Special Note: I read this at our welcome time.
During our morning message, we will be talking about some mature themed topics today. There will be a time or two that we drift somewhere in the realm of PG-13. If you have children with you who are not yet teenagers, we would encourage you to let our very capable staff watch them during the sermon time. We will dismiss them right after we collect tithes and offering.
Introduction:
I sat in silence as the clip played on Youtube. A "pastor" of a "church" in the United States was shouting that the mass shootings that took place in an Orlando night club that took 49 lives is "good news." He said in his rant (that has since been removed by Youtube) that there are "49 less Sodomites and Pedophiles in the world now." He concluded that "The world is a better place because of it."
I don't know about you, but I was shocked by his words. And I wondered if this is the way Christ would react to this news? Do we tell the world, "They deserved it"? Do we go the other way and put up rainbow colored lights on our church signs in a show of solidarity and support? How do we as Christians respond to this tragedy.
It's important! What we say with our mouths and in our hearts can have a massive impact for or against the Kingdom of God. I’m not saying this sermon will be easy. I know that there are not many groups that are more antagonistic toward one another than the LGBT community and the church. Where this exploration ends may not be easy for us to digest. But we are called to react as Christians in the same way Christ would react. Today, we are going to explore what that might look like. And it starts with the heart.
Text:
John 8:1-11
Context:
In John 7, Jesus has been teaching at the temple in Jerusalem during one the of Jewish festivals – the Festival of Tabernacles. As he teaches at the temple there is division among the crowd about who Jesus really is. Some think he is demon possessed. Others think he is a good man, but even they wonder how this man from Galilee could be the Messiah. John even tells us that Jesus own brothers doubt him.
And the religious leaders? They think Jesus is a loose cannon that needs to be dealt with. So they are privately trying to figure out a way to kill Jesus. When they finally send out the temple guards to arrest Him, the temple guards come back empty handed. When questioned by the religious leaders, the guards say “No one has ever spoken with such authority as this man.”
So as chapter 8 opens up, I imagine the religious leaders are stewing about how they can get their hands on this man, Jesus.
John 8 opens up and the author tells us that Jesus leaves the city of Jerusalem and goes up to the mount of olives.
John 8:1
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
Notes
The mount of olives is Jesus private place – his place of refuge. And a reading of the other gospels lets us know that what Jesus often does on the Mount of Olives is pray. I would guess that Jesus had been probably praying the entire evening after his confrontation with the religious leaders and the crowds. In verse 2, Jesus is back again in the temple courts in Jerusalem.
John 8:2-5
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?”
Hit the pause button - There are some things I want to stop and investigate at this point in the story. First, we need to explore something that those familiar with this passage often gloss over or miss. We need to realize that the Jewish leaders were legally right (at least partially) in what they said. The Old Testament law indeed treated adultery as a capital crime. We see this in the book of Leviticus.
Leviticus 20:10
“‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
So this wasn’t some addendum or add on to the law that the religious leaders were prone to doing. This is a very real law. And after studying a little bit about ancient Jewish civil law, I discovered that even in Jesus day, the Jews had very strict conditions under which adultery was punishable by execution.
The couple had to be caught in the act . It was not enough having seen the couple in a circumstantial situation like exiting a room where they were alone together or even lying together on the same bed.
No. The requirements in Jewish civil law was that the physical movements and posture of the said couple when seen by witnesses must have been capable of no other explanation than sexual intercourse for capital punishment to be enacted.
We need to realize that the religious leaders are not making an uninformed accusation of this woman. She had likely been CAUGHT in the midst of the act. But we need to make a note. It’s possible to be legally right even from a Biblical perspective and yet still have a wrong heart.
What do I mean? Did you notice who is missing? It takes two people to commit adultery and the law requires both to be punished. If two people were actually caught in the act, where’s the man? As this scene unfolds in this passage there is only a woman brought to stand before the crowd and Jesus. Why isn’t there a man there also? Saying it was a cultural hatred of women doesn’t make sense.
I wonder as I read this story if there isn’t something fishy going on in this. It starts with the verse 6.
John 8:6a
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. …
Add it up. This woman being dragged in front of Jesus while he teaches a crowd of people is part of their conspiracy to discredit or destroy Jesus. The religious leader treated this woman as a means to an objective, not as a living breathing person.
Illustration:
I went fishing yesterday and Kelly said something interesting. She said she doesn’t like to bait the hook – it’s not because she doesn’t like to touch the worm – she hates to bait the hook because she wonders what the worm feels as it is placed on the hook. Now that’s pretty cool empathy from a fisherman– and it’s that empathy the religious leaders did not have. The religious leaders made the adulterous woman their bait. They care nothing for her as a person – she is simply a means to an end to snare Jesus. It is possible to be legally right and yet have a wrong heart.
