John 8:1-11
Audio file is at the end of this text.
In this passage we find the established religious leaders trying to trap Jesus in theological questions. Jesus arrived at the temple early on this day and he sat down to teach anyone who was there to learn.The old guard was raging with jealousy. They were tired of being upstaged by this young man who came out of no where. He had no degrees, no titles, and no standing in the circle of thought leaders that dominated the teaching in the temple. They did not consider him to be legitimate and they wanted to destroy him in front of the people who had come to listen to him.
What they did not know is they were dealing with the one who wrote the laws. The Pharisees and scholars brought a women into the temple and had her stand in the center surrounded by men. Women and children had to stand back away from the center as this area was designated for men only. They said to Jesus that this woman was,"caught in an act of adultery and the law given by Moses gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?"
Let's take a look at Leviticus 18:20. It says, "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death." In Deuteronomy 22:22 it says, "If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both must die. Purge that evil from Israel."
What is missing from the temple scene? A man. We don't know why the religious leaders only brought in the woman. Who knows, maybe the man paid off the leaders. It is clear the the old law says this woman, if guilty, should die.
But, we know that Jesus came to seek and to save us, not to condemn us. Jesus came to show us how to live good lives from the inside out and this was a concept that the legal scholars did not grasp and if they had it would have put them out of business.
Jesus said to the scholars, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." One by one, starting with the oldest, the "smart ones" walked away. Now comes the best part! Jesus asked the women, "Is there is anyone here trying to condemn you?" She said, "No one, Master."
She called Jesus, Master. This tells us that she had come to faith in Jesus and Jesus had washed her white as snow. Jesus took away her old spirit and gave her a new one. Now Jesus could say, "I don't condemn you. Go and sin no more." It says in 1 John 1:9 that if we come to Jesus and confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
The scholars in the story relished catching people doing wrong and they enjoyed pointing out the flaws in others. This is how they maintained their power in that culture. Jesus teaches us with this story that no human being is qualified to judge another human being. Judging is God's job and this should be a great relief to all of us. It should make you feel free and save in God's hands that he will make the world right in his time.
While you need to use good judgment regarding who you associate with, you are not to put yourself above any other person. Don't find yourself in the position of the Pharisee. Don't worry about others; follow the commandment, "Go and sin no more."
11 27 2011 by Robby4747 on Mixcloud
