Stone-Proof Grace

SCRIPTURE

John 8:1–11 NKJV

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now 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 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

MESSAGE

The Motive of the Accusers [John 8:1-6]

Exposition

They were correct in that the Law of Moses condemned adultery and the punishment was death by stoning. [Verse 3] does not deny that the woman was caught in adultery. So they were correct to say that this woman deserved to be stoned under the Law of Moses.

The problem was their motive. Their motive was not following the commandments of God, it was setting a trap for the Son of God. [Verse 6] says that they were testing Him to find a way to accuse Him.

If Jesus said not to stone her, He would be violating God’s Law in their eyes.

If Jesus said to stone her, He would be violating Roman law because only a Roman official could declare the death penalty in a Roman province.

But they forgot something. Under the Law of Moses, the man who was involved in the act of adultery was to be stoned to death as well. Where was the man? Why wasn’t he brought to Jesus? This demonstrates that they were not so much concerned about God’s Law as they were their own evil motives.

Application

There are people out there who have evil motives who are operating under the influence of Satan to accuse you.

Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren

Revelation 12:10 NKJV

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Satan has deceived the Church into fighting against itself.

Hypocritical Accusers (Modern Pharisees) are so caught up in their own evil motives that they are willing to destroy good-hearted Christians to fuel their own desires.

These Hypocritical Accusers are not working for God, they are working for Satan.

Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren, but Jesus is the Defender of the Brethren

Luke 22:31–32 NKJV

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Jesus Christ and His blood applied to our lives is our defense against the accusations of the enemy.

Take comfort in the fact that Jesus is praying for you and defending you in the courts of heaven.

You have access to Stone-Proof Grace through the blood of Jesus Christ that is able to defend you against the condemnation of the enemy.

The Finger of God [John 8:6-9]

Exposition

At the end of [Verse 6], the Bible says that Jesus ignored the Pharisees and stooped down and began to write with His finger on the ground.

What Jesus wrote on the ground has been the source of endless debate and speculation. Did He write Old Testament scripture to highlight the fact they were being hypocritical by not bring the man forward as well as the woman? Did He write out their names and their sins? Was it something else entirely.

We simply do not know what Jesus wrote. But we do have a couple other examples of God writing something with His own finger.

God wrote the 10 commandments with His own finger on 2 tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai.

God wrote on the wall in Daniel 5 as a judgment against King Belshazzar.

Daniel 5:25–28 NKJV

25 “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN 26 This is the interpretation of each word. Mene: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 Tekel: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 Peres: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

"Mene" meant that God had numbered Belshazzar's days and brought his reign to an end. 

"Tekel" meant that Belshazzar had been weighed in the balance and found wanting. 

"Peres" (a variation of Upharsin) meant that the kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. 

So God writing is typically related to the proclamation of His Law and Judgment.

Jesus turned the condemnation of the Pharisees against the woman back on them.

He said, “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” It was the procedure for this type of stoning that one of the witnesses who brought the accusation had to be the first one to throw a stone at the accused.

“He who is without sin” is a high bar. The Pharisees had tried to trap Jesus, but now Jesus let’s them fall into their own trap instead.

Ultimately they dropped their weapons and walked away in shame.

Application

The finger of God is typically a declaration of His Law or of judgment, but here for the woman it was an act of grace.

What Jesus wrote in the dust was a condemnation on the Pharisees, but it saved her life.

That is the power of God’s Word. It is a condemnation (a curse) to those who reject it or use it for their own evil purposes, but it is salvation (a blessing) to those who receive it and apply it according to Gods’ will.

When we allow God’s Word to be written on the tablet of our heart, the devil has no choice but to drop his weapons and leave us alone!

You have access to Stone-Proof Grace that is able through the blood of Jesus Christ that is able to make your enemy, the accuser of the brethren, to flee!

The Power of Grace [John 8:10-11]

Exposition

Jesus turns His attention back to the woman.

He asks her, “Woman, where are your accusers, has no one condemned you?”

She must have been in a state of shock and relief. She was just about to be stoned to death and Jesus wrote something on the ground that caused her accusers to scatter and leave her alone.

Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.”

Application

Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Romans 8:1 NKJV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

We often focus on the part about “no condemnation.” And that is true. But we often fail to realize that there is a second part that involves our continued obedience to God and His Word.

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you,” but He also said, “Go and sin no more.”

Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,” but it also says, “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

If we’re going to enjoy the desert, we’ve got to eat the main course.

If we just want to apply “no condemnation” to our lives without accepting “go and sin no more” then we are being just as hypocritical as the Pharisees in this story.

Grace is not just a protection against accusation, it is a invitation to transformation.

You have access to Stone-Proof Grace in the blood of Jesus Christ that is able to give you the power to be victorious over sin.

CALL TO ACTION

Are you living in constant regret for the sins your past and feeling beat down by shame of your failures? Let the Stone-Proof Grace of Jesus defend you against the accusations of the enemy!

Do you feel like the enemy has taken up stones against you? Is he trying to take you out? Let the Stone-Proof Grace of Jesus make him drop the rock of condemnation and leave you alone!

Are you struggling with sin? Are there some areas of your life that need to be transformed? Have you tried to “go and sin no more,” but you keep falling into temptation? Let the Stone-Proof Grace of Jesus give you victory!