Looking Past Sin to See the Sinner
Notes
Transcript
2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst
4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.
5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.
9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
In keeping with the memory of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, it got me to thinking more of how it has shaped us as a nation. It was a somber time, a time of deep reflection and pain. If we think back at the horrible events that occurred that day...
7:59: American Airlines Flight 11 departs from Logan International Airport in Boston, five hijackers are on board.
8:14: United Airlines Flight 175 departs from Logan International Airport in Boston, five hijackers are on board.
8:14: Flight 11 is hijacked over central Massachusetts, turning first northwest, then south.
8:20: American Airlines Flight 77 departs from Washington Dulles International Airport, five hijackers are aboard.
8:42: United Airlines Flight 93, departs from Newark International Airport , four hijackers are aboard.
8:42–8:46 (approx.): Flight 175 is hijacked above northwest New Jersey, about 60 miles northwest of New York City.
8:46:40: Flight 11 crashes into the north face of the North Tower (1 WTC) of the World Trade Center.
8:50–8:54 (approx.): Flight 77 is hijacked above southern Ohio, turning to the southeast.
9:03:02: Flight 175 crashes into the south face of the South Tower (2 WTC) of the World Trade Center.
9:28: Flight 93 is hijacked above northern Ohio.
9:37:46: Flight 77 crashes into the western side of The Pentagon.
9:59:00: The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, 56 minutes after the impact of Flight 175.
10:03:11: Flight 93 is crashed by its hijackers as a result of fighting in the cockpit 80 miles (129 km) southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Later reports indicate that passengers had learned about the World Trade Center and Pentagon crashes and were resisting the hijackers. The 9/11 Commission believed that Flight 93's target was either the United States Capitol building or the White House in Washington, D.C.
10:28:22: The North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, 1 hour and 42 minutes after the impact of Flight 11.
There was a deep feeling of sickness in the pit of most Americans stomachs. What had just happened? How could something like this happen in the U.S.? Maybe we had just experienced what generations before us felt when they heard of the events of Pearl Harbor. Whatever it was, it was a feeling none of us ever want to experience again. Terrorism was a clear and present danger.
A chosen nation had just been brutally humbled. We felt invincible and then…we weren’t. Even with Pearl Harbor, it was not on American soil. We may have gasped at the time, but many of us didn’t even remember the World Trade Center was damaged by a bombing in 1993. Those things Just…Don’t…Happen…To…America… until it did. 2,977 lives were lost.
It was hour zero - a reset, a new start for the nation. How would we respond?
It brought us to a place of vulnerability, and we saw more people filling our churches, and what seemed like an earnest effort to turn back to God. It seems many turned to religion in an attempt to understand or make sense of the terrorist attacks or to be comforted in their fears.
But there was something else that happened that day. We, collectively as Americans, changed the way we viewed Middle Easterners, and in particular Muslims. One person said “20 years later, I and my fellow Muslim Americans are still presumed guilty of the heinous crime that is 9/11. Those who presume us guilty perhaps have no idea that the bulk of the world’s Muslims find militant Islamist groups despicable”.
I understand the feeling to a certain extent, as I can remember a WWII vet who was present at Pearl Harbor and the feeling he had towards the Japanese.
It is easy for us to be taught to dislike something. We can experience something that will influence our likes or dislikes. We can read something that will influence our likes or dislikes. We can be taught to like or dislike things. We can even follow the lead of someone influential in what we like or dislike. Don’t believe me? Have a child see their parents say they don’t like something… doesn’t take long until the child doesn’t like it either. We can condition our likes and dislikes. We can be easily influenced. Sometimes we are even stubborn enough we won’t even budge when we are shown we are wrong. We may even try to influence someone else that their way of thinking is wrong. We can even get quite sneaky and sometimes down right dirty when we try to prove someone else wrong. We may even cross the lines and go against everything we know is right just to try to prove others wrong.
Today we see a picture of just that. The Pharisees are so desperate to prove their point…to prove Jesus wrong…they are literally willing to jeopardize their own law and sacrifice the very thing they are trying to preserve.
Setting the Plot
Setting the Plot
2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst
4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.
5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
I can imagine as these so called “leaders” of the church sat around trying to find something they could challenge Christ with. This opportunity had just given itself to them, and they would capitalize.
