John 8:1-11 1Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
I’m going to open this message with three takeaways from this text.
Jesus dealt with the accusers.
Jesus’ heart was to forgive, not to condemn.
Jesus’ offer for forgiveness offered an opportunity for a new way of life.
First of all, we need to understand that the religious leaders weren’t concerned about the Law. The text tells us their goal was to trap Jesus. They thought they could “catch” Jesus by using the Old Testament Law to cause Him to slip up. One thing they didn’t understand for sure was that since He wrote the Law, they didn’t stand a chance with their strategy. You don’t try to get the author of his or her own material backed into a corner using what they have created! They weren’t going to be able to trap Jesus with words from the Word because, well, He is the Word! They tried, repeatedly, however, using that tactic.
The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were hard at work, looking for just the right scenario, and possibly even creating the “perfect storm” so that they could catch a woman in the act of adultery. Have you ever considered that perhaps it was all a set up? That’s my personal opinion. I’ve drawn that conclusion because there is no man brought before Jesus in this story. Last I heard, it takes two to commit adultery, so if the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were so concerned that the letter of the law was followed, where was the other law breaker? Just sayin’!
These religious leaders threw the Law up in Jesus’ face, saying it called for the stoning, the killing of the woman. In Deuteronomy 22:23-24 and Leviticus 20:10, the Old Testament Law called for both parties to be put to death, and yet only one of the two law breakers was brought before Jesus.
While putting adulterers to death sounds harsh, and it was, it wasn’t easy to invoke the death penalty. Adultery wasn’t easy to prove. To gain a conviction in Jewish law required a very specific kind of witness. At least two witnesses would have to agree on everything. Everything. There was an old Jewish story about a woman named Susanna. She was accused of committing adultery under a tree, but she was acquitted because the two witnesses couldn’t agree on the size of the leaves!
In addition to the two witnesses agreeing on every detail, they had to see the act being played out. They couldn’t just testify that they saw a woman leaving someone’s bedroom or saw two people coming from behind a building or whatever the situation was. They had to see the couple committing the sin. For them to throw up the Law as the standard for dealing with the situation, they would have to have seen what happened and produce the man as well. They hadn’t satisfied the burden of proof for sure.
Jesus didn’t answer them. Instead, He dealt with them. They wanted Him to deal with the Law, to deal with the woman, and instead, He dealt with them. He turned the attention away from the woman and placed the spotlight on her accusers. We have no idea what He wrote in the sand when He bent down, but after He did, He stood up and invited anyone without sin to pick up and throw the first stone. Jesus didn’t dismiss what the Law said, but instead, He applied the Law by trapping the trappers. They knew they didn’t have a righteous leg to stand on and didn’t meet the requirements to throw a first stone.
The religious leaders knew what was in their hearts. They knew they were among the guilty. The older ones left the scene first. Perhaps they were the ones to realize they had been outsmarted. I hope the reality of their sin set in. This I know…Jesus dealt with the woman’s accusers so that forgiveness, instead of condemnation, could be on the table for the accused.
I want you to know that forgiveness, instead of condemnation, is available for us because Jesus has dealt with our accuser. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Fortunately, his accusations against us fall on deaf ears. Romans 8:31-33 says, 31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
We are justified by God through Christ. We are forgiven by God through Christ. God is for us. There is victory in Jesus! No one can bring a charge against us but God Himself, and instead of condemnation, He has chosen justification. God is greater than our accuser and has rendered his accusations, null and void. Colossians 2:15 says Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Did you hear me, Church? Satan has been disarmed! Like an explosive device that has been disarmed, like a bomb that has been deactivated, disarmed, it cannot detonate and wield power over you.
Satan may still try to accuse, but once your sin is covered by the blood you know what those accusations are? Lies, because in Christ, your sin holds no power over you or the way God looks at you. Satan still tries, though, doesn’t he? He wants to throw our sin in our face to make us feel unworthy to be children of God, to make us feel disqualified for the assignments God gives us. Satan wants us to always be conscious of our sinfulness, but God the Father says, instead, be conscious of your Savior! Look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, Hebrews 12:2. Satan’s accusations and deceptions mean nothing for those who are covered by the blood of Jesus. When Jesus cried, “It is finished” on the Cross, it wasn’t only that the work of atonement for sin was complete, but it was that Satan was also finished. His fate was sealed, and he no longer has any legal claim to those whose sins are under the blood of Christ.
