John 8 — Jesus the liberating Light

John 8 :1-12

Jesus is the liberating Light for the world.

Jesus was the OG Judge...before there was people’s court or judge judy...there was Jesus.

This whole interchange of the scripture was a courtroom scene.

Judgement is a key theme in this whole chapter.Judgment/courtroom scene…

The story in first 10 verses illustrates the truths written about in following verses about judgment, condemned by sin, covered in shame and how Jesus sets us free.

Jesus sets himself up as a reliable witness, unlike the pharisees

Jesus liberates us from shame.

…with dignity

Dignity of defending against double standard

level the playing field

Two eye witnesses were required in a case of accusing adultery, according to Law (thus, the “first without sin” comment).

Jesus wasn’t letting them manipulate around with a double standard (get the plank out). they tried to expose her faults while ignoring their own. We use double-standard as a means of minimize the damage of our own sinfulness…but that is not accurate to what Jesus was doing.

they were weaponizing outrage.

it wasn’t that they incorrectly identified her sin, it was they conveniently dismissed their own.

“You needed at least two eyewitnesses who saw the act. In Deuteronomy 17, the two eyewitnesses were to be the first to throw a stone.[11] In rabbinic law, the spouse couldn’t be included as one of those witnesses (to prevent false accusations from other motives).[12] If the witnesses were found to have lied or entrapped the accused (as appears likely here in John 8), they were liable to the same punishment.[13]”

Jesus didn’t go around the law, he went right through with it, fulfilling the

Dignity of the Dirt

wrote in the dirt, because of law of moses. (Num 5)

he rose the standard, requiring them to put themselves under the standard too.

with the “same measure you use, it will measured back to you.”

distracted their eyes away

Dignity of His words - “woman” was like saying ”Ma’am”

deal with sin without demonizing others.

He didn’t label her by her worst moment…

yes, adultery is abhorrent to God; yet, we all are adulterous in God’s eyes and yet, he pursues us. We throw ourselves at the mercy of our Judge in Jesus, only to look into the eyes of love.

We don’t excuse or minimize faults and sins; we maximize and expose our own, falling at the feet of Jesus who liberates us from sin and death.

Jesus liberates us from sin.

…with the Light

What is sin, actually?

In our culture, “sin” can sound antiquated—maybe even embarrassing. But think about how, in our world, we do have ways of naming when something has gone terribly wrong. Cancel culture, for example, is all about calling out violations so severe that they deserve relational death. That’s just a modern echo of what Christians mean by sin: a breach, a breakdown in trust, a rupture—whether between us and God, or us and one another. “Sin” simply gives us a name for what we all feel and experience.

Sin is the language of Scripture to identify what is broken and sick within our world.

types of sin…

done to us, by us (we all add to darkness) , around us,

gross sin, conscious sin (socially normalized - materialism, gossip - our will yet to be surrendered), unconscious (motivations skewed), & attachments (idols, good things we rely on, etc)

Jesus, the light of the world heals us through exposure

our part of healing is confession..bringing it into light.

we must expose our own flaws

1 John 1:8–10 “8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

light helps us see clearly, no deceit of interpretation or perspective

light helps us “right size our sin”…not shadow exaggeration; no minimizing

The Bible gives us more than one image for sin. Sometimes we imagine sin as simply “behaving badly,” as if God’s a cosmic referee waiting to throw a flag for every infraction. But it’s more than that.

First, sin is dominion—it’s a power that sits over us like a Pharaoh holding people in slavery. That’s why the Gospels link Jesus’ death to Passover: sin requires deliverance.

Second, sin is a decision—we cooperate with it. We’re not just innocent victims. We repeat the sin of turning from God in our own lives.

Third, sin is a contagion—it spreads, like a virus. Adam and Eve may have been “patient zero”, but now the infection is universal. We didn’t just inherit a problem; we spread it, too. It divides and isolates us, driving wedges between people from the very beginning of the story.

If sin is dominion, we need rescue.

If sin is decision, we need forgiveness.

If it’s contagion, we need healing.

We get to bring Jesus’ light too…confession and pronouncing forgiveness.

stop being shocked by sin, and help others remove shame and walk in the light.

how do you respond to confession of sin? are you trustworthy to hear someone’s confession?

The Bible gives us more than one image for sin. Sometimes we imagine sin as simply “behaving badly,” as if God’s a cosmic referee waiting to throw a flag for every infraction. But it’s more than that.

First, sin is dominion—it’s a power that sits over us like a Pharaoh holding people in slavery. That’s why the Gospels link Jesus’ death to Passover: sin requires deliverance.

Second, sin is a decision—we cooperate with it. We’re not just innocent victims. We repeat the sin of turning from God in our own lives.

Third, sin is a contagion—it spreads, like a virus. Adam and Eve may have been “patient zero”, but now the infection is universal. We didn’t just inherit a problem; we spread it, too. It divides and isolates us, driving wedges between people from the very beginning of the story.

If sin is dominion, we need rescue.

If sin is decision, we need forgiveness.

If it’s contagion, we need healing.

Jesus’ death on the cross provides all three. He frees us; He forgives us; and He heals us.

His light reveals TRUTH to us…

John 8:31–32 “31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

John 8:34–36 “34 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

Jesus liberates us from deception.

…with Truth

accusations exaggerated downgrading personal value.

shame says you’re evil. Guilt says action is evil and damaging.

lies that play to disordered desire, and normalized in sinful society.

John 8:44–47 “44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can convict me of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.””

freedom is jesus’ desire for us… enslaved by our minds (strongholds)

free from sin’s penalty

free from sin’s eternal presence

free from sin’s pain and regret

free from sin’s habit

free from sin’s deceit.

illus: baptism removes the stain and washes us free of the guilt and shame. no condemnation in Christ.

Romans 8:1–2 “1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

The one that could condemn you, bore your condemnation instead.

Jesus is our judge and our advocate , lighting our way to freedom.

Satan is our accuser.

The witness of our forgiveness is the water of baptism and fire of Spirit sealing us, and the blood of Jesus.

1 John 5:6–8 “6 Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.”

Unless you believe that Jesus is the righteous and just judge of sin, you will die in your sin.

John 8:23–24 “23 “You are from below,” he told them, “I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.””

unless you allow, the person of Jesus to illuminate your soul, you will remain in sin.

Jesus didn’t condone the sin…nor condemn it…one day he will condemn (sentence and pass judgment) upon the sinful.

Jesus wants to heal us from sin…it’s a sickness within.

the ONE sin that leads to death is unbelief…and unbelief is at the root of all other sins.

unbelief is rejecting Jesus.

unbelief is the sin of the garden, repeated through history.

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Talk it Over (being honest & open with friends, a spouse, or your Group)

The message was about the Jesus being the Light which leads us to freedom from the darkness of sin. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?

Read John 8:1-12. What is the Holy Spirit saying through these verses?

In what ways do you witness the double standards in your own life or society?

What role does shame play in the narrative of the woman caught in adultery?

In what ways can we embody the idea of dignity when discussing the sins of others?

What does it mean to think of sin as both a personal decision and a contagion?

How can you actively bring Jesus’ light into your life and the lives of others?