John 8:1-11
Welcome to the defender Bible study, a weekly encouragement to equip the body of Christ through the study of scripture and prayer to manifest the gospel to orphans and vulnerable children around the world. This podcast is a ministry of us begins by being rooted in God's word.
Jeff Kunard:Hello. It's Monday, February 17, and my name is Jeff Kennard, and I have the privilege of serving as the vice president of advancement here at Lifeline Children's Services. And today, I have the privilege also of continuing on in our study of John. Today's text is going to be John seven fifty three eight through 11. It's the story of the woman caught in adultery.
Jeff Kunard:And just as we get started here, it's hard not to at least acknowledge the annotations in a lot of our Bibles about this text being added late to the gospel of John. And without really getting into the ongoing conversation about that, what I absolutely love is that we can all trust the sovereignty of God, knowing full well that the scripture is in the Bible currently. God has allowed it to be there, and it also is completely consistent with Christian doctrine. There's not an ounce of it that doesn't ring true on the nature and the characteristics of Jesus Christ, our Messiah. And as we'll get into in a little bit, there's a lot of repetition here for other narratives within the Bible that we're like, oh, yeah.
Jeff Kunard:This rings absolutely true and consistent with other scripture in the Bible, which we love to see. So let's, go ahead and do this quick read just for context. John seven fifty three through eight eleven. They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount Of Olives. Early in the morning, he came again to the temple.
Jeff Kunard:All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst, they said to him, teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? This they said to test them, that they might have some charge to bring against him.
Jeff Kunard:Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more, he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, woman, where are they?
Jeff Kunard:Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more. Lord, as we get into this text, I just pray for each person listening to this podcast.
Jeff Kunard:Father, to broaden our faith, expand our understanding of this text, but but really help us to know you more, father. And I pray that as we get to the end of this, that we would just, again, be in awe of your gospel, be in awe of Jesus Christ, our Messiah, father. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Now diving into this short narrative, the way I was hoping to lay it out with y'all this morning is just to really try our best to resonate, put ourselves in the situation, describe the three characters that are listed on the narrative, Then we're going to learn or or discuss three take home lessons from the narrative, and then revisit the three players again and see how we can apply Jesus' actions to how we interact with these types of people.
Jeff Kunard:So first, let's let's get into those three players. You know, we have the scribes and Pharisees. That's our first player. These are the religious elite of the day. And and as we've been discussing in John, there is a growing sense of anger and hostility that they have towards Jesus.
Jeff Kunard:I mean, they are seething mad. Just a a few weeks back in John five, we saw Jesus Christ heal somebody who couldn't walk. And the fact that he couldn't walk for thirty eight years made it quite remarkable, but what made it remarkable to the scribes and the Pharisees is that he healed on the Sabbath day, thus defying Mosaic law and causing them great consternation. In the same moment, he described himself doing the works of his father, therefore putting him equal to God as the son of God, which really rubbed the scribes and the Pharisees the wrong way. So there is a a build up here that we further see in John seven where they tried to arrest him and were indignant as more and more of the Jews started to think that maybe he might be the Christ.
Jeff Kunard:The balance of power is is being upended for the scribes and the Pharisees. They were sitting in the high seat of power where they were never questioned, never held accountable, and quite frankly, seem to be so enthralled with their positions that they are failing to see Jesus Christ fulfilling their own prophecies and their own Old Testament law. One of these players, the scribes and the Pharisees, nothing they do makes any sense. I mean, we can just make a couple observations here, and and it it kinda helps inform us a little bit too about our own actions. But what part of Deuteronomy twenty two twenty two make sense when you track back to the story and see that they only grabbed the woman.
Jeff Kunard:Deuteronomy twenty two twenty two says, if a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. You know, it just strikes me that they only grabbed the woman. She couldn't have possibly been caught in the act of adultery by herself. And so does that make any sense? No.
Jeff Kunard:Not really. What also doesn't make sense is they decided to bring a supposedly spiritually unclean woman into the temple, thus defying another rule that they would hold fast to on most occasions when it fit their fancy. But it makes sense that it doesn't make sense because when the enemy consumes the thoughts and the motives of a man or a woman, good luck trying to make sense of that which the devil intends to be chaotic and divisive. I mean, how many times have we met moments of great emotion where somebody has presented themselves really hot or really mad, and they've said some things that are really mean, or you just don't understand the actions of somebody that acted out in anger? Of course, we don't understand that.
Jeff Kunard:When the enemy gets a hold of people and speaks through them or controls their actions, it's not meant to be sane. It's meant to be chaotic. It's meant to be divisive. So understanding that the moment doesn't make sense helps us understand the scribes and the Pharisees in this particular narrative. Our second player is the woman, of course.
Jeff Kunard:Can you imagine? Put yourself in her shoes for a second. Caught in the act of adultery, the the shame of being caught in that sin, it's quickly melts away into the utmost fear, probably knowing full well that she is about to be killed at the hands of the religious elite for what she did. Now I don't know about y'all, but there's not many people out there that truly understand the amount of tension and the amount of emotion and the amount of fear that goes into facing a life and death moment when somebody is aiming to kill you. That is what this woman was facing.
