SERMON OUTLINE:
• The setting (vs 1-2)
• The attack (vs 3-5a)
• The question (vs 5b)
• The answer (vs 6-9)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Duck Dynasty is A&E's most-watched telecast of all time.
• It also became 2013's No. 1 non-fiction series on cable TV.
• Duck Dynasty is an American reality television series on A&E;
• That portrays the lives of the Robertson family,
• Who became wealthy from their family-operated business, Duck Commander.
• The business makes products for duck hunters, primarily a duck call called Duck Commander.
• The Robertson men—brothers Phil and Si, and Phil's sons Jase, Willie, and Jep;
• Are known for their long beards and their Christian views.
• Silas Robertson, affectionately known as "Uncle Si" to "Duck Dynasty" viewers,
• Sometimes writes down John 3:16 and 17 when giving his autograph.
• Si said in an interview,
"Most people can tell you what 16 says, OK. 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; but they don't know nothin' about 17. It says Jesus didn't come to condemn us. If anybody had a right to condemn someone, it would be the Son of God. If He didn't do it, then hey, we definitely are not qualified to do it."
• TRANSITION: This passage should be a story of shame and condemnation;
• And yet it turns out to be a story of acceptance, love and forgiveness.
(1). The Setting (vs 1-2)
"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them".
Along with the new morning came new crowds of people:
• The temple was crowded because a Jewish feast (Feast of Tabernacles) was taking place
• Whether this was the last day of the feast,
• Or the day after the feast was over, we are not sure.
• What we do know is that the temple was still full of pilgrims.
• And Jesus took the opportunity to teach them.
• If you scan down to verse 20 John pinpoints exactly where in the Temple:
• Jesus chose to teach.
• He taught in the court of women,
• The place where the treasury was situated.
• Noting: w not only can we pinpoint where Jesus would be:
• So could the scribes and the Pharisees know exactly where Jesus would be,
• And that meant that they were able to spring their trap to try to catch him.
Being Jewish Jesus sat down and began to teach them:
• This was the way Jewish rabbis taught.
• Jesus was a Jew and his hearers were Jews,
• So he obviously taught them in a Jewish way.
(2). THE ATTACK (vs 3-5a):
"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery.
They made her stand before the group ".
• Suddenly the calm and serenity of the temple, that sacred place is shattered,
• By the disturbance caused by a handful of men,
• They interrupt Jesus and demand to be the centre of attention.
• These men are the scribes and Pharisees,
• Israel's supposed spokesmen for God,
• Who have a very sensitive situation on their hands;
• But notice they handle this whole situation in a brutal, uncaring and harsh fashion.
Jesus is forced to stop teaching:
• And the religious leaders parade before him and the crowd,
• A woman who was caught in the act of adultery.
• The woman is full of shame and fear and totally humiliated:
• She is exposed to the stares and the gazes of the crowd of onlookers,
• And she hears the Pharisees publicly describing her shameful act.
• "Teacher this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
• In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
ill:
• This really is an ice-burg of a question.
• On the surface it seems genuine and sincere,
• But below the surface it is full of danger.
• A quick glance at verse 6 reveals the danger:
• "They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him".
These Pharisees are bent on trapping and destroying Jesus:
• That they're acting out a plot, a cunning plan,
• That has been rehearsed down to the very last detail,
• A plot so insidious,
• That they are willing to entrap and execute a woman in order to discredit Jesus.
• The bait in the Pharisees trap is a woman:
• She is forced to stand before the crowd, red faced and totally humiliated.
• The Pharisees declare publicly this woman's sin,
• "Caught in the very act of adultery" (vs 4).
Note:
• In Greek the word used for "caught", Means "To seize or to overcome".
• The suggestion here is;
• That the Scribes and Pharisees actually pulled the woman off her partner.
• The woman was taken from the very bed were the incident happened .
• To use a modern expression "She was caught red handed".
• There is no need for lots of witnesses because the evidence is so clear strong.
• Hastily clothed, barefooted, and humiliated:
• She is insensitively dragged to the temple,
• Where she now becomes a political object used as bait the trap set for Jesus.
• To the scribes and Pharisees this woman is not a person but a thing!
• A piece of meat,
• An object whereby they could formulate a charge against Jesus .
Ill:
• They were using her as a man might use a worthless pawn in a chess game.
