Sin and the Sinne

Introduction

I want to change the title of our sermon this morning. Come Thursday, Libby touches base with me before we print the handouts/bulletin, and this is the title I had. As I have been sitting with our text all weekend it started to slightly shift in what I understood the Lord wanted me to share out of the text… this sometimes happens.

Often times we develop our identity through our sin. We form others identity through their sin. What would happen though if we saw ourselves and each other through the eyes of Jesus. What does Jesus say about you? What does Jesus say about those around you? What does Jesus say about your enemy? I believe this is the heart of what we will go after this morning… who does Jesus say I am, who does Jesus say you are?

Chapter 8 sets us up for what is going to take place next. Whose kingdom do you belong too? Children of Abraham by birth, but spiritually/eternally, whose kingdom do you serve… God or Satan.

The mood, the language, the position in which Jesus takes shifts than what it has been up to this point.

Jesus in verse 12 declares that He is “the Light of the world.” Our text this morning is the preamble to this declaration.

Many of your Bibles might have this portion bracketed with a note saying something along the lines of, “The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.”

This is a really helpful note. It doesn’t mean that this didn’t happen or that it is irrelevant. The history of Bible translation, original texts, textual criticism, the history of it all is pretty fascinating, deep, and involved… but for our sake this morning, I’ll say this…

Our English Bibles are translated from the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. We have had English Bibles as far back as the 16th century. German before that and Latin before that. Before the invention of the printing press, these Bibles were assembled through copying by hand. There was no central server where all the manuscripts were held. There were locations that had a lot of them… they would borrow from each other and scholars would engage each other over them. If you can imagine if you took our libraries today and put everything on scrolls, it’s a huge building and it’s possible for some to get lost. So over time we have discovered other manuscripts from times that are close to original writing of the gospels. Scholars would translate from the texts that they had or knew of in that day. So scholars in wanting to be transparent about the God’s word is they are saying in this particular portion… at one point it was accepted as part of the text. However as they have found other manuscripts, it’s not included.

“Since we are referring to the Gospels, we have virtually the entire Gospel text about 200 years or so after the time of the writing of the originals. We don’t just have a handful of manuscripts—we have hundreds that are old. We have thousands that predate the Gutenberg printing press, which means that through comparison and examination, reconstruction, and hard work—what’s called textual criticism—we can with confidence reconstruct the text as it was originally written, or at least come within about 99 percent of it. This is a record of preservation that by far and away surpasses that of all other texts from antiquity.” - Dr. Craig Evans, distinguished scholar at Acadia Divinity School in Nova Scotia (Eastern Canada).

So some choose to ignore it, and others embrace it because of how and where it falls in our text. It could have very well happened… and it actually fits as to what is taking place in the chapter.

If you have your Bibles or on your devices, please turn with me to the Gospel of John 7:53 and we will read through to chapter 8:12. If you are able would you please stand with me as I read our text this morning.

This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Please be seated.

Tensions Are High

The Pharisee’s and religious leaders of the day do not like Jesus. They think he disregards the Sabbath (John 7) and ignore the law.

They are convinced that the law and holding to the law will bring them acceptance and life. Now, they were sent to wander the dessert for 40 years because they did not obey, they spent another 70 years in exile because they didn’t keep the law, so now they are being oppressed by this foreign government and asking, “God save now! Where is your deliverer, the Messiah!”.

There‘s the story of the man who is trapped in a flood, the whole area is flooded and he’s on the second story of his house… praying God save me. A boat then comes by to take him to safety, and he responds… “no, no, God will save me.” The water rises, he’s now on the roof. He prays again, “God save me.” A helicopter comes to fly him to safety and he waves them off, “no, no, God will save me.” Eventually the water takes him and he dies. Stands before the Lord and says, “God, I prayed, I asked for salvation, why didn’t you save me.” God responds, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter.”

Similarly, we see these Pharisees crying out for Messiah, but they do not see who it is right before them.

Similarly, I’ll suggest that we look to make God into our own image and are angry and frustrated when He doesn’t do what we think He should do. Tragically, people get hurt unnecessarily when that happens.

Jesus makes his way back to the Temple. Some people recognize him or the disciples following him. They want to hear more. You’ll remember that Jesus teaches in such a way, it’s authoritative, its unlike the religious leaders of the day. They can’t get enough. They gather around somewhere in and around the temple area.

The Pharisees then go get a woman who has been found guilty of adultery. She was found out, apparently caught in the act of, and ultimately found guilty by the authorities.