Jesus dealt with those who accused the woman caught in adultery, and He has dealt with our accuser as well. We have nothing to fear! Jesus’ heart was to forgive, not to condemn. Jesus knew what He was going to do the second He saw the woman. He knew He was going to forgive her.
The Bible tells us that Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn it, but it save it through His sacrifice, John 3:17. In this story, as this woman stood vulnerable and ashamed, caught in her sin, she met grace. Guilt met grace, and grace met her need! She was guilty, but Jesus didn’t respond to her as her sin would suggest He should. Instead, He gave her mercy. Instead, He extended grace. The reason the Gospel is such good news is that because of Christ, when we surrender our lives to Him, we won’t get what we deserve, which is eternal punishment, and we will get what we don’t deserve, which is grace to start over and power to live a life that is pleasing to God.
Jesus was condemned in our place. Jesus bore our shame on our behalf. We have been set free from guilt, condemnation, and shame. That is the Word of God. Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death.
Jesus was qualified to pick up a stone. He was without sin. He was the only one who could have condemned the woman and He didn’t. Do you realize that with condemnation taken off the table, all fear was removed from the woman? She could have an interaction with Jesus that wasn’t based on her guilt and didn’t include the fear of retribution and punishment. With condemnation no longer a threat, she could receive what Jesus wanted to give her. It wasn’t punishment. It wasn’t embarrassment. It wasn’t a plan for her to work herself back into His good graces. Jesus simply wanted her to know He would cover her sin. He would pardon her.
Fear was removed…the fear that keeps us in a works righteousness mode, the fear that puts distance between many and God because they think they have to be perfect for God to love them and have to live perfectly or they will be rejected by Him. No, Jesus has removed the condemnation from us that Satan would want to cloak us with. Satan wants us defined by our imperfections when the truth is, we are defined by Christ’s perfection! Satan wants us to live under a cloud of guilt to minimize us, to cause us to doubt our value, and to keep us from living the free life for which Christ died.
We are all going to stumble. We will all fall. We will all make mistakes. We will all miss God’s mark and sin, but for believers in Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation. It’s true…not because I want it to be that way, not because I am trying to make us all feel better, but because God has said it is so. God no longer holds the believer’s sin against them because Christ’s righteousness is credited to our account, and His blood wipes our slate clean.
Whatever you have to do, whatever is required to make it happen, get to Jesus. You don’t have to be afraid of Jesus. Your past isn’t a problem for Jesus. He is the One who won’t condemn you. God doesn’t hate you. He hates your sin, yes, but He doesn’t hate you. He isn’t looking to beat you up, to berate you, or to belittle you because of your sin. He is looking to cleanse you and to cover you.
Because He isn’t looking to condemn you, you can run to Him when you fail. You aren’t going to get a tongue lashing. You won’t hear about what a loser or idiot you have been. You won’t be met with harsh words, but with tenderness, compassion, and a chance to start anew. Why? Because Jesus’ heart is forgiveness, not condemnation.
Believers, we have so much available to us that keeps us connected with God and reinforces who we are in Christ. We have the Word of God which contains the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We have the worship of God which sets our minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. We have Christian brothers and sisters to encourage us and walk with us and to pray for us. We have prayer that gives us the opportunity to freely speak with God anywhere and at any time, but specifically, we have the gift of confession. Yes, it is a gift to be able to come to God any time we sin and to ask for forgiveness, without delay, without denial that we have done wrong, without defenses, without trying to deflect our responsibility and culpability.
You know what sin and subsequent confession should remind us of? The Cross. Our need to repent of sin, to confess sin, and to be cleansed of sin reminds us of the reason for the Cross and gives us an opportunity again to glory in the Cross, to praise God for the work of the Cross in our lives. Did you know that the work of the Cross wasn’t merely a one-time, historical happening, but the work of the Cross is an ongoing, every-day, cleansing and covering for all who have chosen to die and be raised in Christ. O praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead! We need not be scared or slow to bring our sin to Jesus. The work of forgiveness has already been done. We simply have to confess our need for it and let what happened on Calvary be applied to our hearts in the moment.
