"What's the Dirt?"

There are several scholars who suggest that this passage was not in John’s original writings, but were added later by those who had heard the oral version of this incident passed down through the years.  Regardless of the possibility of it not being in John’s original writing, it seems the Holy Spirit caused it to remain in our Bibles as part of the Canon.  And it certainly teaches us more about the character and person of Jesus Christ.  Also, there is nothing contained in this passage which is contradictory to any other teachings of the Bible.

Again, I want to remind us that here is a perfect example of how we cannot look at the Gospel of John as a chronological history.  This incident actually seems to interrupt the flow of what John had been previously describing.  Yet, it helps us to further understand Who Jesus is and what He came to do and why He did what He did.

As children and young people there were several games of tag with a variety of rules. One of them was called 23 S-Kadoo. In that game there were two or three individuals, depending upon the size of the group, who were considered "it." If you were tagged by one of them, you were taken to a location and had to stay there. However, you could be set free if another free person came along and put their hand on you, while quickly counting from 1 to 23. If the person who was it came running by, often you would find yourself stuck on a particular number, say 15. Then you would begin hollering out your number, 15, so that someone else might come and pick up the count from there. Once someone reached 21 while touching you, you were set free or liberated from your confinement. Now the really good player would be one, who when set free, would run around as hard as he or she could, trying to set other people free. There was great joy when ever the majority of people were free.

There is a bit of similarity to our walk as Christians. We had been captured by the enemy of our souls. We were imprisoned and enslaved by our sin nature. However, Jesus Christ came and set us free. However, with Jesus, we can never again be imprisoned. Yet, like our game of tag, our goal should be to help set as many other people free from Satan's grip as we possibly can. And we can do this as we lean upon our Savior, learning from him, rejoicing in our freedom, and living in obedience to him.

Today, my desire, is that we would work as hard as we can with God's power helping us to free people from their bondage to sin.

We must run with the Gospel so as to free others.

Learners under Jesus. - 7.53 - 8.2

[Everyone went to his home.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.

Scholars suggest that these verses fall into the time frame of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.  

There is an interesting fact in these first two sentences.  All the everyday people went to their own homes.  However, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  You may wonder why that should strike us as important. 

Remember that while on earth, the Bible tells us that Jesus had no pillow where He could place His head:

“The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). 

You see, it was important for Jesus to help people to understand that this place is not really our home.  He wanted people to understand they could have an eternal home with Him by placing their faith in Him.  Now it is possible that Jesus stayed with His best friends (Mary, Martha, and Lazarus) who were on the eastern side of this mountain.  Or He could have actually camped out on the Mount of Olives.

Regardless, Jesus’ concern was always for those who were lost, needing salvation.  He never was frustrated that He wasn’t put up in a 5-star hotel.  He wasn’t bothered that people didn’t treat Him as a dignitary.  He knew Who He was.   

Then, we read that Jesus came back into the temple in the morning to teach.  People came to hear what He had to say.  Again, there was no fanfare; no advertising or gimmicks to draw a crowd.  There was never a thought about being seeker-sensitive.  The reality is that people don’t know they need a Savior.  What people are seeking or thinking they want doesn’t really matter.  It is what people need that truly matters.  They need to hear the life-transforming message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Especially today, the unsaved need to hear about the Savior Who paid the penalty for their sins.  The unsaved need to hear that they can be forgiven and be made a brand new person.  

Especially today, the saved need to hear what God wants of His children.  We need to hear of the need to be obedient to His commands if we truly love Him.  We need to hear how we can become more like Jesus as we surrender our will to His will. 

What are some of those commands to which we need to be obedient? We are to preach Christ and Him crucified.  We are to proclaim the fact that we are now new creations in Christ Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in ways that honor and glorify God.  We are to proclaim a message that is costly and requires sacrifices, but which cannot be earned by anyone.  