• To them, she had no name, no personality, no heart, no feelings, no soul.
• She was simply an expendable pawn in their strategy to corner Jesus into a checkmate.
(3). THE QUESTION (vs 5b).
• The trap is about to be set with hair-trigger precision:
• Verse 5b:
"Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women;
what then do You say?"
• There were three major crimes in Judaism that were punishable by death:
• They were idolatry, murder, and adultery (Deuteronomy 22 verse 21)
• If anyone of the three could be proven against you, you would be killed.
• Capital punishment was meted out without hesitation.
• The Pharisees' appeal to the Law of Moses
• And apply it to the woman who is standing before them.
Pause for a moment:
• Have you noticed something is missing from the passage?
• Or rather someone, where is the guilty man?
• We all know that ‘it takes two to tango!’ two people to commit adultery!
• Don't forget:
• The accusers testify that the woman was caught" in the very act, "
• So they certainly had equal opportunity to apprehend the man as well.
• So where is he?
As the pieces of this sordid puzzle begin to fall in place:
• It seems more and more likely that the scribes and Pharisees,
• Did not merely happen by the bedroom window of these adulterers
• No, the incident smacks suspiciously of a premeditated trap.
• Having set up and caught the woman they now hope to set up and catch Christ:
Note: the trap (vs 6)
• From a human perspective it is genius;
• They have Jesus in a ‘catch 22’ situation.
• It is was a brilliant trap, thought up by intelligent and crafty men,
• It seems Jesus could only answer in one of two ways.
• Both possible answers would mean that the Pharisees had trapped Jesus.
• However Jesus answered this was going to be check-mate to the Pharisees.
• They say we know what Moses said, but what about you, "What do you say Jesus"
• The "YOU" is emphatic in the Greek text.
Let’s look at the two possible answers of Jesus:
• First choice of answer if for Jesus to agree with the religious leaders.
• To condemn her and let the crowd stone the woman.
But that would present two problems for Jesus.
• (a). If Jesus agrees with them and he says, "Stone her":
• His reputation for compassion and forgiveness towards people will be questioned.
• He would lose the reputation as being the friend of sinners.
• And could be viewed as no different to the other Religious leaders.
• (b). Stoning the woman would bring Jesus into collision with the Roman law,
• The Jews had no power to pass or carry out the death sentence on anyone.
• Only the Roman government retained the right to exercise capital punishment.
• So if Jesus gave the go ahead and she is killed.
• They can report him to the Jewish authorities, as a rebel and a lawbreaker,
• And get rid of Jesus that way.
• Second choice of answer:
• If Jesus disagrees with the religious leaders and says "No, release her,"
• He will be accused of not supporting the Law of Moses,
• And he could be accused of condoning adultery,
• And encouraging people to break the law of Moses
• Whatever answer Jesus chooses to give, the Pharisees seem to win:
• Essentially, the Pharisees are asking:
• "What will it be, Jesus? Do you kill the woman or kill the Law?"
(4). THE ANSWER (vs 6-9)
• Between this rock and hard place, Jesus stands firm:
• Refusing to compromise either His principles,
• Or the person for whom those principles were given.
• Quote:
• "Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on the judges ".
• Note: There are two responses from Jesus.
• First to the men and then to the woman.
FIRST: TO THE MEN (VS 6-9):
"And 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 ..
When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "If anyone of you is
without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.
Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground”
Jesus saw right through their sordid trap:
• He was also probably indignant at the way these so called men of God,
• Are treating this woman,
• He was also concerned by the way they so willingly condemned her publicly,
• But so stubbornly refused to look privately within their own hearts - hypocrites!
Twice we read that Jesus wrote in the sand (vs 6&8):
• What Jesus writes in the sand remains a mystery to this day, no one knows.
• Although there are a variety of suggestions.
• (a). He was buying time.
• Some people say he doodled in the sand,
• While collecting his thoughts.
• (b). It was symbolic.
• It was a sign of authority.
• The ten commandments were written on tablets of stone by the finger of God
• (Exodus chapter 32 verse 16)
• And here Jesus commentating on this commandment,
• Is symbolically claiming to be God.
• The one who gave the law in the first place,
• Is giving a true interpretation and application of that law.
• (c). He exposed their hearts.
• By the things he was writing.
Ill:
• There is an ancient Armenian manuscript of the New Testament:
• That has an addition to the story.