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
During this time, the wife was considered property of the husband, and adultery violated his property. It defiles those who commit it. They knew that everyone would know the 10 commandments, in which the Israelites were told:
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
Old Testament law stated the death penalty by stoning should be administered in the act of adultery for both the man and the woman caught in adultery. But notice they only bring the woman, it seems they had left the man out of the trial. Jewish law also required two witnesses to convict a person. It was highly unlikely that these religious leaders had witnessed the act. leaving no witnesses. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to rule on the law without following the strictest letter of the law themselves. They were suffering from a spiritual, much deeper and less visible sin themselves.
They knew though, that they would be able to test Christ with this, hoping to discredit Him. If Jesus said the woman was not guilty, He would be breaking Jewish law and could be accused of being too lenient with sin. If Jesus said the woman was guilty and should be killed, He would break Roman law which stated adultery is a sin not worthy of death, He could be accused of lacking mercy, love, compassion, and forgiveness. Yet these religious leaders could not see they, themselves, lacked forgiveness, love, compassion, understanding, and sympathy. Instead of taking this case to trial in the inner part of the temple where court proceedings would normally take place, they pulled her into a public place to humiliate her. They thought that their religion made them better than the woman.
Maybe they were like many of us in churches all across the world; thinking their sin would never be seen, that no one would ever find out. They overlooked the same thing we commonly do - all sin is always seen by God. We are all critical, condemning, self-righteous, and like the woman and Israel, adulterous towards God. Each of us are sinful beings, and even these religious men were not exempt. But Christ brought a peace to the turbulent, sinful world in which we live.
Jesus was able to see past their sin, and simply see them as the sinners they were.
Sinners Without Sin?
Sinners Without Sin?
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.
9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
Jesus ignored these sinful religious leaders as long as He could. He didn’t get into a theological debate with them. He didn’t try to prove them wrong. He did not even answer them. He bent down, and wrote on the ground. I have often wondered why. Why did He stay silent, and just…write. Various commentators say it was to allow Him to think through the situation, to force them to repeat their charges so the public could see their lack of compassion, or maybe it was to write the sins of each of those standing around Him. But notice closely - Even though Jesus ignored them for a moment, He would not allow their sin to go on forever. He will face it, and sinners will be judged.
The woman was guilty of a serious sin - one punishable by death. The accusers were legally justified in their charge. They would put her to death if something didn’t happen. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her”. Jesus knew even the religious leaders would know they were not without sin. Every man standing there knew they were sinful, and every one of them was convicted by their conscience. One by one, even those who were staunchly religious saw their own sins and walked away. Jesus answered their question. They could throw their stones. But there was a stipulation, the thrower must be sinless. Casting stones was not based on how much Scripture they knew, how great a calling they had, what gifts they possessed, or even the position they held. It was solely based on a moral perfection that no person can achieve.
Only Christ can judge a sinner, because no person is without sin. God can look past the sin, and see the need of the sinner.
Acknowledging Sin
Acknowledging Sin
john 8:10-11
10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
The woman that is portrayed here is a picture of every human being. When it comes to sin and judgment, each person will stand alone before Christ. Their status, their position, even their own head knowledge will not help them without a change of heart. Even though these religious leaders felt they held the position, had acquired enough knowledge, and was righteous enough that they could condemn this woman (not as a peer, but as a subordinate). The example Christ shows here is that there is only one righteous enough, perfect enough, and without sin to judge - and it is Christ alone. But even Christ did not condemn, He gave a second chance. Jesus was willing to forgive this sinner with a condition “sin no more”. Forgiveness comes with a condition.
3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Jesus did not overlook her sin, but looked past the sin to address the needs of a sinner. Forgiveness resulted in salvation after repentance.
Closing
Closing
Too often, we (Christians) tend to look at the sin without seeing the need of the sinner. We can allow ourselves to think that we may be too “religious”, too “knowledgeable”, even too “righteous” - and we want to hold others accountable for their sins. This is a troubling place to be. We must not be tempted to overlook the need of the sinner just to focus on their sin.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
We cannot forget that all of us have sinned, and are only saved by God’s grace.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We all have earned the penalty of death, just as the woman caught in the adulterous act. But we, too, are given the choice to be forgiven of our sins by repentance leading to the free gift of salvation.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We can stand also, boldly before Christ, as one sinless as we are cleansed from those sins when we trust in Him as our Savior.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Today is the day for you to make the decision, do you stand as one guilty before Christ, or will you choose to “sin no more” and be saved?
2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.