Will Jesus follow Moses (which is a way to say will you abide by the law, because Moses gave them the law), or will he continue to “subvert” the system and not condemn this woman to her fate prescribed by the law…

As a Jew, you might be thinking, well this is slam dunk… she’s guilty, she should die.

Can you think of a time where you knew someone was in blatant sin, in opposition to God, and there is a passion to get in there and fix it? Maybe it’s a friend, maybe it’s a sibling, a child.

In my immaturity I reflect and think on those sins that I didn’t struggle with. I had very little compassion and was quite self-righteous that those who did, just needed to repent and stop. I could be cold, calculated, and armed with scripture to show them I was right. Often times I wasn’t even concerned about the change of heart, the behavior needed to look like that of a Christian (that’s the scary type of Christian walk… where you are in name only and look the part so people don’t find out).

Now my own sin… I had more compassion to those who were like me. Isn’t that funny how that happens. My sin is actually more socially acceptable. My sin is easier to hide and even worse applauded in some circles. Let me tell you, pride, selfishness, self-righteousness, arrogance cloaked in humility, rarely gets called out… but it looks like a strong leader, driven, a visionary, someone who is passionate for God. Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

My self righteousness like James and John, the sons of thunder calling down lightening on those that would be against the kingdom. Do you see the parallel to our text this morning? If not, no worries, by the end you’ll see it.

Jesus doesn’t respond immediately to the prodding of the scribes and Pharisees. He stoops down and begins to draw in the sand.

It’s fun to speculate what he’s writing. We don’t know. Maybe he’s writing out the 10 commandments (Deut. 5:6-21). Maybe he’s writing out Exodus 34:6-7 where God describes who He is. We don’t know.

But He stands up and challenges them in their own righteousness. “John 8:7 (ESV): “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Exposing the Hypocrisy

Jesus is our advocate. He is the advocate for the woman was caught in the act of adultery and He is the one calling to the Scribes and Pharisees to reflect on the heart of the law of God. Both groups are guilty of neglecting their call and identity as God’s people.

While the Scribes and Pharisees have this woman’s sin is exposed, Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

Let’s take a moment and look at the woman and then the Scribes and Pharisees

Woman

She is a Jew. Jews had a moral code that they were to live by. This included not having sexual relations with anyone that was not their spouse. She was caught in the very act of adultery. This is in fact how she is identified in scripture… not by a name, but by her sin. How crushing.

She is guilty.

We don’t know why and are not told why she committed adultery. She was intimate with a man that was not her husband. Sex is made by God for a purpose. The Bible tells us it is to be between one man and one woman, in the covenant of marriage, exclusively, for life. Sex is what God has given us as His image bearers (“Let Us create man in our own image” Gen 1:26) to be co-creators with Him in the world. Marriage is a covenant to be an outward expression of how God yokes Himself to us through Christ.

Hear me, marriage is not the pinnacle of relationship. Marriage is good. Not everyone is called to marriage. We clearly see in life, in scripture, that there are some who are called to be single and therefore, celibate. It is a gift. There are those who are called to be married. But what God desires is the whole person, their heart, their mind, their lives. If we see those marriages where husband and wife are committed to each other, that is what God says, “See… that’s you and me.” A marriage is then consummated with sex.

Sin has corrupted and perverted sex. Sex is now seen often times as the highest of intimacy, but it is not. There is a greater intimacy to be had. That is the intimacy that God seeks to have with us in covenant love. This covenant love is a love where we decide for one another, it is self sacrificial, it is deep and connective. This is the love that we are to have as a body of Christ… His church. Jesus exemplifies this for us in that He was never married, but had close, covenantal love relationships.

He would ask Peter later on, John 21:15-17 “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” Jesus would then say… it’s going to get difficult, 19 “(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.””

He invited all who would come to enter into this type of relationship. We saw this last week as Pastor Josh shared in John 7:37-38 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ””

He covenants to us, and He wants us to covenant to Him. Him being first above all. Receiving the love and the commitment that HE has for us, we know how to truly love others well.

This woman, caught in adultery, Jesus is calling her to live into her identity as God’s daughter. She is playing the hypocrite when she is living according to the world and/or her own lusts and not as God’s daughter.

Are you God’s son or daughter? Are you living in sin but maybe it just hasn’t been exposed yet? I’m calling you out of the hypocrisy of sin, and step into the marvellous life that God has for His children. Stop living as one of the world, in filthy rags, but as a son or daughter of the true and living King. Don’t wallow in the mud and gutters, but come to the place at the table with King Jesus, dressed in His righteousness.