Jeff Kunard:She knew it. She could see the hot anger of the scribes and the Pharisees, and she was being drugged to the temple to be executed. Oh, boy. That is a tense situation. I mean, that it it it doesn't get any more tense than that.
Jeff Kunard:And then, of course, there's our third player, Jesus Christ, whom the scribes and Pharisees think is a false teacher. I'm not sure what the woman makes of Jesus Christ, but we know that he is the Messiah. Ultimately, second Timothy four one says, Jesus Christ is the judge of the living and the dead. And when he's referred to that, it's it's kinda ironic that the scribes and Pharisees that don't believe that he is the ultimate judge actually bring this woman to him to judge. It's kinda funny.
Jeff Kunard:Well, that pretty much covers the three parties in this text, in this narrative. And as you go through the story, you know, there's really three lessons that you can take home from this that that are abundantly clear. First, it is very clear upon reading this scripture that Jesus is placing himself above the Mosaic law. I I would offer again. We've already read that he's done this.
Jeff Kunard:He's doing it again. This is a repetitive move that the Lord makes. It's an affront to the scribes and Pharisees, But it was sinking in, I believe, to the scribes and Pharisees very much so that Jesus was claiming to be the son of God, divine in nature, and they were flat out rejecting that notion. And this this situation was getting tense. They were finding any and every which way to trap him, discredit him, arrest him, and kill him.
Jeff Kunard:This is this is crazy. They didn't see what we saw in John one sixteen when we read it. For from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace. I had a respected former pastor and teacher that I loved who recently went to be with the Lord that taught a sermon on grace upon grace in John one sixteen. And really, he broke down something that the scribes and Pharisees never really saw, is God presenting the Old Testament law to the Jews was an act of grace.
Jeff Kunard:It absolutely tied the Jewish people to their living and act of God. Now it was limited, and it was supposed to point their eyes to the coming Messiah, which is obviously all throughout the Old Testament, but it was an extension of God's grace. What the scribes and Pharisees didn't see was the fulfillment of that law in the body and person of Jesus Christ, and the unlimited grace that he would provide after being crucified on the cross and dying for all mankind's sins. It's a shame, but that's how this story plays out. So we can see that clearly Jesus is saying that he is divine and above Mosaic law.
Jeff Kunard:Second take home message that we can see, God's wisdom and clarity will always be infinitely better than human wisdom. I I go back to a scripture that's very meaningful to me, Proverbs three five and six. And from a recovering self sufficient person that I was before the Lord really got a hold of me, this this scripture really meant a lot to me. You you can't say lean not on your own understanding to somebody that suffers from pride and not make them think. Right?
Jeff Kunard:So you go through Proverbs three five and six, and it says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. God's wisdom is always better than human wisdom, and those that are saved by God's grace know it. When I think about the situation here where the Pharisees and scribes tried to trap God, essentially ambushing him with an a or b scenario, choose a or choose b, Jesus. It's gotta be one or the other. And and I kinda have to laugh because he never picks those two answers.
Jeff Kunard:And in this particular case, his answer was c, something they weren't thinking about. And we see, once again, the repetitive nature of the scribes and Pharisees testing Jesus this way, and really, it's the enemy through the scribes and Pharisees testing him. Think about the story that's found in Matthew twenty two fifteen through 22, when they came to trap Jesus in another way, asking if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Knowing that that tax was horribly disliked by the Jews, if he's if Jesus said yes, obviously, he would discredit himself to the Jewish people in some sort of way. If he said no, it could be considered an act of treason.
Jeff Kunard:Once again, Jesus could be in legal trouble there. And, of course, in that particular story, Jesus answered them with a very wise answer that was above their level of wisdom and what they thought he could come up with. What the scribes and Pharisees failed to recognize that they were talking to God, and God's wisdom and clarity is always better than human wisdom and clarity. They were thinking that they would set the table and put God in a box, but God can't be put in a box. God knew the test and the people were coming before they came.
Jeff Kunard:He had the answer before he delivered it. That's the beauty of reading this narrative after it has already taken place. We get to read and see the deficiencies in the scribes and Pharisees thinking. We get to be informed by the Lord as we read scripture about his divine nature and the fact that all things go so much better when you trust in god's wisdom and clarity. When I think about these a or b scenarios, the traps that the Pharisees and scribes laid out for Jesus, the first scripture that I think about is Isaiah fifty five six through nine.
Jeff Kunard:And it says, seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Jeff Kunard:The scribes and Pharisees really felt they had them figured out. They just didn't know they were talking to the son of God. And the third take home lesson that we can see in this narrative is the gospel itself. Plea please don't miss this. The gospel's on full display here, and when we did the drill of trying to place ourselves at the scene with the three parties that were involved, that emotionally tense moment where somebody was gonna die, we know that you and I, all people, are the adulterous woman.
