In the last few weeks, a couple of significant things have been all over the news in our country. From a Columbia, South Carolina AP article: “South Carolina pulled the Confederate flag from its place of honor at the Statehouse on Friday, marking a milestone in how America commemorates the war that tore the United States apart 150 years ago.” And from the New York Times, “The Supreme Court could not have been clearer when it ruled late last month that states may not refuse to marry same-sex couples. “The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court in Obergefell v. Hodges.”
These events have created division in our United States. People have picked sides. “It’s us against them!” Every side is getting offended. Some people are being minimized. Others have won great victories. All because one group of people wants “this” and the other group wants “that.” At what point will we satisfy everyone? At what point will we not be able to satisfy anyone?
I’m not here to argue “for” or “against” any issue right now except this … know the truth and it will set you free. I spoke about that last week for a bit. What has changed this week? NOTHING!!! Know the truth and it will set you free. Our Scripture reading for today comes from John 8:1-11 NLT.
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
Over the last three days, I’ve been in a running conversation with a friend who is Catholic. I believe the conversation began between another Soldier and him but I was drawn in because I’m their Chaplain. In a nut shell, Soldier A is explaining the Catholic faith as he understands it to Soldier B. Soldier B, on the other hand, is offering an apologetic – a defense – of the Protestant faith. It’s a beautiful thing to me because two people I respect professionally and personally are having a genuine dialogue about their beliefs and the traditions of their particular faith group. I have been given the opportunity to engage as Soldier C at times.
I walk away from these discussions with one overarching hope … that we are pursuing truth. We are pursuing truth, not as we understand it, but as we base truth on an objective standard. Our standard is the Word of God. Our worldview is this:
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it (John 1:1-5 NLT).
So I ask you to reflect on your worldview. On what standard do you base your decisions and life choices? On what standard do you align your thoughts and actions? What standard is the backdrop and the forethought of your life?
If we go back to our Scripture reading, we are presented with one of, what I think, is the most incredible stories in the Bible. We have the woman caught in adultery. The Scripture previous to this was about a division in ranks of the Pharisees. They were divided as to who this Jesus really was. Was he the expected Prophet? Was he the Messiah? Was he born in Bethlehem? Was he born in Galilee? “Was” created division? Who “was” right? Who “was” wrong?
Amidst the debate, the Temple Guards returned.
When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
“We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.
“Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”
Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked (John 7:45-51).
I can picture these Pharisees and religious leaders speaking to the Guards in today’s language: “Hey jackwagons! This Jesus ain’t nothing but a recruiter. He’s a used car salesman. He’ll tell you anything you want to hear and promise you all kinds of things and duty stations to get you to buy what he’s selling. Don’t listen to him. Don’t buy into him like all these other idiots.” But what did the Guards say? “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” They too recognized that Jesus spoke with authority. He spoke truth.
Let me say this: knowing what the military is like … how we have a smorgasbord of backgrounds and worldviews pulled together … it’s amazing to me that these Guards recognized that Jesus spoke with authority. They recognized that there was something different about him.
Then Nicodemus chimes in. Remember, Nicodemus had already spent some time with Jesus. Look at John 3.
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants” (John 3:1-21).
All that to say this … Nicodemus had an understanding of who Jesus was. He appeared to be a Pharisee who was righteous and wanted know the truth and live it … unlike the majority of his peers that we so often read about … those who Jesus spoke against. But let’s return to our original Scripture and story about the woman caught in adultery.
This story has been on my heart the whole week. As I looked at my Facebook page and scrolled through post after post of people’s joys and frustrations with the decisions made by our Supreme Court and the State of South Carolina, I couldn’t help but feel like I was supposed to respond in some way but not how? How was Malcolm Rios supposed to respond to same sex marriages and the Confederate Flag? I have friends locked in on both sides of these issues. I have friends from many different races. I have friends who have differing beliefs and live styles than my own. Heck, I’m from Tennessee. How do I respond?
As I read more and more of those posts, I had to turn to the only standard by which I can present any sort of worldview … the Bible. I had to turn to what I believe is the source of truth for all men. And I had to approach reading it and searching for answers based on my philosophy of ministry because ultimately, I have to be ready to minister to anyone who walks in my door regardless of their worldview. So I approached it based on three things. 1) Love God with everything I’ve got. 2) Love my neighbor as myself. These are the “Greatest Commandments.” All of the Law and Prophets hang on these. 3) Make disciples. This is the “Great Commission.” This was the marching order that Jesus gave his disciples prior to his ascension.
If I approach reading the Bible and living my life based on these three things, I believe with everything in me that I’m in God’s will. So I began reading and praying and God reminded me of the woman. I was humbled. I was also a bit ashamed by how some of my Christian friends had been approaching the issues and by some of my own knee-jerk reactions. People are frustrated, there is no doubt and on both sides. They are venting … on both sides. But when people present things in a public forum they are fair game for opposing thoughts and responses.
