We’re glad you’re here as we continue our Summer teaching series entitled: LIVE-LIKE-THAT. Through this series, we’re examining different events in the life and ministry of Jesus as well as his teachings from the Gospels to get a glimpse into what is looks like to begin living out our faith in Jesus in a tangible way … as we live in relation to one another (fellow believers in Christ) and in relation to those in our community who are outside of Christ.
One of my favorite scriptures that I’ve latched on to as, what I would call, a “life verse” is found in I John 2:6 … “the one who says he abides in Him, ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” That is, if we profess to be His disciples (fully devoted followers of Jesus), then we must begin to live out that confession of faith in our daily walk … our day to day living. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” It’s not something that we compartmentalize so as to LIVE-LIKE-THAT only on Sunday mornings, but as we grow in our walk with the Lord, we become more and more like Him; to LIVE as HE lived … to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Our hope is that as we look to Jesus, we will begin to LIVE-LIKE-THAT … that we would get to a point where can proclaim as The Apostle Paul did: “For to me, to live is Christ . . .” [Philippians 1:21].
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Today we’re going to be examining a passage of scripture that is probably pretty familiar to some of you … especially if you’ve grown up in and around the church and spent some time reading and studying the life of Jesus. It’s found in John chapter 8. We’ll be focusing on the first 11 verses.
However, before we read through this event together, I need to address as issue with this particular passage. It involves what is called textual criticism and questions whether or not this section in our Bibles really ought to even be there. In most English translations of the Bible, in fact, if you’re reading anything other than the King James Version, more than likely, you’ll notice that John 7:53 through 8:11 will have some type of notation … it may have parenthesis or brackets around it or a footnote or something indicating that something is up with this section in our Bibles. There will usually be a footnote or a statement letting you know that early manuscripts do not contain John 7:53-8:11, but that these verses were added into latter manuscripts. This is arguably the most textually difficult section in all of the New Testament writings. I don’t want to belabor this too much, but let me share with you 4 questions that are important to ask when considering a textual criticism … namely, whether or not we should accept the content of these verses as a valid part of the scriptures.
Key questions for textual criticism:
(1) Do these verses teach truths that violate other scriptures? No
(2) Do these verses corroborate other scriptures and substantiate it? Yes
(3) Do these verses fit all that we know of the person and teaching of Christ? Yes
(4) Is there definitive and conclusive evidence that these verses should be left out? No
And with all of this and other considerations, scholars and translators have seen fit to include this passage as it is in our scriptures today. Even if it wasn’t in the original writing of John, there is nothing in this passage that would make us question its validity as an actual event that took place in the life and ministry of Jesus. In fact, John even writes at the end of his gospel these words: “And there are also many of other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written” [John 21:25].
[Read John 8:1-4]
Have you ever been caught? You know, doing something you absolutely knew you weren’t supposed to be doing and you get caught … caught in the very act. So caught, that you can’t even lie your way out of it. There’s no denying it … no excuses … no getting around it or covering it up. You are caught … red handed … with your hand in the cookie jar and crumbs in the corner of your mouth. Have you ever been caught?
I think of Adam and Eve in the third chapter of the book of Genesis after they’d eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The account says that when they’d eaten, “then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew …” and in verse 8 it continues: “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden … and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God ….” [Genesis 3:7-8]. They knew … they were caught. What about you? Have you ever been caught?
I think of King David in II Samuel chapters 11 and 12 and his sordid affair with Bathsheba; how she becomes pregnant and how David attempted to cover up his sin by having her husband Uriah killed. Listen to II Samuel 11:27 … “When the time of morning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son.” David thought he had it all covered. He thought that he’d gotten away with it. But listen to the last sentence of II Samuel 11:27 … “But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.” There was no way he was getting away with this. In Chapter 12 of II Samuel, the Lord sends the Prophet Nathan to David … and Nathan tells David an interesting story about a rich man with a great number sheep and a very poor man who had only one little ewe lamb. Nathan says that it was like a daughter to the poor man. Listen to what happens in verse 4 of II Samuel 12 … “Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
David, in his self-righteousness, is furious about this! The text says, “Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.’”
Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! …” David was caught … red handed … There was no denying it … no excuses … no getting around it or covering it up. What about you? Have you ever been caught?
I have. I was 16, maybe 17 years old – early in my driving career – and on my way to work driving my 1980 Red Ford Fiesta. That’s right. I drove in style. I thought I had it going on … 4 speed, stick shift, 4 cylinder engine … the speedometer went all the way up to 85mph.
We’ll I was late for work and in way too much of a hurry. I found out what the little peg at 85 on the speedometer was for that day … cause I had it sitting on that peg. The speed limit on this two lane country road is 55mph … and here I was pegged at 85 as I came over a small hill and was met by a Kentucky State Trooper. I immediately looked in my rear view mirror … all I saw was brake lights and blue lights … and I knew that I was caught.