And here is where I think the conspiracy is taking place. The text doesn’t actually say, but here is what I think. I think it is plausible that these men have set this woman up and placed her on the hook. I imagine these religious leaders knew about this woman’s adultery. Perhaps even one of the men in the group was the one involved. And so they made arrangements to send in this man to solicit her services. Remember? They needed to catch her in the act.
So on a pre-arranged signal they burst in, grab the woman, but let the man go. If this is the case, this would have made them accessories to the crime and guilty of adultery themselves.
And I think Jesus sees exactly what is taking place. John tells us in the second half of verse 6
John 8:6b
… But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
What is he writing? Maybe he was writing some of the other commandments -- Thou shall not bear false witness, thou shall not kill. We don’t know; the text doesn’t say. But it is amazing how many people know the words he used in verse 7.
John 8:7-9
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 _______ (long pause) 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.
Just about everyone knows Jesus’ words in verse 7. But far too many people misapply it without knowing it’s meaning. It is usually cited as a prohibition against Christians making moral judgements.
In today’s context where we will be talking about the issue of homosexuality, it might sound like “You can’t judge the morals pf people who are gay. You are a sinner too – Didn’t Jesus say don’t cast the first stone.”
It might even sound like a legitimate interpretation of this passage. But here’s the problem with reading it that way. That interpretation does not explain the Jewish leader’s reaction. Remember Jesus is talking to an audience of Jewish leaders ready to stone a woman caught in adultery. They are using her to trap Jesus in a misstep in the law. And it does not seem like they took it to mean "Because you are a sinner, you can't make a moral judgement on others."
Here's why. If they had taken it the way some try to make it sound today, the religious leaders would have been dancing a jig. That interpretation means Jesus would have fallen headlong into the teeth of their trap. They would have quickly responded by telling him how he was contradicting Mosaic law and Jesus would have been disgraced. Remember the Mosaic law they are quoting about adultery is very black and white. But the religious leaders don’t dance a jig; they don’t call Jesus on ignoring the law. Instead we learn that starting with the oldest in the mob (who were wisest and knew what Jesus was implying), and going to the youngest, they drop their rocks and hightail it out of there.
Why would they run if Jesus had fallen for their trap? Maybe he didn't. Maybe instead what has taken place is that Jesus has correctly discerned the conspiracy taking place. And Instead of being caught in their trap, what Jesus has done is used the very law they were quoting to try and condemn this woman to indict THEM in the crime. It makes more sense to read the words in this passage to mean to them, "Whoever among you who is without equal guilt IN THIS SPECIFIC CASE should be the one to initiate the execution." It’s almost like Jesus is saying “Okay. You choose whether you ALSO want to die because of this crime of adultery which YOU intentionally set up.”
That makes much more sense explaining the religious leaders’ reaction.
Now I know there will be those who say “I don’t care how Jesus’ audience took it.” I’m going to insert my own personal meaning on this passage. There are two very deep issues with choosing your own interpretation of this passage and ignoring the historical and grammatical context.
Problem one:
Scripture warns that anyone who presents a message from God (that’s more than just teachers, that’s anyone who claims to be sharing God’s will) should study as one approved. In other words, if you are going to turn to someone and say “This is what God says” you better be entirely sure you know what God meant! The problem with proof texting and choosing certain verses while ignoring context is that it’s not study. It’s lazy! And it often times leads to very wrong conclusions.
And God WILL hold you and me accountable when we proclaim “I’m teaching what God says.”
Problem two:
Even worse than that though is that those who leave their own meaning on a text despite the evidence are in a very real way, making an idol out of the own desire. They put themselves on the throne and say “It doesn’t really matter what God says, what I want is really what is important.” And that puts a person in a great eternal danger of living in direct opposition to God and his plans.
Anyone who wants to accurately share God’s meaning from Scripture better know the the Author’s Intended Meaning. Did you catch the acronym? (A.I.M – Aim). Knowing the A.I.M. helps us understand the AIM of the text and this is VITAL before applying the text.
Verse 10 begins one of the most beautiful presentations of the gospel. The religious leaders have just scattered leaving behind Jesus and the woman.
John 8:10-11
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.”
Do you notice the order of words? Neither do I condemn you. You have found mercy and forgiveness. Even if according to the law you were guilty and worthy of death. Go now. Respond to this mercy by LEAVING YOUR LIFE OF SIN. Jesus didn’t gloss over the sin – In extending mercy, he called her out of it
That’s where you and I dwell as human beings even in the church. If we are followers of Jesus, we were convicted by God’s justice. We all sin. Every one of us is guilty. As we come before God not one of us measures up. Like the woman caught in adultery, we are all worthy of death as sinners.