Jeff Kunard:We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are the woman caught in sin in this story. And there, the scribes and the Pharisees playing the part of the devil are accusing us before the throne, saying that we aren't worthy, that we deserve death, and they're actually right. But in walks the third player in this gospel and this story, Jesus Christ, our savior, who extends grace onto each sinner for those that believe in him and ultimately having eternal life with him. The gospel on display in the story of a woman caught in adultery.
Jeff Kunard:Now, we can't leave this part of the narrative without understanding that when you encounter Christ Jesus and you come to faith in the gospel, that you should be changed. The whole concept here is that you humbly acknowledge your sin, you turn, and you repent from your sin by turning away from it. When Jesus says go and sin no more, he's not saying go live a perfect life. He knows what we're made of. He knows that we're deficient.
Jeff Kunard:He knows that we sin. What he's saying here is leave your lifestyle as sin. Change your ways. And who amongst us has come to faith in Christ and been adopted into his family hasn't had a a turn from certain lifestyle practices, from certain sinful behaviors that we know are displeasing from God. When you love the Lord and when you are saved, you are changed.
Jeff Kunard:And if you aren't changed, then it's possible that you might not have encountered the Lord. Right? This is the beauty of the gospel. This is the beauty of his unrelenting love that when his Holy Spirit enters inside of you, things change. And we celebrate that, and I celebrate this text because it's a great reminder for me and everyone listening to this how awesome our God is.
Jeff Kunard:Going back to these three players, I think about how, as imitators of Christ, we can take this story and learn from it and how it relates to these three people. One, you can think about as a follower of Christ and as ambassador of the gospel of reconciliation, when we encounter people that are motivated by the enemy to cause division and chaos, can't we imitate Christ here by deescalating the situation, by speaking truth and love, by running interference for those that they aim to attack, and in calmly, calmly creating peace? What's amazing to me is how Jesus deescalated that situation. I will never know what he was riding in the dirt until I get to heaven and I ask, if if I even care to ask at that time. But we don't have to know to understand what's happening here.
Jeff Kunard:Our god is awesome. He could have done a lot of things in that moment to the scribes and the Pharisees. But what did he do? He eased the tension. He simply spoke truth and love, and they walked away.
Jeff Kunard:Second is the woman. How can we relate to a sinner? How can we relate to somebody who's vulnerable, who's caught in sin? Well, just like I often try to reflect even in my own life and remind myself here because any believer can fail in this moment and look more like a Pharisee or a scribe than than like Jesus. But when we relate to someone that's caught in sin, imitating Christ in this moment and showing compassion is an excellent way to honor the lord and to be like him.
Jeff Kunard:And we can read it right there. He didn't condemn her. He simply said, go and sin no more. Just like I would hope that we could all do, we can encourage one another to not repeat the same lifestyle choices that are dishonorable to the Lord. I would hope that instead, we would meet them with compassion, extend to them, the same mercy that the Lord extended to us.
Jeff Kunard:Lord, share with them the same gospel of grace that we have come to believe in, and have faith in, and put our trust in for eternity. So meeting anybody in sin with compassion, grace, and mercy, and love, ultimately, Christ's love is definitely a recipe for imitating Christ in a moment like this. And finally, Jesus, how do we relate to Jesus knowing full well who he is? All I can say is that when I think upon my sin, I humbly just bow my head, and I stand in awe of a god who died on the cross for me and accepted me, that claimed me, in fact, as his own child. The gospel never gets old.
Jeff Kunard:Sometimes we just get distracted, and we don't reflect on how amazing our god is. I hope this time in our narrative causes us to reflect on Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who meets sinners where they're at, shows them compassion, and if we have faith in what he did on the cross, extends to us eternal grace so that we can live forever with him. Lord, we love you, father. I just thank you for this particular text, lord god. I thank you that you remind us of who you are and what you've done for us, lord.
Jeff Kunard:We are all sinners. We are all the adulterous woman in this text. And, Lord, we bow our heads and just humbly proclaim that you are God, and you are the one that took our punishment upon yourself. Lord, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins. Thank you for redeeming our souls, Lord.
Jeff Kunard:Thank you for claiming us as your own, Lord. We give you all the worship and praise, and we can never give you enough. But we worship and praise you in heaven right now, and we thank you, Lord, for for being our God. Go with us now as we go on our days, Lord. I pray that you would bless each person that's listening today, Father God.
Jeff Kunard:We love you, and we pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.
Herbie Newell:Thanks again for joining us for the Defender Bible Study. If you enjoy making this podcast a part of your weekly routine, we'd love for you to take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review the Defender Bible Study to make it easier for more people to find. For more resources and information on how you and your church can partner with Lifeline, please visit us at lifelinechild.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter by searching for Lifeline Child. You can email us directly at info@lifelinechild.org.
Herbie Newell:We look forward to seeing you again next week for the Defender Bible Study.