What about you? Have you ever been caught? Do you remember that feeling in your gut when you were caught?
Can you imagine how this woman felt as these religious leaders not only catch her in the very act of adultery, but then drag her through town and cast her into the center of the court of the temple … in front of Jesus and all the people who were there listening to him teach? Don’t allow the awfulness of that to pass you by. Can you imagine what is going through her mind as she is placed there and forced to stand possibly naked or maybe just barely covered in front of Christ and all of those who had gathered? There was no pity or compassion or empathy or love … only accusation, judgment, and condemnation in the eyes of her accusers.
The scribes and the Pharisees declare in verse 5 that in the Law, Moses commanded that such women be stoned to death and then they ask Jesus, “what then do you say?
What they said was true. Adultery is condemned in the Old Testament Law (and in the New Testament for that matter) – the 7th commandment states “you shall not commit adultery” – and, yes, in the Mosaic Law, the transgression of that Law was punishable by death … However, if you were to look up the Law in the books of Leviticus [20:10] and Deuteronomy [22:22], you’d find that both the man and the woman were to be punished … which is instructive for us today as we consider this passage. It speaks to the motive of these scribes and Pharisees. If they were truly so worried about fulfilling the letter of the Law, where then is the man? After all, she was caught “in the very act.” It takes two to tango. The reality is … their motives were impure. They were filled with self-righteous hypocrisy and judgmentalism as they brought this woman to Jesus.
Verse 6 gives us a bit more insight into their motives as well: “They were saying this, testing Him [Jesus], so that they might have grounds for accusing him.” You see, if he’d said “No, don’t stone her” then He was a Law breaker and it would discredit Him as a Rabbi – as a teacher – in front of all these people in the temple. On the other hand, if he’d said, “Yes! Stone her” then He would be in violation of the occupying Roman authorities. The Romans would not permit the Jews to carry out judgments of execution [John 18:31]. And so, they thought they had Jesus trapped.
Let’s look at His response. John 8:6b-8 …
First of all, what is up with this writing on the ground? What did he write? Why did He do this? Now, obviously, the scripture doesn’t tell us … so ultimately we can’t be certain. Here are some ideas that are suggested:
(1) He was angry because of the obvious hypocrisy of the religious leaders and needed to take a second to calm down – like counting to 10 in order to compose himself before he gives an answer. Probably not what is going on here, since he does it again in verse 8.
(2) He needed a few moments to collect his thoughts … so he doodles on the ground and he’s thinking of how he’s going to respond.
(3) He is writing something that brings accusation against the accusers … the scribes and Pharisees in this case. You have to examine the original Greek wording that is used here in order to come to this conclusion. The word used in verse 6 translated as “wrote” is a form of the Greek word “katagrapho” which is the word “grapho” (verb meaning “to write”) with the prefix “kata” (which can be translated as “against”) which makes the emphasis of this word “katagrapho” something that is written with the implication that what is written as an accusation … something that is written against. This is where I land on this question … and, I know it’s just conjecture, but more than likely, Jesus knows these men and I can see him writing the sins that He knows are in their lives: hypocrisy, pride, greed, selfishness, hatred, false testimony, gossiping, cheating ….
And so, Jesus gives them His answer: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” That’s it … and then he just starts writing in the dirt again … letting it all sink in. Can you imagine the stunned silence of the crowd and the shocked expressions on the men standing in accusation over this woman?
I’m not sure how long it took, but our text tells us that one by one … beginning with the older men … they began to leave until finally, he was left there in the temple court with the woman. All of the accusers had left.
And then Jesus’ short, but beautiful conversation with this woman: “where are they? Did no one condemn you?” “No one, sir.” … “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
Jesus is masterful at this … whether He’s speaking with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well, dealing with the hypocritical traps of the religious establishment, or answering the honest questions of Nicodemus, or relating to those who are deemed sinful and condemned in the eyes of others … Jesus exemplifies the character of the Father … full of grace and truth [John 1:14]. “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” [John 1:17].
Now that we’ve unpacked this section of scripture, let’s consider three key aspects of Jesus’ character that we can apply to our lives as we begin the LIVE-LIKE-THAT.
JESUS ISN’T CONDEMNING
For some reason or another, we, and certainly many in the world, have this idea that God is a condemning God; that He is just looking for an opportunity to judge and condemn. This is far from the truth. God isn’t condemning as we think of the idea of condemning … He is just and He will exact justice over the earth, but by nature He is not simply looking for an opportunity bring down condemnation over the earth. In fact, listen to what the scriptures say: “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth, who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin …” [Exodus 34:6-7] Psalm 103:8 says this: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.”
Jesus exemplifies the character of the Father and we, as disciples of Jesus, are called to to do the same emulate the character of Christ; to live as He lived; to LIVE-LIKE-THAT.
