From Conviction to Grace

Jesus had completed much of his ministry in Galilee, which was the main area he preached and healed. Throughout his life, he mainly went to Jerusalem during one of the required feasts. In most cases he did not spend much time in Jerusalem. A major reason was because he was constantly harassed and under much surveillance from the Pharisees and Jewish leaders. But in what is really his final year of ministry, we see him reluctantly attend the end of the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. After all of the ceremonies, he comes back to the temple area to do what he was known for, and that’s teach the crowds there. In the middle of his class, he is interrupted by teachers of the Law with a condemnable women for her sins. What I want us to see from this entire account is how all of us, In Christ, move from conviction to Grace!

I want to repeat for emphasis that it’s very early in the morning, the first minutes of daylight, and Jesus is having a class with a host of people in the temple court area. All of a sudden the scribes and the Pharisees rudely interrupt Jesus’ class, showing no regard or respect for him, those whom he’s teaching, or what he’s teaching. As a reminder and to inform some, the Pharisees were a society of men who practiced the highest level of legal piety. In other words, they were distinguished by how good they kept the law of Moses as well as their traditions, which they saw on the same level. The scribes were qualified/official scholars and teachers of the law, some who are also Pharisees. Nothing wrong with piety and knowledge, the problem was that their misinterpretations of and additions to the law, and hypocrisy actually fought against the true will of GOD. They were also somewhat like religious policemen over the lower class Jews, primarily in Judea/Jerusalem. Since they saw themselves and were regarded as such, it’s no wonder they could barge in like this. Majority of these men disliked Jesus and created a lot of controversy with him. With no success debating with him during the feast yesterday, now they have another scheme up their sleeves. They’ve arrested a woman and brought her to Jesus. She’s been charged with adultery! Not only charged, but we also infer that there are witnesses to her crime because they say she was caught in the very act.

Application: I want everyone to think about what you would consider some of your worst sins. If we admit it, we’ve all gotten away with a lot. But there are some cases we’ve gotten caught red handed! It is no good feeling at all to get caught in the act of doing wrong. There’s no explanation, excuse, or argument you can give. There’s nowhere to run or hide. There’s no way out! Furthermore, there are some of us who have been put on blast about it. People put it on facebook, newspaper, email chains, you name it. It is an extremely shameful feeling and position to be in. Everybody knows and you can hardly walk around with your head up. This is the picture of being guilty. That’s the state of this woman. Obviously she had been under some surveillance, like an episode of cheaters.

But as we move forward, we can see the bigger part of their plot. They question Jesus about her case. They have their witnesses, the woman, and their charge against her. Now they question Jesus on her sentence. What we learn is they have an ulterior motive to trap Jesus so they can really bring legitimate charges against him. Jesus has already educated crowds on the true meaning of certain laws from Moses, and spoken against the oral laws the scribes and pharisees held to. So he’s become their primary target. They say “You versus Moses, let’s hear it”. But the case they bring has holes all in it. Stoning indeed was the capital punishment for adultery. They say that “such women” are supposed to be stoned. But according to and , in the case of adultery, the man and the woman were supposed to be stoned. Where’s the man? Especially if they were caught in the act!! Secondly, since they were supposed to be strict observers of these laws, why didn’t they just stone them as was commanded? This really uncovers their deception to trap him. What was the trap? Well they were really presenting Jesus with a dilemma. First, they were pitting him against the law of Moses. If he would’ve simply said “don’t stone her”, they would’ve had a clear case that he spoke against it. Secondly, if he would’ve simply said “stone her”, they could’ve brought charges against him with Rome because all capital punishment had to be ran through them. Here it is they know what the sentence should be, because the Moses clearly says she and the man should die.

Application: According to the law of Moses, there are a list of sins that were punishable by death. For instance, false prophecy, worshipping another GOD and leading an Israelite to do so, witchcraft, sabbath breaking, cursing out your parents, persistent disobedient children, homosexuality, murder, kidnapping, and there are definitely others. And just in case that list didn’t catch you, Paul comes along and says the wages of sin itself is death. James says when sin gets full grown, it brings death. Then Paul says all have sinned, and John says if you say it ain’t so you’re a liar. So in case you were thinking you could escape, it’s clear that the just punishment for all sin is death. This is the picture for us all. What can we do? There is no alternate plea. The prosecutors are against me. The witnesses are against me. The law is against me. What can I do? Is there any way I can escape this sentence? Thank GOD they asked Jesus!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus essentially ignores them and leans from where he was sitting and starts writing on the ground with his finger. We don’t know what he was writing. And some scholars have a carnal belief that he was collecting his thoughts. But what he was writing isn’t important and we know that he knew all that he needed to know. They were very harassing because they kept asking him “What do you say?” Then Jesus sits up and completely dismantles their evil plot against him and turns it on them. -7 teaches that in the case someone is being put to death, there must be 2 or more witnesses and the witnesses should be the first to start stoning the guilty party, and then the congregation would follow. Jesus uses some of that language but he conditions the stoning for those who were without sin. They had their minds set on condemnation of the woman, but Jesus’ response points out that all of them were guilty of sin.

Application: I don’t know what your sins are, but I know we all have them. Yet still there are some who will disclose your guilt and damn you to hell for what you’ve done. Not realizing that the condemnation they’re applying to your life, also applies to them. She should go to hell, he should go to jail, they should have all privileges removed. But when were talking about what someone deserves, the reality is that everyone deserves the same thing.

Jesus’ response penetrated their consciences, and it caused them to think about their own sins. Think of what they deserved. It was so effective that they all began leaving one after the other, why, because they realized they’re as guilty as she was. As a result, only the woman and Jesus were left in this deceptive and speedy trial. Up to this point no one had even spoken to this woman, and she hadn’t said a word either. So Jesus, who had been looking down while the men had left, asks where’d they go? No carried out your sentence? Not a single one of them could justly pass this sentence on her after Jesus response. And neither did Jesus. Imagine the relief, and the weight of guilt lifted from her shoulders. We don’t know if she knew him but she most likely knew of him. This brought her to a profound respect for him, because they called him teacher but when she responds to him she calls him Lord. Then Jesus urges her to live a Godly life and leave her life of sin.

Application: Thank GOD for his mercy, forgiveness, and grace. The law condemns and gives justified punishment for wrongdoing. But when GOD’s grace and mercy steps in, it delivers us from the penalty we deserve. John tells us that the law came through Moses, but grace and truth through Jesus! See we all stood guilty as charged just as this woman. But when you’re in Christ and have him as your public/personal defender, his grace removed our guilty status and deserved penalty. Then watch how GOD’s grace works to help our lives. She was told to live a Godly life after grace took action. This is echoed by Paul when he says the grace of GOD (speaking of Jesus) which brings salvation has appeared to all of mankind. And after the grace appeared, it taught us how to live - . The fact that GOD’s grace has taken away condemnation should motivate us to live right. The process is: sin to guilty as charged to condemned to delivered by grace to Godly living.