Then we read that Jesus sat down and began to teach just like any rabbi would normally do.  Teaching from a sitting position actually showed authority.  He didn’t put on airs and demand respect.  We read from many places in the Gospel that He spoke with authority.

My friends, the Jesus we present should be the biblical picture of Jesus.  I do not see anywhere that Jesus attempted to draw a crowd by doing amazing things.  He did the miraculous and the crowds came to hear what He had to say; for they knew that a normal person could not do what Jesus did, nor did anyone speak with the authority and power which Jesus did. Jesus never sought to draw attention to Himself by performing.  All that He did was so that men and women and boys and girls would see their need for a Savior, so that they could experience eternal life, now and forever more. 

You and I don't need to run with horns blowing and bells clanging. We simply need to run with the Gospel so that others might be set free.

However, we continue in our reading and realize that it’s not to be a peaceful day of teaching.  Get ready for an interruption from that pious, self-righteous group of religious leaders.

Leaders against Jesus. - 8.3-8

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”  They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.  But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Now we are introduced to a new group of people that are with the Pharisees.  They are the scribes.  They were very much like lawyers; they interpreted the Law.  Many of them were Pharisees who prided themselves in being quite knowledgeable and seemingly having special insight into how the Law was to be interpreted.

We already know their antagonism and animosity toward Jesus; so it shouldn’t surprise us as to their rudeness by just walking into the middle of the group during Jesus’ teaching time.  My guess is that they were hoping to confound and confuse Jesus in front of the group.  We know they were upset that they were losing their power and grip over the people.  If they could show the masses that he was a con and against God, they would be able to use that evidence against Him.  Interestingly, we can deduce that Jesus was in the “Court of the Women” as the religious leaders would never have brought this woman into the temple in any other area.  

We all recall that the Law requires that if a person is involved in adultery, they are to be put to death.  So, obviously they were correct in their interpretation from a legal perspective.  However, if most of you are like most people in understanding adultery, it takes two people.  And if, in fact, she had been caught in the act, where was the man?  Obviously, they were not interested in following the Law, but in making a point.  You see, the Law required that both be put to death.  

We also recall Jesus’ perspective on adultery.  It was not just the “act” or the physical aspect of adultery that was the issue.  Jesus made it even more stringent by pointing out the fact that it is the mind that commits adultery before the act or without the act. The text reminds us that they were testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him.  

What would we do if presented with such a situation?  Some would want to simply let her go.  However, if we just let her go, it would appear that we don’t believe that we should follow the Law.  Others would suggest that the man might have gotten away. Since she didn’t, we need to follow the Law and have her put to death.  If that happens, who would believe that Jesus is compassionate and merciful to any sinner?  Well, what would Jesus do, indeed?

He didn’t respond in either direction in front of the onlooking crowd of learners and leaders.  He simply wrote on the ground.  What did He write?  I don’t know.  The Bible is silent.  Maybe he wrote about the missing man.  Maybe He wrote the sins of those present, including the accusers.  Regardless of what He wrote, He was not giving them the satisfaction of responding as they had hoped He would.  They seemed to be getting anxious, so they pressed Him again. As we mentally let this scene play in our heads, the wisdom of Jesus is seen clearly as He lets the religious leaders expose their hatred, their lack of compassion, and their empty spiritual care to be seen by all.

After their persistence, he finally rises up from the ground and states:

He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. 

That was it.  Then He stooped down and began writing on the ground again.  Nothing else said.  No great oration given.  No incredible legal defense.  He just went back to writing on the ground.  

Notice that there are several things Jesus did not do.  He did not say that the woman was innocent.  She very well may have been guilty.  However, from what we can infer from the following verses, Jesus certainly knew her heart.  Also, Jesus did not call a mistrial because only one of the participants was brought to be considered.  In addition to this, Jesus knew full well that the Scribes and Pharisees were also participants in this adulterous situation as they were there when it was happening.  That being the case, Jesus could have called for them to be stoned as well.  

