John 7:53-8:11
SEEING JESUS
LIFE OF CHRIST #35
The first section was studying the time-space relationship later formulated by Einstein as his Theory of Relativity. The text was complex and, being unable to comprehend it, I committed the pages to memory. When I was called upon to recite, I solemnly reeled off almost word for word what the book said. Our instructor, Colonel Fieberger, looked at me somewhat quizzically and asked, “Do you understand this theory?” It was a bad moment for me, but I did not hesitate in replying, “No, sir.” You could have heard a pin drop. I braced myself and waited. And then the slow words of the professor: “Neither do I, Mr. MacArthur. Section dismissed.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Reminiscences recalling a stratagem he carried out while at West Point. Source Unknown http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=1616
A Chinese boy who wanted to learn about jade went to study with a talented old teacher. This gentleman put a piece of the stone into the youth’s hand and told him to hold it tight. Then he began to talk of philosophy, men, women, the sun, and almost everything under it. After an hour he took back the stone and sent the boy home. The procedure was repeated for weeks. The boy became frustrated—when would he be told about jade?—but he was too polite to interrupt his venerable teacher.
Then one day when the old man put a stone into his hands, the boy cried out instantly, “That’s not jade!”
Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching, p. 102 - http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=884
These two stories remind us two different kinds of learning. There is a kind of learning that can quote an answer and understand nothing. There is another kind of learning that may be short on facts and big words, but long on understanding.
We have been studying the Life of Christ, and our goal is to know Him better. As we enter our next event in the life of Christ, which directly follows the great invitation of the Lord Jesus for those who are thirsty to come to Him and drink, we find there is a great opportunity for us to know him better by just observing Him. As we look at this story about a woman caught in adultery, we want to take our eyes basically off of the woman and the accusing scribes and Pharisees and simply see Jesus. This will help us to learn by seeing Jesus. This morning we want to:
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
SEE JESUS IN CONFLICT – Vss. 3-6a
SEE JESUS AS CONVICTING – Vss. 6b-9
SEE JESUS AS COMPASSIONATE – Vss. 10-11
SEE JESUS AS CONSISTENT – Vs. 11
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, the great harvest feast that remembered the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness.
He had been teaching during the feast, in spite of the opposition of the Jewish leadership. On the last day of the feast He had communicated his offer to those who were spiritually thirsty.
John 7:37-39 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. [38] He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [39] (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Jesus’ offer is still valid today. To anyone who will place their faith and trust in Him as their Savior, He will give them the “rivers of living water, or the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Vs. 2 – After a night on the Mount of Olives, Jesus returned to the temple. The people gathered to Him. He taught them. Jesus was and is a communicator.
As you read the Gospels you will find Jesus communicating. There are great sermons like the Sermon on the Mount, the Upper Room and the Olivet Discourse.
There are great parables like the Lost Sheep and The Good Samaritan. The Lord taught how to pray, how to forgive and how to be humble.
Jesus communicated or taught by example.
1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Jesus communicated God, because He is God!
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 14:8-9 - Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Why is it important that we see Jesus as the communicator?
We often listen to someone and follow the teachings of someone, whether we realize it or not.
There is no more important communicator to follow than the Lord Jesus!
Mark 13:31 - Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
John 14:21 - He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 15:7 - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
And let us remember that the whole Bible is the Word of God. And Jesus is God. So, in a real sense, the Bible is the Word of Jesus.
Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
If we are going to grow as Christians we must see Jesus as communicator, through This Book!
His Words are to be learned.
His Words are to be obeyed!
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. He will do so as we let Him.
If you see Jesus as communicator, you let Him communicate with you. You will hunger for His Word and strive to obey it!
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
SEE JESUS IN CONFLICT – Vss. 3-6a
Vss. 3-4 – The Scribes were copiers and teachers of the
Law. The Pharisees were the religious
fundamentalists of their day.
They were zealous for the Law of God but in many ways were hypocritical.
They brought a woman caught in adultery before him.
She had been taken in the act of adultery.
She was guilty.
There were witnesses.
Of course, we wonder, where was the offending man in all of this? He should have also been brought before Jesus.
Vss. 5-6 – So these accusers who brought the woman before Jesus reminded Jesus of the Law of Moses. Moses said those caught in adultery were to be executed.
The whole reason this woman was brought before Jesus was not for the sake of justice on the part of the scribes and Pharisees. They were in conflict with Jesus and wanted to trap Him.
How did they think to trap Jesus?
Jesus was known as compassionate and taught compassion.
He was known as the friend of tax collectors and sinners.
If Jesus said to stone her for her sin, He would have lost His influence on the common people who loved Him. He also would have created problems with the Roman Government because the Jews were not allowed to execute anyone without Roman permission.
