Doodling in the Dirt and Throwing Stones

TEXT (John 8:1-11)

NARRATIVE

After spending part of the day at the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles teaching and debating with the Pharisees, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus did this kind of thing a lot.

He was probably tired and needed to get away for some rest.

He probably spent at least part of the night in prayer.

Early the next morning he went back to the temple courts where a crowd gathered around him and he sat down to teach them.

The Scribes (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?”

We also have to wonder where the man she was with was. Why wasn’t he brought before Jesus, too?

These religious leaders seemed intent on embarrassing the woman by bringing her before Jesus and the whole crowed.

We have to wonder what the circumstances were that lead to this woman being actually caught in the act of adultery.

We also have to wonder where the man was?

If the woman was caught in the act of adultery they probably didn’t give her time to clothe herself.

The religious leaders were also intent on trapping Jesus with their question, 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?

If Jesus said ‘stone her,’ then all the people who had heard him teach about love and forgiveness would dismiss him as just another hypocritical teacher.

If Jesus said ‘let her go’ then they could charge him with blasphemy and stone him along with the woman.

Jesus’ response? He bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

We have no idea what he wrote.

This must have really ticked off the religious leaders.

they kept on questioning him...

Then Jesus gives his answer, Let any one of you without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

The silence must have been deafening.

The only sound might have been that of rocks hitting the ground as they were dropped.

those who heard him began to go away one at a time, the older ones first.

Now only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

He asked her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?

She answered, No one, sir.

And Jesus responded, Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.

APPLICATION

1. Jesus never condoned sin.

Please note, he never contradicted the Law.

Remember, God said, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

Note also, he told the woman, Go now and leave your life of sin.

Christianity is a religion of biblically defined morality and ethics. We must not condone sin and we must not tolerate it in our own lives.

2. Jesus balanced love and the Law.

While Jesus never condoned sin, he did not participate in the humiliation of this woman either.

Without the law we have license, but without love we have legalism. Neither of these is desirable.

But, how do we find this balance?

We deal with the sin in our own lives.

We, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).

We forgive quickly when someone sins against us.

We respond in love and help others overcome the damage of sin in their lives.

3. Jesus was always compassionate.

This was not the only time he elevated women in a time when they were devalued and marginalized.

He responded in compassion:

unruly children who interrupted his gatherings.

the prostitutes, tax collectors, Samaritans, and Gentiles.

the sick, blind, crippled, even the lepers.

The key here seems to be Jesus’ insistence on seeing everyone as human.

4. Jesus seeks to restore humanity.

Remember, we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

We are, “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

In this, humanity is amazing and beautiful.

However, there are those that conspire to destroy the beauty of our humanity:

Culture itself has a way of marginalizing people.

The legalism we see in this narrative diminishes people.

Ultimately, sin destroys people.

Jesus is still seeking to restore the beauty of humanity.

CONCLUSION

This all comes down to the God-given beauty of individual human beings.

Jesus seeks to restore that beauty in you, in me, in everyone else.