Instead, Jesus upheld the Law and subtly reminded them, that as her accusers, if they were innocent, their responsibility, according to the Torah, was to throw the first stone.  In all of this, Jesus never minimized or negated the Law.  In fact, if those there would have understood, He actually came to fulfill the Law and offer Himself as the necessary sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin.  Here, we see a marvelous example of God’s grace and mercy, as well as His total mastery of the situation.  

My friends, there is no need for any of us to act high and mighty. There is none of us without sin. At the same time, there is no need for us to ignore sin or to compromise. We recognize from where we have come, as well as the lostness of others. But, we run in such a way with the Gospel that others might be set free.

Let’s move on and see what occurred as a result of this bizarre situation in which the Pharisees and Scribes thought they would have the upper hand.

Liberated by Jesus.- 8.9-11

When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.  Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”  She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”]

After hearing Jesus’ challenge and seeing whatever it was He was writing on the ground, the accusers left.  There are a couple of things which we should note; they left one by one; and they left with the oldest going first.  I can only conjecture that those who are older may be wiser and recognize that they have a lot of sins for which they are guilty.  They may have thought through the scenario and realized that it would be foolish to hang around and pursue the matter.   The Bible is silent as to the reason; it simply describes it.  The reality is that they all left.  The sad part of this is that those who came with accusation and anger left carrying their own guilt for their own sins.  They could have experienced forgiveness if they would merely have confessed and believed.  

That is what this woman is about to experience.  Jesus and the woman are alone in the middle of the court.  Jesus rose from writing on the ground and asks a very obvious question.  This is interesting because nobody had bothered to engage her in conversation earlier.  Now Jesus is speaking directly to her.  It is also helpful to understand the Greek word for woman is actually a term of respect and courtesy, unlike what we often hear today.

Then we see that wonderful freeing statement that only God can give: 

I do not condemn you, either. 

Remember that Paul tells us that only Christ Jesus can condemn.  Jesus offered forgiveness.  Now for those who think that Jesus is in the forgiveness business, so we can just go on and live like we please, we read on to see what Jesus said. 

Go. From now on sin no more. 

We are not held accountable for our past sins if we have experienced forgiveness.  Yet, if we have genuinely accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will not continue a sinful lifestyle.  We are to stop doing those things we had been doing which brings condemnation.  I love Gerald Borchert’s commentary on this section:  Jesus’ verdict, “neither do I condemn,” however, was not rendered as a simple acquittal or a noncondemnation. The verdict was in fact a strict charge for her to live from this point on (apo tou nun) very differently —to sin no more (mēketi hamartane). The liberating work of Jesus did not mean the excusing of sin. Encountering Jesus always has demanded the transformation of life, the turning away from sin.… Sin was not treated lightly by Jesus, but sinners were offered the opportunity to start life anew. 

One of the earlier passages which I committed to memory after experiencing salvation through Jesus Christ is found in Romans 6.1-2: 

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 

It is preposterous to think we can be forgiven and still carry on in sin as if nothing has really changed. 

Reflections

One of the truths which I believe we can glean from this which should be practical in our everyday lives is this:  We can be merciful without compromising moral and biblical principles.  We need to be reminded that mercy and justice are not opposed to each other.  This is most clearly seen when God extended mercy to us by enacting justice on the cross.  

Another thing which we should be reminded of is what Borchart describes as to what our response should be when forgiven:  Encountering Jesus always has demanded the transformation of life, the turning away from sin.  In other words, when a person has genuinely encountered Jesus, we pursue the things of God and no longer the things, attitudes, and behaviors of the world.

We do not wish to be like those leaders who were definitely not following God. We want to be those who have been liberated from the bondage of sin. And for those of us who have been liberated, we must live accordingly. We make ourselves available for those who need to learn of Jesus. All of us, who are followers of Christ, are lifelong learners.  

Regardless of where the dirt may be, what the dirt may be, or who is in the dirt, We must run with the Gospel so as to free others.