Maybe you’ve heard the story about the scene that took place in a San Diego court room. Two men were on trial for armed robbery. An eyewitness took the stand, and the prosecutor moved carefully: "So, you say you were at the scene when the robbery took place?" "Yes." "And you saw a vehicle leave at a high rate of speed?" "Yes." "And did you observe the occupants?" "Yes, two men." "And," the prosecutor boomed, "are those two men present in court room today?" Before the witness could answer the crowd was shocked to see the two defendants raise their hands.
Turn with me, if you would, to John 8:2-11, pg. 786 in your pew Bibles: one of the most beautiful stories in Scripture. Let’s read it together…
And early in the morning Jesus came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they said unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are your accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
No doubt each of us is somewhat familiar with this story of the woman caught in adultery. We’ve read it many times and had our anger stirred as we’ve watched these self-righteous religious leaders degrading this woman, not for the sake of punishing her sin, but for the sake of finding something they could use against Jesus. Would He side with the law of Moses and condemn the woman? Or would He side with the woman and contradict the law of Moses? If He were to say, “Let the woman go,” He would be showing a disregard for the law by sanctioning her evil, almost encouraging it. But if He were to say, “Stone her,” He would be giving the Pharisees something to accuse Him of before the Romans, for they were the only ones at this time who could legally condemn a person to death. But He would also be throwing His reputation of being a friend of sinners to the wind, thus losing His position of high regard with the people. How would Jesus answer these conniving hypocrites?
It seems like a tough situation, but we’ve read with pride about the way Jesus handles it. Those men thought they had Jesus; they didn’t think He could get out of this one; they thought they had finally trapped Him. But Jesus is not confused or unsure of how to handle the situation. They have not left Him speechless and unable to bring an answer back to them. For as we’ve read we have had to smile as He quietly bends down and begins writing in the sand, almost as if He isn’t even listening to these accusers. And it’s fun to see Jesus forcing them to keep pressing for an answer from Him. And Jesus is able to very calmly show the wisdom that only comes from God.
We’ve been moved with compassion for this woman who was being humiliated in front of the scores of jeering and leering people who were listening to Jesus that morning. Who knows how she was clothed? Who knows how disheveled she looked? Who knows what all the Pharisees had put her through before she was pushed into the temple? Maybe they had paraded her through the city yelling out their accusations for all to hear along the way. Maybe they had even spat upon her or hit her. Who knows what they had done to her already? But whatever her condition and whatever she had already gone through that morning, she was completely disgraced and exposed in front of all these people and this great Teacher and miracle worker named Jesus. And, even though she was caught in the act, we have to feel sorry for her for being dragged into a situation like this and for being used as a pawn in the Pharisee’s scheme to nail Jesus, don’t we?
My question is: why do we look at this woman with such compassion? Why do we feel sorry for her? I mean she had committed an awful and loathsome sin. She was an adulteress. She was the type of woman that ruins marriages. She was the type of woman that leaves innocent children injured. She was a home-wrecker. Why do we tend to side with her? Is it simply because we hold the Pharisees in such disdain? Is it simply because she was being used so cruelly by her accusers for the sake of getting at Jesus? Why is it?
Well, I would tend to believe that while we probably do despise the Pharisees actions and attitudes; while we are disgusted at them for using this woman as bait; while we are angered by their hate and cruelty, maybe the reason that we feel the way we do is more than that. Maybe it’s because we can relate to this woman. Maybe it’s because we share some commonalities. No, we may not have been caught in adultery. But we understand what she was going through. What do I mean? Well, let me explain.
I. Our Guilt Is Undeniable
I think that, first of all, we can relate to this woman because her guilt was undeniable. When Cora and I first moved here, before we officially began working as assistant pastor, we took a trip to Nashville to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. It was two years ago this month. We had just gotten a new vehicle, at least new to us. It was a sleek, black ’98 Monte Carlo. Very nice car. But on our way back I was itching to feel the power in this thing and I really wanted to hit 90 just for a second, just to feel what it was like.
Well, against Cora’s wishes and warnings, I did it. I hit 90 mph. And wouldn’t you know it, the exact moment that I hit 90 mph I noticed a nice, shiny car with lights on top in the median with a little gadget pointed in my direction. I was caught in the very act of speeding. The sign clearly stated that the speed limit was 70 mph and I knew for a fact that I was going 90 mph. I had broken the law, and I was caught. I knew I was caught. I had so much confidence in the fact that I was caught that I just decided to go ahead a pull over. And sure enough, that gentleman pulled right up behind me.