As I prepared for this message, I came across this simple statement and illustration to help us understand why Jesus isn’t condemning … and why we shouldn’t be condemning. Think about this statement: Hunters hunt, golfers golf, fishers fish, and sinners … sin – hunters hunt, golfers golf, fishers fish, and sinners sin … that’s what sinners do … why then are we so shocked by that?
We are getting ready to go out of the country soon … no dates yet, but soon … and during our travel meeting, they talked about the traffic in Uganda and how crazy it can get. You’ve probably seen videos of streets in third world countries. You might have 3 lanes with five cars, two trucks, a trolleybus, and 7 mopeds … all weaving their way through … and nobody really seems to care … that’s the expectation … in these other countries they actually expect people to get out of the lines.
Now in the US it’s totally different. In America, we expect you to stay in your lane. If someone comes over in our lane, we’re shocked and offended. if someone comes in our lane … we honk!!! … “stay in your lane! Stay in your lane!” Even if someone just begins to swerve over into our lane … we honk … and then when we get up beside them give them the “you almost came in my lane” look.
This is why Jesus wasn’t shocked by sin … it’s because Jesus didn’t expect sinners to stay in the lines. This is why he wasn’t condemning. He didn’t have this “holier-than-thou” attitude, just looking for an opportunity to bring condemnation to others. In fact, the scriptures tell us this: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” [John 3:17; KJV].
If we are going to LIVE-LIKE-THAT, we have to remove this “holier-than-thou” attitude and stop looking for the opportunity to proclaim condemnation. We have to be willing to recognize our own sinful-self and instead of bringing a message of condemnation, we are to bring a message of salvation to the world.
So, the first aspect of Jesus’ character that we see here in this passage is that he isn’t condemning. The second aspect is this …
JESUS ISN’T COMPROMISING
If we stopped at this point in the message, you may get the idea that because Jesus expected sinners to sin … that He just winked at it and said, “Oh, it’s ok. You can’t help it. You’re a sinner … that’s what you do. So go ahead on and do what you do.” But, that’s not at all what’s going on here. Just because he isn’t shocked by sin, doesn’t in any way imply that he is willing to condone sin either.
Look at the text again in John 8:11 … as Jesus declares to this woman, “Neither do I condemn you” the very next statement out of Jesus’ mouth is “Now, go and sin no more.” Jesus says, “I do not condemn you. Now go, and leave your life of sin.”
Jesus isn’t condemning, but he also isn’t compromising. Listen to these two scriptures speaking of Jesus:
(1) Matthew 11:19 – “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ …”
(2) Hebrews 7:26 – “… it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners …”
Notices two key phrases in these scriptures about Jesus: “friends of sinners” and “separated from sinners” … Jesus isn’t condemning AND He isn’t compromising.
Often we like to point out that Jesus was a friend of sinners and say that Jesus liked to hang out with sinners … but, that’s probably not the best way to state that. It wasn’t so much that Jesus was hanging out with sinners, it was the sinners who enjoyed hanging out with Jesus. Why was that? What made Jesus so relevant to the culture around him? I believe that it was because of these key aspects of His character: He wasn’t condemning, but He also wasn’t compromising. And, if we are going to LIVE-LIKE-THAT, we too must exemplify these characteristics in our lives.
Jesus isn’t condemning, Jesus isn’t compromising … and the third aspect of his character is this …
JESUS IS COMPASSIONATE
Matthew 9:36 says that “seeing all the people, He felt compassion for them …” as he looked out over the multitude of people, Jesus is moved with compassion because they were distressed like sheep without a shepherd.
I believed that as Jesus sees these scribes and Pharisees dragging in this woman caught in adultery … he knows their motives, he knows their heart, their hypocrisy, hatred, and condemnation … and as he looks upon this woman … in spite of her sin … He sees her as a child of the Father … He looks upon her with love and grace and mercy … He looks upon her with compassion.
And if we are going to live like Jesus … if we are going to LIVE-LIKE-THAT we too must look upon others with heart felt compassion … seeing them through the eyes of God … and loving them as Jesus loves them.
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If we are going to LIVE-LIKE-THAT we must begin to walk in the same manner as Jesus walked: without condemnation, without compromise and filled with compassion.
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Early in this message I asked you the question several times: what about you … Have you ever been caught?
We all must come to the realization that the answer to that question is “Yes … we’ve all been caught.” Even if you think that you’re sin is hidden … no one knows, because it’s secret … Listen to this scripture: “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” [Hebrews 4:13].
Just like this woman in our text today, we stand condemned, not by God or by Jesus or by anyone else, but by our own sinfulness. The Word of God says that we have all sinned and we have all fallen short of the glory of God … and that what we deserve as a result of our sin is condemnation.
Listen closely to these two words and the hope that they bring: “But God …” They’re found in many places in scripture, but one of my favorites is Romans 5:8 which says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
God has not come to condemn, but he has come to save …
