John 7:53-8:11

Per. Adult.

Introduction

Jesus is a friend of sinners

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners / Jesus! Lover of my soul; / Friends may fail me, foes assail me, / He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Ate with tax collectors, prostitutes, sick/unclean

Passage shows that

Luke 5:31–32 “And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.””

Great physician at work in confronting sin, spiritually restoring woman

Main points

the grace of teaching (7:53-8:2)

the grace of correction (8:3-7)

the grace of forgiveness (8:8-11)

the grace of teaching (7:53-8:2)

Leaving feast of booths

Departure to Mount of Olives

Place where David fled from Absalom

Place of Solomon’s idolatry

Place of prophecy

Zechariah 14:4 “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.”

Promised Messiah

Place of Christ’s ascension

Frequent place of Christ in his ministry

Goes to be in presence of Father

Early morning to temple

People come to hear teaching

Divided assumptions on who he is in John 7.

Matthew 7:28–29 “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”

Grace of teaching from Christ

He sat down

Posture of teaching in temple

Pointing them to Scriptures

How they were filled in Him

Also taught disciples on Emmaus

Continues His teaching ministry to us through HS

Operation of His grace toward us

Done through private and public worship in God’s Word

Importance of studying the Word

How Christ teaches us today

the grace of correction (8:3-7)

Scribes and Pharisees

Continued testers of Christ

“woman caught in adultery”

Punishment was death for both individuals

Problem here?

The man is not brought

Unjust accusation of Pharisees/scribes

To be caught in adultery means there should have been witnesses

No witness

Correct on Law of Moses

Leviticus 20:10 ““If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

Incorrect on methodology

Try to trap Jesus in the Law

“they said this to test him”

Test = to endeavor to discover the nature or character of someth. by testing

Also, “to tempt”

Same word used of Satan in Matthew 4:3 “And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.””

Tempting Jesus in the same way Satan tempted Him

Undermining God’s Law

Deuteronomy 17:6 “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.”

Should have had another accuser, no one was there

How is correction a grace?

Forces people out of errant thought on Scripture

We are to be conformed to God’s Law

Yet, we are not to weaponize the Law in a legalistic manner

Quick to cast stones

Slow to remove the log in our eye

Correction is a grace because Scripture is the guide for our correction

2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

the grace of forgiveness (8:8-11)

Ultimately, passage is about Jesus being a friend of sinners and offering forgiveness and salvation

“wrote on the ground”

Tons of opinions

Unsure what He was doing

Most likely, writing Ten Commandments

Why? Written by finger of God

Impact?

All went away one by one

Whatever happened they had some recognition that they stand condemned before God

What is their result?

Same as those in John 6.

Teaching was too difficult so they departed

Common interaction when people confronted with God’s holiness

Rather, than turning toward, they run away

Jesus’ interaction with the woman

“Has no one condemned you?”

All left

The sinner in the story was left alone with the savior

Jesus’ words of affirmation

“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more”

Could Jesus have condemned her sin?

Yes and no

Yes = judgment for adultery

Omniscience, would have known

No = no other witnesses

Instead of Jesus condemning her sin He would be condemned to the cross for her sin

Jesus’ interaction with woman shows the very grace of forgiveness

Jesus stood in our place condemned before God though absolutely holy and perfect

Jesus now declares to you if you confess faith in Him

“Neither do I condemn you”

Jesus requires a life free from the habitual practice of sinning

Not calling for perfection

Telling her that she ought not to sin

As we ought not to sin

Imperfect execution

But the grace given to us in forgiveness is everlasting and constant

Remember that grace

Hold fast to that grace

Cling to the one who offers such grace