He walked up to that nice Monte Carlo and asked me for my license and proof of insurance and asked me if I knew why I was pulled over. What kind of question was that? Of course I did. And I didn’t argue with him. I didn’t try to talk myself out of this jam. I was very honest with him and reverent towards him, not necessarily because I was happy to see him; but I was hoping that by him seeing how quickly I had pulled over and then how very respectful I was, maybe I could get out of a ticket, or at least be shown some mercy in the penalty. I just said, “Yes sir, I know I was speeding. You see, we just got this car and I just had to hit 90 in it once.” He looked at me and just kind of nonchalantly said, “Well, you hit it.”
In our story this morning we find Jesus teaching in the temple when, all of the sudden, in rushes a posse of scribes and Pharisees dragging along a woman that was probably only half dressed. They threw her at the feet of Jesus and said in a tone that was dripping with hatred and malice, “Master, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act of adultery.”
Now, at this point we could go down a lot of side roads. We could ask questions like… where is the man? I mean, after all, as I heard one preacher say about this story, “It takes two to tango.” Obviously, in the act of adultery there is more than one person involved. So where’s the man? We could also ask how they caught this woman in the very act. Adultery is generally something that is not necessarily done openly for everyone to witness. It’s something that is usually committed in private. Did they have spies outside a brothel and send them rushing in when a man entered? Did they set this woman up by having a man seduce her? How did they catch her red-handed?
All sorts of questions could be asked, and those facts may be interesting to study. But they are not the point this morning. In fact, they are not even the point of the story. The point is that this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Whoever she was with doesn’t matter. However the Pharisees caught her doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that she was guilty. And we don’t read of her trying to argue the fact that she was guilty. We don’t hear her making any excuses. There was no need for her to try to explain away what the Pharisees thought they saw. There was no pointing at someone else and saying it was their fault. She was caught red-handed. The law said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and she had broken the law. She knew she was guilty. Her guilt was undeniable.
And this morning, the truth is, whether we like it or not, and whether we want to admit it or not, whether we want to own up to the fact or not, we are undeniably guilty as well. Scripture tells us in Romans 3:10 that there is none righteous, no, not one. Later in that same chapter Paul says that all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. 1 Kings 8:46 says that there is no one who does not sin. There is not one innocent soul in this room today. There is not one person who can claim to have led a sin-free life. We have no grounds on which to argue against the fact that we are sinners. We have no grounds for arguing against the fact that we have broken the law of God. We can try and argue if we want, and many have done that, but 1 John says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.
The truth of the matter is, no matter how much we try to deny it, we are guilty. The law has commanded us not to sin and we have committed sin. It has commanded us not to lie and we have lied. It has commanded us to honor our parents and we have done just the opposite. It has commanded us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but we have not. It has commanded us to love our neighbor like we love ourselves, but we have not. We have broken the law. We have been proven guilty. And we, like the woman in our text, have been caught red-handed and our guilt is undeniable.
II. The Law Is Unmerciful
The second way I think we can relate to this woman is because not only was her guilt and ours undeniable; but we, like she did, have found that the law is unmerciful. The Pharisees throw this woman at the feet of Jesus and say, “Teacher, we caught this woman in the act of adultery and the law of Moses says to stone her.” And they were right. The OT law had a very harsh penalty for adultery. It was one of those crimes that was awarded by death. It was a capital offense that ranked right up there with murder and witchcraft. Deut. 22 tells us that a married woman or a woman betrothed to be married who was found to have committed adultery was to be taken and stoned. If a man was found guilty of committing adultery with a married woman both were to be taken outside the city and stoned. The penalty for adultery was harsh. And that’s exactly what the Pharisees were demanding. They were demanding justice. This woman had broken the law, she had been caught in the act of adultery and proven guilty; therefore, she deserved to be stoned to death.
You know, something that we hear a lot about these days is how much we deserve to live just the way that we want to live. We deserve to live a financially secure life. We deserve to have a nice home. We deserve to drive a nice car. We deserve to have a perfect family. We deserve to be treated fairly at work. If we are mistreated we deserve to be aptly compensated for our heartache. Everyone is into this idea that we should be demanding our rights. We better be treated fairly or someone’s going to be in trouble. We deserve to get what we’ve got coming to us.
