NIV

10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

The intended course of the Pharisees was that the woman would die in her sins… but Jesus had other plans… because He was ministering and operating in accordance with the Father’s plan. Jesus didn’t come to end people… He came to give people eternal hope!

The accusers were gone… Jesus had the power to carry out her sentence… but instead He offered her salvation!

“Leave your life of sin.” This instruction was something that was only possible through Jesus. She had been caught in her sin, and Jesus had set her free of her sin… just as He has set everyone free of sin that has called on His name!

The Pharisees hoped Jesus would jump on their condemnation bandwagon… they tried to force His hand. And even as they overlooked their own sin in the process, Jesus didn’t condemn for their sin… but He did remind them of it.

Why we Jesus do such a thing? Because He was the answer for their sin problem too! As He is the answer for our sin problem as well!

Problem was… they didn’t want to hear what He had to say! Jesus and the woman caught in sin were the only ones left and Jesus was the ONLY ONE who could relieve her of any and all condemnation and set her free of her sin.

Listen to me, church… Jesus is offering every single one of us a different way… a NEW way… He is the ONLY WAY to forgiveness and freedom of our sin!

Whether we find ourselves with the stones in hand… or if we find ourselves in the middle of the circle… JESUS IS HERE.

Maybe He is trying to help you move beyond condemning others and remembering His grace and forgiveness.

Maybe He is trying to offer you hope in your condemnation… salvation from your sins.

Maybe He is simply trying to tell the whole world that WE HAVE ALL SINNED AND WE ALL NEED A SAVIOR!

We can choose to turn and walk away… or we can choose to come into the circle with Jesus… the ONLY ONE who has the power and ability to forgive us of our sins.

And someone might say, “I’m beyond forgiveness. My past is too messed up. I’ve done bad things, hurt good people and rebelled against God.” Hear me clearly: there is NOTHING our God cannot do! His power is beyond anything we could ever imagine and His love endures forever.

It all comes down to… a choice. Will you call on the name of the One who stood in the gap for you… who died on the cross for your sins? Will you hear His words, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more,” or will you go your own way. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father but through Him. He is the ONLY ONE that can give you what you need today. Will you trust in His love and power?

If you have sin in your life that you need to get under the blood of Jesus… make the choice today to call on His name.

PRAYER