• Now I do not believe it is inspired, more like a commentary on the verse;
• The additional text says:
"He himself, bowing his head, was writing with his finger on the earth
to declare their sins on the stones"
• The suggestion is that Jesus was writing in the dust,
• The sins of the very men who were accusing the woman,
• i.e. ‘Hate, pride, hypocrisy, deceit’, etc.
• That idea is born out in the Greek text by the language used.
• The normal Greek word for write is "graphein".
• But here the word used is "katagraphein".
• Which means to write down a record against someone.
Ill:
• At every Premier football matches are two types of writers:
• You have a news reporter who will be writing down words to record the match.
• But at every game is an assessor for the Football Association.
• He is writing information against someone,
• i.e. this official is not just reporting,
• But judging to see if the referee has had a good game or not.
• TRANSITION: I believe that's what Jesus does here:
• Jesus is not doodling or writing down meaningless words,
• He is actually writing something against the Pharisees & scribes.
• This action of writing in the sand, annoyed these accusers even more,
• And they pressed him and insisted on an answer.
• Verse 7:
• "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them"
Quote:
“What Jesus actually wrote in the sand remains a mystery to this day, but what He says to this self-righteous, self-appointed judge and jury has echoed loud and clear throughout the centuries”.
The answer of Jesus is brilliant – in effect he says:
• “Okay stone her!
• Just one condition…let the man without sin be the one who throws the first stone!”
• Jesus forces these legalists to go strictly by the Law.
• And causes them to examine their own hearts first.
• Notice the words of Jesus: "Among You"
• Jesus was the only one in the crowd who could have thrown the stone,
• The only one without sin, but he did not throw the stone!
Jesus himself acted in perfect obedience to the Law of Moses:
• According to Old Testament Law (Deuteronomy 17 verse 7):
• The witnesses to the incident, had to be the ones who threw the first stone,
• And somehow any witnesses were missing or they soon walked away.
• Verse 9 is so telling;
• There is a defining silence in the text of this verse:
"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".
• One by one then the vigilantes retreat home,
• With THEIR heads hung in shame and defeat.
SECOND: TO THE WOMAN (VS 10-11).
“Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir, " she said.”
• Although the woman's accusers leave,
• Her shame Guilt and sin remains.
• So Jesus looks her in the eye and says (vs 10):
• "Then neither do I condemn you…go now and leave your life of sin. "
• Demonstrating that He is truly "full of grace and truth".
• Jesus forgives the sinner without condoning the sin.
• Notice: Two things in that verse:
• He cares "neither do I condemn you";
• And He confronts "sin no more. "
• Undoubtedly, this has been the darkest moment of this woman's life,
• Until the Light of the World bathes her sin in the radiance of His forgiving presence.
In conclusion:
• Most of us probably think Jesus never felt any shame
• Why should he?
• What would the Son of God ever need to be ashamed of?
But look at what the dictionary says regarding shame:
• Now the first part of the description cannot apply to Jesus:
• "Feeling of humiliation exited by consciousness of guilt or folly".
• We know that Jesus did not say anything, do anything or think anything wrong;
• He was and is the perfect, sinless Son of God!
Yet the second part of the dictionaries description does and did apply to Jesus:
• "State of disgrace or ignominy or discredit!"
• Jesus did experience shame! When he hung on the cross for you and me!
• Quote the hymn: "Bearing shame and scoffing rude".
QUOTE William James Riley Wilson writes (The Execution of Jesus),
"Not only was the cross the most painful of deaths, it was also considered the most debasing. The condemned man was stripped naked and left exposed in his agony, and often the Romans even denied burial to the victim, allowing his body to hang on the cross until it disintegrated. It is understandable that, according to Jewish law, anyone who was crucified was considered
cursed."
• Suffering before a leering mob was humiliating enough.
• But Christ's shame went deeper much deeper.
• Beneath the mangled face and bloody wounds,
• The sinless One actually became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5 :21).
• Every shameful act committed,
• The darkest of human thoughts and actions were heaped on Him.
QUOTE Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2:
"Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame".
Sermon audio:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=eJ03veBYqoOZWi0bpWrsKoNBJIKoe2p5&forceSave=Did_No_One_Condemn_You_John_chapter_8_verses_1-11_–_sermon_by_Gordon_Curley.mp3