Yet in Jesus, we find mercy and forgiveness because he paid the price we owe. Even though he was without guilt and sin, Jesus died that our penalty might be paid and paid in full.
The call of mercy, the call of the cross then, is the call for people created by God to leave a lifestyle of sin behind (whatever that sin looks like.) We were all called OUT of sin. That’s why the cross is so beautiful and so terrible and is so celebrated. And as Jesus calls us OUT of a life of sin – he begins to recreate us into what we were made to be. It’s a beautiful illustration of the gospel. Its also a picture of how we can respond like Jesus to sin and tragedy in the mist of the horrific and terrible shootings in that Orlando nightclub.
I certainly hope that none of us do what the pastor of that church did. He openly and publicly celebrated the news and posted that message for the world to see on Youtube. And some in the LGBT community have already seen that and have assumed that is the real message of God's Kingdom. That kind of public pharisee-ism is evil where we drag a person before Jesus and say "Give us permission to do what she/he deserves."
I also pray that there are none in our midst who are secretly celebrating this tragedy in their hearts. I hope there are none who call themselves Christians who are thinking “Those gays got what they DESERVED.”
Let me speak to you clearly and directly if you are. I said there were times in this message that would be very real. This is one of those times. Let me warn you as people who are under the guidance and protection of this leadership, if you publicly celebrate this, we will call you on it. You can expect a phone call or a visit from me and/or one of the elders. Love does not celebrate evil – even evil against those who are antagonistic to our faith – This is a point that can apply to any group we might have a moral/faith issue with, not just homosexuals – that can mean atheists, muslims, etc.
And if you are privately celebrating when evil things happen, you need to check your heart against the gospel and the warnings of Jesus. We must never think people are the problem. People are the reason Jesus came. People are the reason Christ established his Kingdom. People are the reason the church exists. We must remember that the tragedy in Orlando impacted PEOPLE (PERIOD). It’s the only way we can fully understand and enact the gospel. Let’s remove the label from the tragedy. I hope you have noticed I have been very careful not to add labels like "gay" and "homosexual" in front of the words "nightclub"and "people." That's because their sexuality is irrelevant to the discussion of the "evilness" of the event.
If we refuse to see LGBT people as people in need of the redemptive work of the cross and a new identity, we become the religious leaders who dragged the woman caught in adultery before Jesus. Kill them Lord, they are breaking your law. And we will not be able to remotely understand “Neither do I condemn you, Go and sin no more.” Technically, we can be right about the law, but that doesn’t mean our hearts are right. Don’t be a “they deserved it” Christian.
The second group I want to address is those who are either living a gay lifestyle or who support the LGBT agenda. Let me first state clearly what I believe is a rock solid Biblical position. I believe the practice of homosexuality is a sin. The homosexual lifestyle is a sin. It's not bigger or worse than any other sin, but still a sin nonetheless. Thus, the celebration of homosexuality is CLEARLY the celebration of sin. Just as I won't celebrate the evil of the shootings, I won't celebrate the sin of a homosexual lifestyle because of this tragedy. And to those ready to leap to this passage, let me point out that this passage does not support living a lifestyle of sin (and that's any sin).
I hope we each noticed that Jesus doesn't leave here there in her sin as he ends the dialogue. Instead, he calls the woman caught in adultery OUT of it. Leave this place. Go AND sin no more. You cannot treat this passage as a prohibition against naming sin, sin. It is not a prohibition from calling people from sin. Jesus did it.
Since this tragedy has taken place, I have seen the symbol of gay pride, the rainbow, almost everywhere. Behind corporate logos on T.V; on backgrounds on people’s Facebook pages; I’ve seen it lighting up the mists of Niagra Falls and the skyline around the Eiffel tower in Paris.
Let me tell you, Elm Street will NOT be putting up rainbow colored lights to illuminate our sign. I will NOT be changing the background of my Facebook profile pic to rainbow colors because of this massacre. It’s not because we are indifferent or uncaring. It’s because we believe the tragedy is in the loss of life. The same goes for this side of the equation. The fact that the people were gay or not gay is irrelevant to how we should respond. Frankly I think it is foolish for any Christian to put up the symbol of gay pride as a means of expressing love and support.
We can support the person as valuable to God without supporting the sin that corrupts them. In my mind, it means we are treating them as even MORE valuable.
So I will NOT be putting up rainbows. And I don't think other Christians should either. Instead we should share a message.
Our message:
Jesus is calling to you as a person HE CREATED. He sees the broken law. But rather than saying “I’m right. You deserve death. Jesus surrendered his rights and died to change us.” He died to remove us from sin. It was the only way for him to say “Neither do I condemn you. And it’s the only way he could say, “Leave your lifestyle of sin.”
Jesus is urging you today to accept him, and let him change you into what you were made to be.
Invitation:
