The Wisdom of Christ Confounds His Enemies

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John 7:53–8:11 (ESV)

53 They went each to his 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, that they might have some charge to bring against him. 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. 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.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

So, everyone goes home and Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives.

After the night, Jesus comes back early in the morning to the Temple and starts teaching all the people.

Imagine the scene of having the religious leaders escorting a woman supposedly caught in the act of adultery…

They march her right up to the front of the crowd and place her right in front of Jesus.

They start having a discussion with Jesus about this woman while the entire crowd listens and watches.

John 8:4–5 (ESV)

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?”

Let’s first examine…

The Hypocrisy of their Case

They had no interest in His opinion.

They weren’t coming to Him for Him to teach them how to read the Law of Moses.

John tells us why they came to Him with this very personal case in…

John 8:6 (ESV)

6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.

Their motive is not justice.

Their motive is not a concern for the Law of God to be upheld.

Their motive is…

To Bring a Charge Against Him

They came to Him to trap Him into teaching something against Law.

And, at the same time, depending upon the answer, turn His followers away from Him.

There are three traps set:

A trap against Moses

A trap against Rome

If against Rome, then against the people the Religious Leaders accused Him of sinning for just being around.

The first trap:

#1 - Against Moses

Leviticus 20:10 (ESV)

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

Deuteronomy 22:22 (ESV)

22 “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

There are more Scriptures, but they all say the same.

The trap here is that if Jesus were to ignore the command of the Mosaic Law, then He would be seen in opposition to God’s Word.

So, with His preaching on forgiveness for transgressions of the Law…

They hoped He would go against the Law of Moses so they could charge Him with blasphemy and disobedience.

They could label Him as a false Prophet and charge Him in their court system.

The second trap:

#2 - Against Rome

This trap was for the other answer He could give.

Once again, they thought of only two possible outcomes.

No, do not obey Moses.

Yes, obey Moses.

If Jesus said yes, then they could go to the Romans and report Him as an insurrectionist who was proposing that they go against Roman law.

The Roman Law was that they could not put anyone to death.

A death penalty had to be approved of by Roman Authorities.

So, if our Law doesn’t get Him, then the Roman Law will.

The third trap:

#3 - Against the People the Leaders accused Him of sin for being around.

Remember, some of the scenarios of the Lord’s life and the accusations that came against the Lord…

Mark 2:15 (ESV)

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

Take note, it was not the religious people that were open to acknowledging their sinfulness.

Rather, it was the outcasts that had no issue with acknowledging their sinfulness and their need for a Savior.

Luke 15:2 (ESV)

2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

This is the effect of not keeping in mind that every human being is made in the image of God…

And, to be clear, outward comforts, social status, economic freedoms, nor outward morality…none elevate the image of God in you.

The only restoration of the image of God in mankind is the work of Christ applied to the soul of the believer…

—> By the Holy Spirit in regeneration, sanctification, and finally glorification.

Yet, the religious leaders allowed their religious clothing, social status, and religious classification and duties to delude themselves into thinking that they were inherently better than others..

—> A construct of man’s philosophy, but not one of God’s Word.

Luke 7:34 (ESV)

34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

It didn’t matter what One did, if they did not conform to the wishes and desires of the religious leaders they would be deemed an outcast and a rebel.

Matthew 21:31 (ESV)

31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

The religious leaders loathed that Jesus taught sinners and ceremonially unclean people would get into the Kingdom of God before them.

They misunderstood the reasoning because they misunderstood the gospel.

The Scribes and Pharisees were sent on a mission to ensnare Jesus into saying something that He could be prosecuted for…

Hoped that if He responded that the Law of Moses must be upheld that not only would He be guilty of treason before Rome…

But, that His followers who hoped in the forgiveness of sins would see this response as hypocritical…

And, cease to follow Him.

Once again they manifested…

A Misunderstanding of Christ’s Gospel

Christ preached forgiveness…

But, not forgiveness by the negation of the Law.

Nor, did He preach forgiveness through ignoring sin.

Forgiveness in Christ is not a sweeping of sin under the rug.

Christ preached the forgiveness of sins through His substitutionary atonement.

Forgiveness, although offered freely to Mankind…

—> Is not free at all.

It cost the life of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Let’s now look at…

Jesus’ Response to their Test

John 8:6 (ESV)

6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

There are lots of thoughts on what Jesus may have written on the ground.

We cannot know with any certainty, but...

Notice Jesus’ Posture

In Jesus’ day, it was common to posture one self by bending down as a sign of deliberate silence.

Being silent in such a context was not new to Jesus.

Luke 12:13–14 (ESV)

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

The Son of God did not come to be a Civil Magistrate.

He did not come to condemn.

—> The Law already held everyone under condemnation.

He came to seek and to save.

He came to fulfill the Law in order to redeem His people from the condemnation of the Law.

Although, He was the Judge of the Universe He postured in such a way to purposefully show a lack of interest in their trap.

The Scribes and the Pharisees seem to have…

Misinterpreted His Posture

They thought they’d silenced Him.

