Not Guilty!

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What is Guilt?

noun noun: guilt 1. the fact of having committed a specified or implied offense or crime. a feeling of having done wrong or failed in an obligation. verb informal verb: guilt; 3rd person present: guilts; past tense: guilted; past participle: guilted; gerund or present participle: guilting 1. make (someone) feel guilty, especially in order to induce them to do something.
John 8:2–11 HCSB
At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
shame noun noun: shame 1. a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. a loss of respect or esteem; dishonor. verb verb: shame; 3rd person present: shames; past tense: shamed; past participle: shamed; gerund or present participle: shaming 1. (of a person, action, or situation) make (someone) feel ashamed.

A couple Questions

noun noun: shame 1. a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. "she was hot with shame"synonyms:humiliation, mortification, chagrin, ignominy, loss of face, shamefacedness, embarrassment, indignity, abashment, discomfort, discomfiture, discomposure "Lily walked in front of him, her face scarlet with shame" antonyms:pride a loss of respect or esteem; dishonor. "the incident had brought shame on his family"synonyms:disgrace, dishonor, discredit, degradation, ignominy, disrepute, ill-repute, infamy, scandal, odium, opprobrium, obloquy, condemnation, contempt; Moreraredisesteem, reprobation, derogation "the incident had brought shame on the family" antonyms:honor, gloryused to reprove someone for something of which they should be ashamed. "shame on you for dredging up such terrible memories"a regrettable or unfortunate situation or action. "it is a shame that they are not better known"synonyms:pity, misfortune, crying shame, cause for regret, source of regret, sad thing, unfortunate thing; Morebad luck, ill luck; informalbummer, crime, sin "it is a shame that they are not better known"a person, action, or situation that brings a loss of respect or honor. plural noun: shames "ignorance of Latin would be a disgrace and a shame to any public man"synonyms:discredit to, disgrace to, stain on, blemish on, blot on, blot on the escutcheon of, slur on, reproach to, bad reflection on; Morestigma, scandal, outrage; literarysmirch on "this situation is a shame to our country" antonyms:credit verb verb: shame; 3rd person present: shames; past tense: shamed; past participle: shamed; gerund or present participle: shaming 1. (of a person, action, or situation) make (someone) feel ashamed. "I tried to shame him into giving some away"synonyms:humiliate, mortify, make someone feel ashamed, chagrin, embarrass, abash, chasten, humble, put someone in their place, take down a peg or two, cut down to size, show up; Moreinformalmake someone eat crow; informalown "he had been shamed in public" bring shame to. "the entire debacle has shamed our community"cause (someone) to feel ashamed or inadequate by outdoing or surpassing them. "she shames me with her eighty-year-old energy"
noun noun: shame 1. a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. "she was hot with shame"synonyms:humiliation, mortification, chagrin, ignominy, loss of face, shamefacedness, embarrassment, indignity, abashment, discomfort, discomfiture, discomposure "Lily walked in front of him, her face scarlet with shame" antonyms:pride a loss of respect or esteem; dishonor. "the incident had brought shame on his family"synonyms:disgrace, dishonor, discredit, degradation, ignominy, disrepute, ill-repute, infamy, scandal, odium, opprobrium, obloquy, condemnation, contempt; Moreraredisesteem, reprobation, derogation "the incident had brought shame on the family" antonyms:honor, gloryused to reprove someone for something of which they should be ashamed. "shame on you for dredging up such terrible memories"a regrettable or unfortunate situation or action. "it is a shame that they are not better known"synonyms:pity, misfortune, crying shame, cause for regret, source of regret, sad thing, unfortunate thing; Morebad luck, ill luck; informalbummer, crime, sin "it is a shame that they are not better known"a person, action, or situation that brings a loss of respect or honor. plural noun: shames "ignorance of Latin would be a disgrace and a shame to any public man"synonyms:discredit to, disgrace to, stain on, blemish on, blot on, blot on the escutcheon of, slur on, reproach to, bad reflection on; Morestigma, scandal, outrage; literarysmirch on "this situation is a shame to our country" antonyms:credit verb verb: shame; 3rd person present: shames; past tense: shamed; past participle: shamed; gerund or present participle: shaming 1. (of a person, action, or situation) make (someone) feel ashamed.
Was she guilty?
What did the law say?
Leviticus 20:10 HCSB
If a man commits adultery with a married woman—if he commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
3. Were they right?

The hammer of shame

A couple of things to realize.
Religious people use shame look what the leaders did… Jesus was in the temple complex people were all around this was not a private place this was a very public place. Jesus was teaching a group of people. They brought one half of the adulterous couple and put her in front of Jesus...
John 8:3–4 HCSB
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.
To be clear they state that they caught this woman in the act of adultery but only brought one of the two. The point was shame the point was embarrassment, the point was to put Jesus on the spot and bring shame to this woman and discredit him.
Were they right. Yes the law did say that but a closer look at the law as we read earlier stated that they both man and woman were to be stoned.

Dealing with the bullies

Jesus does something amazing when it comes to this woman. He doesn’t rise to their challenge, he doesn't freak out he does what we are all told to do. He ignores them.
John 8:6 HCSB
They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger.
NO one knows what Jesus wrote but that really doesn’t matter. Whatever it was it bothered them because the kept going, kept pushing, kept trying to get him to react and in so doing make this woman's shame complete. Jesus does something very important here.
He does not undo the law, he does not say that the law isn’t true. He just adds a tiny little provision to how this stoning is going to take place.
John 8:7–8 HCSB
When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

An impossible standard

When jesus added his requirement to start the rocks flying he went back to what he was doing and suddenly things became clear. The religious leaders were relying on their knowledge of the Law to save them, not their practice of that law. They knew what the law said and were only using that knowledge to trap Jesus. Suddenly though Jesus puts the ball back in their court, okay lets stone her, but, and then the men begin to see what happens when attempting to have a relatinoship thourgh the law means.
John 8:9 HCSB
When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center.
The people Jesus was teaching were still there because again we see that the woman was in the center.

Freedom from Guilt and Shame Comes when two things happen.

The old way out

Religious people wake up and stop trying to make a relationship with God dependent on Leviticus
John 8:10–11 HCSB
When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
John 8:10 HCSB
When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
2. People look to God instead of to their own power for their relationship with God.
Chapter 5:1-13 gives some examples of why a sin offering is even necessary.
John 8:11 HCSB
“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
2.

This Week’s Challenge

Just breathe! Take time this week when you begin to feel guilt and shame creep up on you to stop and breathe. Look at the underlying cause of the guilt if there is something that needs to be dealt with between you and God and others then do so.
Don’t let shame invade your life this week. Live and move and have your being in Jesus!
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