Untitled Sermon (2)

Introduction

Today we are going to be in the beginning of John chapter 8. Now I know most of you if not all of you have heard this story at least once before in your life, but what I ask is that today you would look at this story from a new lens and if you have the ability put yourself in the story somehow I encourage you to do so. What I love about the story of the Bible as a whole is that it has so many different areas that hit so close to home for us. I mean if you have gone through a situation in your life the Bible probably speaks on it. It probably gives you the blueprint to walk out what you are experiencing in your life physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We find ourselves in a story that conveys the forgiveness and compassion of Jesus in such a magnificent way.

(Historical Context)

Interestingly this story was actually not included in the older manuscripts. Scholars and teachers of the Bible however do all mainly believe that this was a true story about Jesus. I personally believe this is a true story of Jesus and an absolute confirmation on God’s character towards humanity.

This is another narrative John is telling to depict who Jesus was, but this time we are in the middle of another controversy. We think Donald trump get’s stuck in the middle of a bunch of controversy, but Jesus seems to find himself constantly in the middle of controversial topics with the scribes and pharisees.

Boundaries

All of the different translations offer the same boundaries for this passage. They thought this was a definite pause in the story.

1) Accusation

John 8:1–6 NIV

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

I want to take a moment and pause

The most powerful took that the enemy has in his arsenal right now is accusation. The most powerful tool that he has against you is accusation. Why? Because truly I believe the presence of the Holy Spirit is already dwelling within us so all the enemy can do is hurl things at us that we can choose to act on or not to act on and one of those great weapons is his accusations against us.

Look at this story. In just these first 6 verses alone Satan is already on a great accusation spree. He loves doing it. He starts with the accusation of the woman which he is using as a trap to accuse Jesus. It’s like this accusation vortex and we can see what the fruit is. It brings absolute shame. The adulterous woman in this story probably was at an all time low for the shame that she must have been experiencing.

I want to lay this out together and understand something together. Shame is never from God. I repeat. Shame is never from God. If you are walking in shame today this is why. You are believing the accusations that are being brought against you. You are holding them close to your heart and giving them a validity of truth and it is time to shake that shame away by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the truth of what the Word of God says.

Interestingly the scribes were using the woman’s shame as a means to trap Jesus. Your shame will be a means to trap you. It will leave you stuck, trapped, and unable to progress in your walk the longer that it sits around. It needs to be shaken.

This is the exact response that we see from the heart of God in the person of Jesus Christ when it comes to the accusation of the adulterous woman. Let’s see as we continue this story.

2) Answer

John 8:7–11 NIV

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

The scribes and pharisees wanted to trap Jesus. They thought they had the perfect plan. In their eyes it was unstoppable. If Jesus were to choose to be merciful in this case they would accuse Jesus of being ignorant of the law. On the other hand if Jesus chose justice it would also present a major problem because only the Romans were allowed to carry out capital punishment.

Just as they thought they had Jesus trapped Jesus does something remarkable. Jesus stoops down to the ground and he begins to write something in the dirt. Now scholars speculate on what he actually wrote.

What did he write or draw? There have certainly been many theories. Was he merely doodling? Or, as has often been suggested, was he listing the erring ways of the accusers?14 Was he copying the pattern of the Roman justices in writing the sentence and then orally stating the same, as T. W. Manson suggested? Was he acting out the implications of concerning writing in the dust “those who turn away” from the Lord? Or did Jesus write , concerning joining in evil witnessing and avoiding false charges, as Derrett has proposed? Unfortunately we cannot know for certain.1

After Jesus finished writing he stands up and continues with this re-buttle statement. “He who is without sin cast the first stone” The air was probably extremely thick at that point. It was almost this standoff moment and Jesus just took a massive shot at these self proclaimed “righteous” men. I mean this was their identity and maybe for the first time in a long time they truly had to look within their own hearts and realize that I myself too am not perfect. That was probably a scary look for them.

I absolutely love the picture that John is presenting here. After Jesus makes this claim the scribes examine themselves and slowly one by one they leave. The oldest to the youngest. I mean the Jewish culture revered those who were older and all of a sudden it were the oldest ones admitting their conviction first. It was this wow moment in the story.

Then the focus of the story shifts. It shifts from this hostile scene where the scribes and pharisees were after Jesus to this intimate picture of true compassions, forgiveness, grace, and love. The woman is probably still standing there shame and guilt so strong over her that she could not even bring herself to look up. At this moment I picture Jesus breaking the silence and asking her. “Women where are your accusers?” Slowly she looks up and doesn’t see anyone and then Jesus says this powerful statement. Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

(What does that mean for us?)

So what does this mean for you and what does this mean for me?

Maybe you are still at this portion of what does condemn even mean. Well essentially it means to sentence someone to a certain punishment. This can be done either in our thoughts or it can be done physically.

Now what accusation does when we hold it as truth is it produces the fruit of shame, guilt, and it definitely produces the fruit of condemnation. We have sentenced ourselves to a certain punishment in our mind and because of this we walk as if that is what we deserve, but the truth that Jesus speaks to this woman reaches much farther than just this story.

This is the very heart of God towards you and I. A God who chooses not to condemn but rather takes the punishment upon himself. This is at its finest.

So what does this story have to do with me? This is God speaking his heart through His word towards you and the truth of it is 100% real today in 2019.

So then what do we do with that truth?

3) Response

John 8:10–11 NIV

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

I want to zone in on this woman’s response. It seems like such a small response, but it carries a big weight with it. Jesus asks the woman where her accusers are and if anyone is condemning her any longer. She responds with a “no one” Lord. It seems so insignificant but what is actually happening here is the woman is acknowledging that there is truly no more condemnation over her. She is free from it. She doesn’t have to walk in the shame and we doesn’t have to carry guilt. She is free!

Here is a truth of us today and a good way for us to grasp forgiveness. The woman had to accept her forgiveness and only when she had accepted that forgiveness could she walk in full freedom. Why do I keep saying accept forgiveness.

I’ve seen a lot of people acknowledge they are forgiven and continue to walk as though they aren’t. You see Christ has answered the question. Are we condemned? No! There is no condemnation in HIm, but what we need to do is respond in a manner of acceptance of this truth.

I get it. Sometimes the biggest battle is the battle in your mind. Shame, guilt, and forgiveness are strongholds that hold us tight from experiencing a freedom and richness that goes far beyond what we could have ever hoped. But today I want to start warring against those strongholds with John chapter 8. If it was true for the adulterous woman then it is true for me today wherever I am at in my life.

There was another response from Jesus to the woman after her answer. Go and sin no more. You see freedom from condemnation and the forgiveness of sin should be met with a willingness to not walk in sin anymore.

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. The paralytic in was similarly warned to “sin no more,” but in that story the man was also confronted with the devastating consequences of failing to heed the warning. Sin was not treated lightly by Jesus, but sinners were offered the opportunity to start life anew.1

1 Borchert, G. L. (1996). (Vol. 25A, p. 376). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.