You and I know that readers make up their own minds. A person’s conviction can be read as condemnation. Fear of the unknown can quickly turn to aggression and even hate. Opposing thoughts can quickly turn to accusatory language by both sides. But who is responsible for your thoughts, words, and actions? You are!
For the record … none of us in this room … or anybody outside of this room … is God. WE HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO CONDEMN ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. God’s Law is what condemned us. God’s Grace is what freed us.
Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The Law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4).
So, since there is no condemnation for those of us who belong to Christ Jesus, where do we get off condemning others? That’s not what you or I are called to do. We are called to love God, love our neighbor, and make disciples. Will you make disciples by condemning people? Will you show love to your neighbor by condemning him or her? Will you show love to God by trying to play his part? “No!” to all of these. That’s the brilliance of the woman’s story.
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more" (John 8:1-11).
So let’s dive into the Scripture. This is what we know from reading it. Jesus was devout with his “me time.” He went to the mountain often to pray, to think, to be with Father, and/or just to get away from all the people who were pursuing him. Jesus was a devout teacher. Jesus always drew a crowd because he taught with authority.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, were a disruptive lot. These “religious” men brought a woman into the midst of a crowd being taught by a man they normally tagged as a deceiver. Then they accused the woman of adultery and called Jesus, “Teacher.” Were they trying to flatter the Master? Matthew Henry wrote:
The crime for which the prisoner stands indicted is no less than adultery, which even in the patriarchal age, before the Law of Moses, was looked upon as an iniquity to be punished by the judges, Job 31:9-11; Gen. 38:24. The Pharisees, by their vigorous prosecution of this offender, seemed to have a great zeal against the sin, when it appeared afterwards that they themselves were not free from it; nay, they were within full of all uncleanness, Matt. 23:27, 28. Note, it is common for those that are indulgent to their own sin to be severe against the sins of others.
The Law of Moses was pretty clear. The penalty for this sin was death by stoning and the Pharisees wanted blood and they wanted it on Jesus’ hands! What did Jesus do? He got up from his seat, squatted down, and began drawing in the sand. And the Pharisees still wanted blood! And Jesus kept drawing in the sand. Eventually Jesus simply says this, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
Not a stone was thrown. Why? The Pharisees realized a truth that Paul would later write to the Romans, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). Jesus had exposed their hearts and they recognized it! The revelation … the understanding … of your own depravity can really put things into perspective. It’s not a guilt thing. It’s not a condemnation thing. It’s a humility thing. It’s a repentance thing. It’s a mercy thing. It’s a grace thing. It’s a love thing.
Eric Clapton said this, “Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.” And some other person said, “Better check yourself before you wreck yourself!” We need to do that. Where are our hearts? Is your heart aligned with God’s? Is my heart aligned with my own agenda? What are we presenting to those who are outside these walls? What are we presenting to those inside these walls who may be searching for truth? All I ask is that you be careful. Joey Belladonna sang, “Think before you speak or suffer for your words. Learn to give respect that others give to you.”
God does not call us to show love only to those who agree with us. In fact, He tells us to go out of our way to pray for those who are against us. (I’ve taken the liberty to change the word “enemy” for “those with differing worldviews.”)
You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate [those with differing worldviews]. But I say, love [those with differing worldviews]! Pray for those [with differing worldviews] who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48).
I want to share a final story with you called, “The Coat of Christ.”
Many years ago, an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived at a village in Serbia. He met an elderly man there named Cimmerman, and Jakov began to talk to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, where church leaders had plundered, exploited, and killed innocent people.
"My own nephew was killed by them," he said, and angrily rejected any effort on Jakov's part to talk about Christ. He told Jakov, "They wear those elaborate coats and crosses, but their evil designs and lives I cannot ignore."
Jakov replied, "Cimmerman, can I ask you a question? Suppose I were to steal your coat, put it on, and break into a bank. Suppose further that the police sighted me running in the distance but could not catch up with me. One clue, however, put them onto your track: they recognize your coat. What would you say to them if they came to your house and accused you of breaking into the bank?"
"I would deny it," said Cimmerman.
And Jakov countered, "'Ah, but we saw your coat,' they would say." But the analogy annoyed Cimmerman, and he ordered Jakov to leave his home.
Even so, Jakov continued to return to the village periodically just to befriend Cimmerman, encourage him, and share the love of Christ with him. Finally one day Cimmerman asked, "How does one become a Christian?"
Jakov taught him the simple steps of putting his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and Cimmerman got down on his knees and surrendered his life to Christ. As he rose to his feet, wiping his tears, he embraced Jakov and said, "Thank you for being in my life." And then he pointed to the heavens and whispered, "You wear His coat very well."
So what do you do with all this? YOU love God with everything you’ve got. YOU love your neighbor. YOU be a light exactly where you are and to the people within your sphere of influence. YOU share the love of God and make disciples. YOU don’t assume the role of accuser or judge. YOU pursue the truth. YOU know the truth and the truth will set YOU free.