But the truth of the matter is, if we got what we deserved we would all be in trouble. If we got what was coming to us I don’t think we’d really like it all that much. I didn’t want what I deserved when I was sitting on the side of the road somewhere between here and Nashville. Because when that cop pulled me over I knew I was guilty. So you know what I didn’t do? “Officer, now I want you to know, I demand justice; I demand my rights; I demand that you give me what I’ve got coming to me.” No, I didn’t do that. Why? Because if I got what I had coming to me it would be a big fat ticket. Because the law states that the penalty for speeding is a fine and a mark on my record. I didn’t want what I had coming to me because I knew I was guilty, I knew I deserved a ticket. And there was no need to demand justice from him anyway, because he went ahead and gave it to me. There was no way I was going to sit there and demand to be dealt with fairly when I knew that I was undeniably guilty. I didn’t want justice. I wanted mercy.
And I’ll tell you what, there is no way in the world that I want to stand in front of the judgment bar of God, covered with the shame and disgrace of sin, and demand that I be treated fairly. There’s no way I want to stand there covered with my guilt and demand my rights. There’s no way I want to stand in front of Him and demand to get what I’ve got coming to me. I don’t really want what I deserve. I don’t want what I’ve got coming to me. I kind of feel like the song-writer who said, “If we don’t get what we deserve it’s a real good thing.” Because the fact that my guilt is undeniable, and the fact that I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, means that the only thing I am deserving of is the penalty for my sin.
And the penalty for sin is harsh; the penalty for sin is stiff; the law is unmerciful. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin, or the just reward for sin is death. If we were to get what we deserved we would receive death. If we were to get the wages that our sin has earned we would be rewarded by an eternity in hell. If we got what we had coming to us we would surely be damned forever immediately. Because our sin deserves swift justice. And justice calls for the immeasurable and eternal punishment of our sins. The law demands our heads. It is unmerciful.
III. God’s Grace Is Unsearchable
But let me hurry on to tell you, this morning, that while our guilt is undeniable and while the law is unmerciful, God’s grace is unsearchable. While there is no doubt that you and I have broken the law, we are guilty; and while we definitely deserve to have to pay the penalty for our sin; this story teaches us that our God is a God who is willing to extend His grace and His mercy; His unmerited favor and forgiveness to our guilty and condemned souls.
A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded his death. “But I don’t ask for justice,” the mother explained. “I plead for mercy.” “But your son does not deserve mercy,” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” the woman cried, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all that I ask for.” “Well, then,” the emperor said, “I will have mercy.” And he spared the life of that woman’s son.
In our story today we find a beautiful picture of God’s grace and mercy. Here these Pharisees were: proving this woman guilty of adultery, demanding the stiffest penalty of the law and the only person who is truly qualified to point the finger refuses to do so. The only One who truly has the power to condemn doesn’t. The only One who really has the authority to judge chooses instead to pardon.
Notice, Jesus never condoned this woman’s sin. He never made it out as though she hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t say to this woman, “I know you were falsely accused.” He doesn’t say, “Hey, don’t worry about it.” He doesn’t brush off her guilt. He doesn’t hold her unaccountable. He just simply says, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” And when He looked up no one remained except Him and this woman. As St. Augustine once said, “Two things were left alone, misery and mercy.” Her guilt and condemnation was overwhelming and yet we see the beautiful grace of God in action.
In a situation where there was no doubt that this woman was guilty; in a situation where the law certainly demanded that she be stoned for her crimes; Jesus gave her mercy and forgiveness. He looked up and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?” And she said, “No one has Lord.” And Jesus says those wonderful words, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.” He offered her a second chance. He didn’t condone her sin, but He forgave it. He didn’t give her license to sin. In fact, He told her to quit her sin. But He offered her a fresh slate, a new start. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Jesus put His amazing grace on display.
This morning, God’s grace is a grace that we can’t fathom. It is a grace that we can’t comprehend. It is a grace that goes beyond anything we could ever imagine. You and I have been proven guilty. All have sinned. You and I deserve to spend eternity in the fire and darkness and torture of hell. But there is One, the only One who has the power to condemn us, who is willing right now to instead extend His hand of grace to us. The only One who has the authority to judge us would rather offer His unmerited forgiveness for our sin. His is an unsearchable grace. It’s amazing grace.
I just recently read a book that tells about the life of John Newton. John was born into a ship captain’s home. His father was rarely there, but he and his mother had a very close relationship. She was a very godly woman who taught her son the Scriptures and prayed that one day he would become a preacher. But when John was still very young his mother died. Immediately his life began to spiral downward.