If Jesus said to let her go and not stone her, He would have created another problem. He would have been viewed as opposing or violating the Law of Moses.
The rules for accusing someone of adultery were so strong that it is very possible that this woman was “set up” to be caught. They victimized this woman just to get at Jesus.
These scribes and Pharisees were out to destroy Jesus.
The religious leaders were out to destroy Jesus.
Jesus explained that there were people who hated Him and subsequently hated those of us who follow Him.
John 15:18-21 - If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. [19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. [20] Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. [21] But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
· Why are Christians persecuted by Moslems in some parts of the world? It is because Moslems are in conflict with Jesus.
· Why is there a movie called the DaVinci Code that claims that Jesus was not God? Because people are in conflict with Jesus. They want to destroy Him.
· Why do people attack the Bible? Because they are in conflict with Jesus.
· Why is Christianity demeaned and mocked on television and in the movies. Because people are in conflict with Jesus.
· Why are prayer and witnessing disallowed in most public schools? It is because people are in conflict with Jesus.
The world is in conflict with Jesus. If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus, expect conflict.
Matthew 5:11-12 - Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. [12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
SEE JESUS IN CONFLICT – Vss. 3-6a
SEE JESUS AS CONVICTING – Vss. 6b-9
Vs. 6b – Jesus didn’t answer right away.
Instead he wrote in the ground. Nobody knows what He wrote. God doesn’t tell us what Jesus wrote, so it was not important.
I believe he wrote, so he would have a reason to be silent.
He was allowing his silence to be part of the convicting process.
Vs. 7 – They continue to ask, and I think they probably got a bit testy. “Come on, Rabi, Give us an answer!” They probably got worked up into a fevered pitch.
Then Jesus said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
When someone was to be stoned for sin, the first ones to throw stones were to be the accusers. But they could not be guilty of the same sin. It would be like a thief condemning a thief or a murderer condemning a murderer.
So Jesus was saying, “You who have no guilt in this area, you cast the first stone!”
He had not excused the woman from her guilt.
He had not disallowed the Mosaic Law.
He had not even gone against the Roman Government.
But he had convicted these men of their own sin, and from the oldest to the youngest they left!
Jesus is God.
God convicts.
God convicts through His Word and Jesus the Son of God did in this incident.
God convicts today through His Holy Spirit.
John 16:8-11 - And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: [9] Of sin, because they believe not on me; [10] Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; [11] Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
What right does Jesus have to convict us of sin?
He is God! He is sinless.
He has every right to convict us of our sins.
Aren’t you glad that He does convict?
If we weren’t convicted our sins we would not turn to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life.
And conviction of sin for those of us who are saved, helps us to confess, repent, and live the Godly lives that God wants us to live.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Titus 2:11-12 - For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
SEE JESUS IN CONFLICT – Vss. 3-6a
SEE JESUS AS CONVICTING – Vss. 6b-9
SEE JESUS AS COMPASSIONATE – Vss. 10-11
Vs. 10 – All the accusers left. Only the woman remained.
I think it was with a smile that Jesus said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Hasn’t anyone condemned you?”
Vs. 11 – The woman answers, “No man, Lord.”
Jesus now shows His compassion.
“Neither do I condemn you.”
Could Jesus have condemned the woman?
Yes he could have.
He was the only one who was without sin. Jesus is sinless God.
Wait a minute! God is not only sinless, but He is righteous.
How could Jesus let the woman go without condemning her?
He could let the woman go without condemning her for the same reason that Jesus will let every person go free if they want to.
Jesus would die for that woman’s sin. He bore the penalty for it on the cross.
It is on the basis of Christ’s death on the cross that God shows compassion on you.
2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Faith in Christ brings forgiveness and eternal life.
Romans 5:1- Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
SEE JESUS IN CONFLICT – Vss. 3-6a
SEE JESUS AS CONVICTING – Vss. 6b-9
SEE JESUS AS COMPASSIONATE – Vss. 10-11
SEE JESUS AS CONSISTENT – Vs. 11
The woman received compassion.
But then she is told to “Go and sin no more.”
Jesus is consistent as God. He does not condone sin.
He hates sin but loves the sinner!
Those of us who have been forgiven of our sins are to live lives victorious over sin in His power!
Romans 6:1-2 - What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? [2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
1 Peter 1:15-16 - But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
As we allow God’s Holy Spirit to control us, we will experience victory over sin in our lives.
Galatians 5:16 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
When we do sin, we are to confess and forsake sin.
SEE JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR – John 7:53-8:2
SEE JESUS IN CONFLICT – Vss. 3-6a
SEE JESUS AS CONVICTING – Vss. 6b-9
SEE JESUS AS COMPASSIONATE – Vss. 10-11
SEE JESUS AS CONSISTENT – Vs. 11