Expose the sin… just as this woman was caught in the act, so you go to trusted and safe people and confess your sin. Confess your sin before God, not just God, but confess none the less. When we confess before safe and trusted people, sin loses its power. We turn from it, then going to the person in King Jesus, and draw from Him the strength and comfort of living into the identity of being one of His children. This is the good news. Knowing in that confession He is faithful and just to forgive us of sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is where we read that Jesus does not condone what the woman did in our text, but tells her… “Go and sin no more.” Because of Jesus she stands forgiven, she is justified, and it would be what will seem a moments time, that Jesus would take upon himself the punishment for this woman’s sin upon the cross.

Do you see it? Where the Scribes and Pharisees would throw their rocks at her to kill her, Jesus will give His own life to satisfy the consequence of sin and invites her into a way of living that fits with who she is as God’s daughter.

Pharisees and the Scribes

I can relate to both parties, the one in sin and the ones who judge and condemn.

The Scribes and the Pharisees want to kill the woman. They want Jesus to pronounce her sentence according to the law.

Jesus is greater than the law because He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

This woman is not the enemy.

The woman guilty of adultery needed and advocate. Just like we all need an advocate.

The woman was guilty. Her punishment of her sin was her life.

The punishment of all of our sin is death. God said as much in the garden when telling Adam and Eve… in the day that you disobey my word, in the day that you eat from the fruit of your disobedience, you will die. The relationship with God is severed, there is spiritual death.

Here is what the religious leaders should and would have known, the heart of God towards them. Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.””

The religious leaders were to be those that drew near to God, that they would mediate between God and man; Numbers 16:5 “and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.”

They were to reflect God and His heart. Now, the argument goes, well we are dead in sin and trespasses against God… so until we are made new we are at war with God. So we can look at the nonbeliever and cast judgement, they are the enemy of God. That would be all well and good if it wasn’t for Jesus.

Jesus is what the law was intended to make us. But our flesh is weak, we can’t do it. But Jesus fulfilled the law and prophets. This is what Jesus says about our “enemies”… are you ready… this is going to mess with your mind… Matthew 5:43-48 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is not theoretical. This not idealistic and do the best that we can do… but Jesus says, this is those who are in my kingdom. This is what they look like.

So Jesus in kneeling down and writing whatever he did in the sand, that act, seemed to remind the Scribes, Pharisees, and those ready and willing to pick up a rock to execute God’s righteousness, that they stand guilty… that they too need an intercessor. Jesus knew that the enemy wasn’t flesh and blood, but it is the devil. It is the works, effects, and deceitfulness of the devil that we are against.

Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” to which he then describes the armor and the weapon of our warfare.

If you are there, in the place of condemning and judging others, remember your own sin. Remember the grace of God shown to you, and take that same grace and extend it to others. Here is the other thing (in so far as it is safe for you to do so), change comes from proximity… hearing, receiving, being affected by God’s kindness through His kids. Romans 2:4 “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

Conclusion

We have a lot going on in our world and culture. This is a timely and appropriate passage for us. There are those who are exploring their sexuality and felt needs in harmful and dangerous ways (heterosexuals and queer folk; married folk and non-married), and as sons and daughters of Christ, we can represent the grace, kindness, goodness, and holiness of God by loving them and sharing with them the hope and good news of Jesus. Not that Jesus is going to fix all of our problems, but that He desires a love relationship with us extended deeper and more satisfying than any other relationship we could have and a deeper intimacy than we can experience any where else. In fact, entering into a covenant love relationship with Jesus enhances all of our relationships.

It is in this relationship that we derive who we really are. It is in this covenant love relationship that we find our identity as sons and daughters of the King. That we find ourselves as God’s children who have meaning, purpose, and a mission to fulfill until God consumables His Kingdom here on Earth. He‘s tasked us with taking the good news of forgiveness of sin and adoption; teaching and guiding others as to what it means to be in God’s Kingdom.

So again, may God use you to bring peace in the lives of others, ultimately peace between them and God through the gift of a covenantal love relationship founded in the finished work of the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ… in whom we long for Him to come again where He will rule and reign establishing His Kingdom here on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Matthew 5:9 ESV

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Let’s stand. I want to invite staff, elders, and deacons down to the bottom of the stairs. During the last song and after service, they will be here to pray with you if there is something you would like prayer for.

Let us pray.