John 8:1-11 GOD’S WORD Translation
A Woman Caught in Adultery
8 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early the next morning he returned to the temple courtyard. All the people went to him, so he sat down and began to teach them.
3 The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of everyone 4 and asked Jesus, “Teacher, we caught this woman in the act of adultery. 5 In his teachings, Moses ordered us to stone women like this to death. What do you say?” 6 They asked this to test him. They wanted to find a reason to bring charges against him.
Jesus bent down and used his finger to write on the ground. 7 When they persisted in asking him questions, he straightened up and said, “The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then he bent down again and continued writing on the ground.
9 One by one, beginning with the older men, the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees left. Jesus was left alone with the woman. 10 Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Where did they go? Has anyone condemned you?”
11 The woman answered, “No one, sir.”
Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you either. Go! From now on don’t sin.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
To understate the obvious, and without hesitation to offend, it is easy to point out everyone else’s sin and to forget that we have our own glaring weaknesses.
Seldom revealed is God’s grace is sufficient for us, no matter what we’ve done.
In the beginning of John 8 we see the character of Christ toward sinners who break the commands of God, the freedom that comes by accepting His Grace.
The person who is most critical of the faults, failings, and sins of others is often guilty of the self-same faults, failings, and sins.
‘When you point a finger of accusation at another, remember you have three fingers of accusation pointing right back at yourself,’ as the old saying goes.
How often the person who is severely judging his fellowman is the hypocrite who flatters himself of their own alleged uprightness.
Throughout His ministry, Christ had those who hated Him, sought to trip Him up, accused Him of breaking the Law of Moses or flouting the dictates of Rome.
In this passage, a band of elders brought a woman caught in adultery, to Him.
The Law of Moses demanded adultery be punished by stoning and they asked Jesus what He would do.
They said this to test Him, so that they might have grounds to accuse Him.
If He recommended her release, He would be breaking the Law of Moses and if not, they could not hesitate to accuse Him before Rome, of inciting murder!
But Jesus said nothing.
He simply stooped down, with His finger wrote “some words” on the ground.
“But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’
Once more Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones – and Jesus, in almost no time at all, was left all alone with the woman.”
The Gospel narrative of the woman caught in adultery is one the most powerful depictions of God’s heart to meet everyone in the midst of sin and show grace.
What an incredible example Jesus set.
He was not flattered when they asked for his ‘advice’.
He knew their hearts were full of their egos, distrust, spite, hatred, and rage.
Instead, He demonstrated great restraint and wisdom by not immediately responding to their demands.
There are times when a response to ultimatums needs to be considered and prayed through.
And although we should always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ, no one has a right to insist that we comply with their every demand.
We don’t know what Jesus wrote on the ground.
Some speculate that it listed the sins of the men accusing this woman.
Others think it gave Christ time to pray to His heavenly Father for wisdom and guidance, for Jesus only said and did those things He heard from His Father.
However, Jesus was well aware of their trap.
“But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'”
In few words, pregnant with meaning, Christ communicates with the accusers, meets with the crowd, silences every accusing voice and each pointing finger.
Jesus did not excuse this woman’s adultery by finding fault with God’s law, for later challenged her to face her wrong-doing and to “go and sin no more.”
And by His atoning death, she too was forgiven by grace through faith.
There is no sin so great that it cannot be forgiven, except the sin of unbelief.
For the one who believes in the Son has forgiveness of sin and life everlasting, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son does not have forgiveness, and will not see life – instead, the full weight of the wrath of God remains full on him.
The punishment for adultery was stoning, but the wages of all sin and every trespass, whether sins of the body or sins of the heart, whether physical sins executed in our body or senses, or spiritual sins undertaken in the secret smugness of our own prideful hearts, the wages of all sin is death, and death and the full wrath of God on the unrepentant, means separation from God.
But the gift of God is eternal life, which is accessed through Lord Jesus Christ.
He took the punishment for our sin – the punishment that we so justly deserve.
When I find myself in the midst of sin, my first instinct is to run away from God.
For some reason we seem to hold this belief that God is like us: that he loves us like we love ourselves.
I assume he’s even more ashamed of me than I am ever ashamed of myself.
I assume He’s “turned His face away,” distanced himself from me in my sin.
I assume that he can’t be near to me or that his grace surely isn’t strong enough for my sin this time.
But Jesus’ quiet, yet authoritative actions, when presented with the woman caught in adultery completely obliterate my worldly perceptions of his grace.
Insert yourself into the moment and try to imagine the fear this woman feels.
Imagine the horrific embarrassment and shame she feels being caught in the act of terrible sin and dragged before Jesus, God incarnate, God, her true judge.
Put yourself in her PUBLIC position.
Feel the piercing glares of onlookers.
Feel their control of the moment and the woman’s absence of control. Try and hear the terrible judgements being hurled your way by these religious leaders.
Now imagine Jesus standing before you, drawing in the sand as he did that day.