John 8:7 (ESV)

7 And as they continued to ask him

This is a repeated, ongoing asking.

They’re pressing Him.

They think His posture is due to being stumped.

And, that was not the case at all.

He knew their motives.

He knew their hearts.

He knew they were not there out of a concern for being just before the Lord.

He had no interest in being a Civil Magistrate.

He certainly had no desire to take part in a system that had become corrupt.

They kept asking, repeatedly…

Suddenly, He stood up and spoke…

John 8:7–8 (ESV)

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.

He gives a command, but…

His Command Had a Necessary Condition

What does Jesus mean when He says let the person without sin among you throw the first stone?

—> He cannot mean perfectly sinless.

That would leave all judicial systems without a judge or jury.

It would mean that no law could be upheld.

A better explanation for what Jesus is saying comes from the very mouth of Jesus in…

Matthew 7:3–5 (ESV)

3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

What Jesus is saying is, let the person who is not guilty of scandalous sin, or particularly of adultery, cast the first stone.

Well, Jesus knew that this whole scene was not about justice, nor adultery.

This whole scene was a set up from beginning to end.

Jesus is telling the persons taking on the role of witness against the woman that they should be sure, before the Lord, that they were doing the right thing.

They, who fake being appalled at adultery, are creating this very scene in order to commit murder.

—> To kill Christ.

Additionally, it was the witnesses that were to be the first to throw stones.

Deuteronomy 17:6–7 (ESV)

6 On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

So, for someone to be stoned to death for adultery there had to be two or more witnesses.

—> They must be caught in the act by two or more people.

So, one question arises in this scene…

—> Where is the man?

If they were caught in the act by two or more witnesses…

They would have the man, as well.

But, here we have only one guilty party.

At this time, history tells us that adultery had increased to such a degree that they no longer performed the “Jealousy Offering” for suspected wives because the husbands were generally guilty of adultery as well.

And, the water of bitterness would have no effect if the husband was guilty, as well.

So, recorded in the Mishnah…

“When adultery increases in society, the bitter waters ceased.”

And…

Rabban (Master Teacher) Yohannan Ben Zaccai who was living at this time caused this ceremony of the “Jealousy Offering” to cease.

His vindication of this was from Hosea 4:14, where God says…

Hosea 4:14 (ESV)

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.

There was even a saying that “when the House of the Assembly became a brothel it would be the time of the Messiah.”

No wonder Jesus said…

Matthew 12:39 (ESV)

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Knowing the hearts of the accusers, what Jesus said brought to their remembrance their own guilt.

Of what, we cannot know, but they each left one by one, the older leaving first.

The Outcome of their Case

The wisdom of God on display in His answer.

His answer immediately relieved Himself of the dilemma by doing three things:

It relieved Him of instigating the stoning.

He did not deny the appropriateness of the Mosaic Law.

Rather, He reinforced it and strengthened it.

Therefore, He could not be found guilty of going against the Law of Moses.

It ensured there would be no stoning.

Therefore, not going against Roman law.

It made the accusers consider their own guilt and sinfulness before God.

Therefore pointing the accusers to Christ’s ability to read their hearts.

Now, Jesus stands up, faces the woman, and says…

John 8:10–11 (ESV)

10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Jesus asks the woman what of your guilt?

Humanly speaking, the testimony of her guilt of adultery no longer exists.

Jesus having come, not to condemn, but to save…

How?

By removing the testimony of our guilt…

Which is the Law of God bearing witness to our transgressions of God’s Law…

Christ would expiate (remove) that testimony by propitiating (satisfying) God and His justice on the Cross.

Jesus says, neither do I condemn you.

He came to not to condemn but to remove condemnation for all those who believe upon Him.

I want us to notice, however, that Jesus uses…

The Law with the Adulteress

11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

I’ve heard some say this is the salvation of the woman.

This is the gospel to the woman.

But dear friends, this is not the gospel.

This is Law.

The Law says the be perfect.

The gospel says forgiven.

The gospel says strive towards holiness but remember you’re forgiveness in Christ.

If the gospel said Go and from now on sin no more…

Dear friends, no one would be saved.

That would not be a gospel, that’s bad news, not good news.

What Jesus is saying is this…

Do not let your escape today from the justice of the Law make you think that there is no judgment coming.

And, then He commands the impossible…

go, and from now on sin no more.

If she understands what He is saying and is honest about her own heart…

She will realize that she needs a Savior.

And, look to Christ to remove the guilt of her sin before God.

Let’s think about this...

We have a Savior who has not swept our sin under the rug to be discovered at some future revealing.

We have a Savior who has satisfied the justice of God completely by nailing the record of our debt to the cross.

And, because of the satisfaction of His sacrifice, to the justice of God it is as if we have never sinned.

The condemnation removed completely.

On the cross, Christ restored the image of God in us.

We’ve been given the Holy Spirit who works in us and through us to continue that renewal.

We’ve been given the ministry of reconciliation so that we can see that our neighbors are image bearers, as well…

And, offer to them in the gospel, reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Closing Prayer