At the age of 11 he began sailing with his father. He quickly became accustomed to the sea and made it his method of livelihood. He quickly took up the ways of the sailor. While he had some reservations at first, he soon became a fighter, a drinker, and a whoremonger. He was the poster child for the phrase, “Cursing like a sailor.” For a while his mind couldn’t let go of his mother’s teachings, but he came in contact with another sailor who persuaded him to believe that there was no God, no hell, nothing except this life. He latched on to this idea and actually made a bet with his new friend that he could talk another Christian sailor out of his faith… and won.
At the age of 18 he was forced into service on a British naval ship. He hated his time there and was basically a scoundrel. He was lazy. He was rambunctious. And eventually he was tried for desertion. His ship captain showed mercy on him, however, and instead of punishing him with death by hanging, he was sentenced to receive 100 lashes with the cat-o-nine-tails. He nearly died, but was somehow spared.
Soon after he recovered he was able to get transferred to service aboard a slave ship and was enticed by the slave trade. He liked the money. He liked the freedom to take those African women and girls and make them his slaves in every way. He would make trips with his captain into the continent of Africa to trade and got caught up in Voodoo and witchcraft. He was a vile man. An evil man. A wicked man.
But finally he came to a point where it looked like all was lost. A storm took over the ship he was on and as he was trying to guide the ship through the powerful wind and high waves the others were below trying as best they could to bail the endless amount of water from the ship. He was losing hope. It looked like they were all going to die. And at that point of desperation he cried out to God for mercy. He pled with God to get them out of this storm. But more than that He begged God for forgiveness. And God again put his amazing grace on display.
John eventually became the captain of his own slave ship. And he tried hard to treat the slaves as humanely as possible. He made rules that his crew could not take advantage of those slave girls anymore. He did his best to treat them as kindly as possible. But he finally came to the place where he had to give up the slave trade altogether. And for the last 43 years of his life, John Newton preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ and did much to aid in the efforts to finally banish the slave trade from Great Britain. At the age of 82 he went to meet His Savior. His tombstone reads: “John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”
No wonder he understood grace so well; the completely undeserved mercy and favor of God. A man who had once sold men and women into slavery became a freer of slaves. A man who had once been immoral became clean. A man who had once dissuaded men from their faith became a man who preached the Gospel. A man who had once been a vile sinner became a forgiven child of God. No wonder he wrote: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” He had experienced what it was like to be undeniably guilty; he had struggled so often with the judgment that he knew the law had passed on him; but he came to understand that God’s unsearchable grace reached past all of that and offered to him, the vilest of sinners, forgiveness and pardon.
This morning, if you have not yet experienced the forgiveness of the One who took your place on Calvary, I need to tell you that your guilt is undeniable. There is no reason for you to argue. There is no reason for you to come up with an excuse. You have no grounds on which to dispute the accusations. You are guilty. You are a sinner. And because you have sinned you deserve the stiffest penalty of the law. Your sin deserves to be punished to the fullest extent. You deserve hell.
But I’m so glad to be able to tell you that there is One who has grace enough for you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, there is One who offers you forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what’s in your past or even in your present, there is One who offers you a fresh beginning. It doesn’t matter what you deserve, there is One who offers mercy.
The wages of sin is death, but that’s not the end of the verse. Paul said in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You see, Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty for your sin. You don’t have to face condemnation because He has already faced it for you. You don’t have to face judgment because He has already faced it for you. You don’t have to get what you have coming to you, because He has already gotten it on your behalf. You don’t have to worry about justice anymore because He suffered the full extent of the unmerciful law for you. And this morning, you can experience the pardon and the forgiveness and grace of a loving God. He is not willing that you should perish, but He wants you to come to repentance. He wants to say those words to you that He said to that guilty woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more.”
This morning, if you’re here, while we stand and Lottie comes and we sing that beautiful song, Amazing Grace, again; won’t you come and accept this free gift that God is offering you? He wants to forgive you. He wants to pardon you. He wants to offer you a clean slate. All you have to do is admit that you’re guilty. He knows it already. You know it. Why can’t you just admit it to Him? Just admit that you’re guilty and that you are in need of His grace and forgiveness, and I promise you, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you come from, His hand of grace will reach you. Is there anyone that will say, “Lord, I’m guilty. I need you’re grace.” If you’re like that this morning, won’t you come and pray?