Imagine what he would say when He stood to face you, look at you in your sin.
Now, imagine your response when He doesn’t seem the least bit surprised.
Now, imagine your response when you realize that He doesn’t seem worried.
Now, imagine your response when He does not even cast judgment upon you.
Instead surprisingly, miraculously, shows you the fullness of grace for your sin.
God longs to meet with us in the midst of our sin, quiet all of the background noises of sin in our ears, to cast away all the lies the accuser would speak to us.
He longs to cause all the judgments we so easily speak over ourselves and that others have spoken over us to “get thee gone” flee in light of his powerful grace.
Romans 5:7-10 GOD’S WORD Translation
7 Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person. 8 Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.
9 Since Christ’s blood has now given us God’s approval, we are even more certain that Christ will save us from God’s anger. 10 If the death of his Son restored our relationship with God while we were still his enemies, we are even more certain that, because of this restored relationship, the life of his Son will save us.
God sent His Son to meet with us in our sin, now Jesus stands before us today with nail-pierced hands having fully paid the price for each one of your sins.
Romans 8:1-4 GOD’S WORD Translation
God’s Spirit Makes Us His Children
8 So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. 2 The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death. 3 It is impossible to do what God’s standards demand because of the weakness our human nature has. But God sent his Son to have a human nature as sinners have and to pay for sin. That way God condemned sin in our corrupt nature. 4 Therefore, we, who do not live by our corrupt nature but by our spiritual nature, are able to meet God’s standards in Moses’ Teachings.
He’s always ready to meet with us with a mindset on forgiveness and mercy, to empower, inspire us, to “Go, and from now on sin no more” by his love and grace.
Meet with Him today.
Talk with Him today.
Receive the fullness of His love in the Spirit of which it was first given today.
Allow him to meet you in the midst of your sin.
Run into his arms instead of away from him.
And live empowered and inspired to experience the fullness of his presence, without condemnation and wrath and learn to live in total freedom from sin.
Praise God that Christ is the only one Who has the righteous authority to cast the first stone at you and at me.
And how high and mightily we ought to praise and thank Him and worship Him that by His grace He took our punishment upon Himself, and through our faith in Christ, we are forgiven of all our sins through His atoning death.
Praise God that by faith the PENALTY of sin has been dealt with. Christ took the punishment we deserve and clothed us in His perfect righteousness.
But in addition, the POWER of sin (the old sin nature’s control), can be broken in our lives.
Praise God that all who have been born from above can conquer the world, through living a life of faith.
We have the power to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil – a supernatural power which is given to us by the indwelling Spirit.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Hallelujah!
It is through the indwelling Holy Spirit, that the life of Christ within is able to overcome our innate sin, our old, inherited, imputed sin nature, (the old-man as Paul calls it) that lurks within.
And a day is fast approaching when we will be with Christ in heaven and the PRESENCE of sin will be gone forever.
Christ alone had the right to judge the adulteress who stood before Him.
He alone had the lawful right to condemn her for her sin.
And so, having finished writing in the sand, Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, LORD.”
This woman KNEW Jesus as her Savior, for she addressed Him as LORD and no one can call Jesus “Lord” except by the Holy Spirit of God.
“And Jesus said, ‘neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.'”
May we never forget we are not to become judge or jury for the sin of our fellow man, for we are all sinners, only by God’s grace have we been forgiven of sin.
Oh, we can judge the false teaching through knowledge of Scripture, and we should judge ourselves, to see if we are walking in spirit and truth, but we are all sinners, saved by grace and for that, we praise and thank our heavenly Father.
Ephesians 2:8-10 GOD’S WORD Translation
8 God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. 9 It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. 10 God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.
May the mind of Christ direct all our actions and attitudes, our thoughts and the motives of our hearts, and may His more gracious attitude be reflected in us as we each seek to live lives that are pleasing in His sight, for His praise and glory.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
1. Meditate on God’s heart to meet us in our sin as displayed through the woman caught in adultery.
2. Where are you closing off your heart to God as the result of your sin? Where do you feel beyond forgiveness unlovable? Where have sins lies and accusations caused you to withdraw yourself from God rather than return to celebrate Him?
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
3. Take time to receive the grace, forgiveness, and love of your heavenly Father. Confess your sin to Him and rest in his loving presence. Be filled with the power of his grace that you may be bold enough, to walk in freedom today.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
May 1 John 2:1-2 fill you with faith to run to Jesus with your sin rather than away from him in shame or judgment:
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Father God, greatest lover of my soul, caretaker of my heart, thank You that my sins have been forgiven and there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. I confess that there are times when I have been critical of others, forgetting that my own sins were scarlet, but by Your grace have been washed white as snow. Lord, I want to live a life that is pleasing to You. I pray that Your new-life within may display the grace and love of the Lord Jesus towards others, in the same way that You show Your grace and love towards me. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 