We don’t have to wait until we are “caught,” until we are forced to deal with our sin by someone else. We can come to Jesus today and admit what we’ve done and know that when we do, we will fall upon His grace! Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then (boldly-NKJV) approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” You are never in greater need than when you need forgiveness from sin! Don’t relegate this verse to a simple earthly crisis, to a shocking health diagnosis, to a bad breakup, to a disappointment in the workplace. We need to boldly approach God’s throne when we sin because we believe that is the best place for us to get the help we truly need.
I’m glad for the woman in the story, on one hand, that her sin was brought out into the open, because only then could it be dealt with. Jesus won’t cover what we try to hide, but He will forgive a repentant heart every time. Her greatest need wasn’t for love or money or whatever got her into her predicament; her greatest need was forgiveness from the only One who could grant it. Our greatest need is the same.
Finally, Jesus’ offer for forgiveness included an opportunity for a new way of life.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Jesus was basically saying, “Because you aren’t being condemned, don’t live like a person who is condemned.” Because you aren’t being punished as a sinner; don’t live like one. Sin, as a way of life, is completely anti-God, anti-Scripture, anti-Holy Spirit leading. To choose a life of sin is to turn your back on God and what He offers through Christ. To choose a life of sin is to become a disciple of Satan. He is the one who tempts people to sin, who leads people to sin, whose will is to get people to sin. Jesus was telling her to be done with that kind of life. A life of sin is a life of compromise. It involves lies and deception. It is selfish as its core.
I love so much about Jesus. One thing I love is that He is full of grace AND truth. He isn’t equal parts of grace and truth, but He is 100% grace and 100% truth. He told the woman He didn’t condemn her which meant He forgave her AND He told her to leave the kind of life that would warrant condemnation. You see, with forgiveness comes the expectation that we won’t want to live on the same path of disobedience to God. When we experience His love and mercy and grace through the forgiveness of sin, we will want more of His life and less of the life of sin.
You know how it feels, in your heart, when someone does something significant for you. When they spare no expense, when they go the extra mile, when they do something for you that you couldn’t ever even bring yourself to ask them to do, when you know someone has gone out of their way because they truly love you. You know what that does to your heart for them. You feel indebted to them. You want to find a way to appreciate them and thank them for what they have done for you. It’s humbling on one hand and endears them to you on the other.
The same is true for those who truly experience the love of God as their sins are being forgiven. That experience, that feeling, that reality, however you want to define it, is only possible because Jesus gave His life for you. You don’t forget a gift like that. You don’t forget a Person like that. Something happens in the heart of the person who receives God’s forgiveness. That person’s heart begins to long for a different kind of life than the life of sin.
Sin does offend the holiness of God. That, in and of itself should be enough reason to pursue a different way of life, but perhaps a more personal reason to do as Jesus told the woman, is because sin damages us. It takes us into darkness, into all kinds of compromise, to self-absorption and self-preservation and selfish living. Sin changes our brain chemistry, our mindset, and we cannot think correctly. When we don’t think correctly, we don’t view others correctly. It keeps us from being focused on the things God wants for our lives. Sin puts us in bondage to our flesh. Eventually, Satan gains control over the person who chooses the way of sin. Jesus wants us to be free to enjoy an abundant life, a whole life, a fulfilling and satisfying one. Sin robs us of that privilege.
Every time we are presented with an opportunity to sin, we are presented with a choice. We CAN say “no” to sin. We CAN say “yes” to the new life in Christ for which Jesus has set us free. Maybe this woman who had been caught in adultery was easy to set up because she was a prostitute. Maybe she thought she had no other choice but to live the way she had been living. Regardless of the backstory, Jesus told her to go and sin no more, and when He did, He was telling her something else, something better, something holy was possible.
Jesus forgave her, and He forgives us. He has dealt with our accuser and rendered him powerless. Satan has no rightful legal claim to a Child of God. Jesus has removed condemnation which has also removed any fear about coming to God to confess our sin. He has provided cleansing through His shed blood as we confess our sin to Him. He offers us a different life through freedom in Christ.
Jesus is still forgiving today. As long as He tarries in Heaven, until He returns, we are under what is called the Dispensation of Grace, the time of grace. As long as you have breath in your lungs and life in your physical body, God’s grace is available to you. Forgiveness is yours for the asking, and new life awaits all who want it.
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