Read Text: The Gospel of John 8:1-11
(1) Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. (2) And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
(3) And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, (4) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
(5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
(6) 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.
(7) 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. (8) And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
(9) 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.
(10) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
(11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
PRAYER:
What is the best news you have ever heard?
What were the sweetest words you have ever heard?
In our passage, the most undeserving person found herself in the most uncomfortable situation and may have thought that only the worst thing could happen.
She may have closed her eyes, begun to pray, thinking surely this would be the end.
Then, the most beautiful words she had ever heard spoken came to her ears.
Five beautiful, life-giving words written by the finger of God; you might say they were “Neither do I condemn thee!”
It’s the story of a woman who could have died, should have died, yet because of LOVE, she lived! She became “The Recipient of Love!”
I. THE SETTING: 8:1-2
(1) Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. (2) And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
This was a special time and place, which should also be special to us…
Jesus’s morning with his Father. Quiet time, devotional time.
Next, notice…
II. THE SNARE: 8:3-6a A trapped woman used to trap the Master!
(3) And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, (4) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
(5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
(6) This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.
1. The Picture: The Master’s teaching is interrupted! A group of religious leaders, dragging a partially clothed woman with them!
2. The Participants: The Scribes and Pharisees, and the unnamed Adulterous woman.
3. The Plot: They seek to present a moral dilemma for Jesus!
They brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery, and
Note their motive in verse 6, “that they might have to accuse him."
4. The Predicament: They sought to lay a “Snare” for Jesus, entrap Him, embarrass Him and discredit Him before all the people.
Next, notice how He responded to their arguments, (verses 6b-8).
III. THE SAVIOR: 8:6b-8
But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
(7) 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. (8) And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
NOTE HOW OUR LORD DEALT WITH THESE SCHEMING MEN.
1. Jesus appears to Ignore Them -
His silence provokes them to insist on an answer, “they continued asking him”
2. Jesus answers their Question: The answer is at once definite and effective. "Let him that is without sin first cast a stone at her."
(1) He does not say—Let her be stoned. That might present him as harsh and unmerciful.
(2) He does not say—Let her not be stoned. That would be to oppose the Law of Moses.
(3) He carries the question out of the judicial sphere altogether.
3. Jesus addressed their Conscience: He knew their heart.
He continues to teach. He uses object lessons, his finger and sand.
What did Jesus write? Well, for 2,000 years, men have tried to solve that little mystery.
Maybe He wrote:
Five beautiful, life-giving words written by the finger of God; you might say they were “Neither do I condemn thee!”
Regardless of what He wrote, she became “The Recipient of Love!”
Whatever the Lord wrote on the ground, it surely got their attention.
By the way, He knows how to speak to your heart as well!
How much better it is to come to Him by faith and miss all that exposure and punishment!
IV. THE SHAMING: 8:9
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.
The Surgery: God’s word is sharper than any surgeon’s scalpel… No more words were necessary.
The Holy Spirit uses the Word and applies it to the conscience.
They Were Exposed - When Jesus did speak, He said, "He that is without sin among, let him first cast a stone at her."
The Silence:
Challenge: Personal
One of the hardest things you can face is yourself as you really are! However, when you see yourself as being sinful, then you can do something about it.
Paul would have gone to Hell had he not been brought face to face with himself on the road to Damascus – (Acts 9)
When we are convicted of our sins, then is the time to come to Jesus.
After all, He is the only One who can deal with Man's sin problem!
V. THE SINNER: 8:9b-11
“… and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (10) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Her Sin - According to the narrative, she was caught in the very act of adultery.
Her Shame -
Sin is a shameful thing! No matter how skillfully it is hidden from the eyes of men, Jesus knows all about it and one day it will be revealed before all - Luke 12:3.
Saddest of all, the truth about your profession will also be made public one day - Matt. 7:21-23. Wouldn't it be far better to get everything right with the Lord and have nothing to fear out there. There will come a day of judgment and of full disclosure - Rev. 20:11-15.)
Her Sentence - Her accusers were correct!
According to the Law, she deserved to die - Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22. There was one small problem here: Where was her partner?
Nevertheless, this woman was guilty, and she deserved to die.
Challenge: Personal - No one gets away with sin!
The penalty of sin always come due - Rom. 6:23; Eze. 18:4. There will come a payday someday!
The only hope any sinner has is to flee to the arms of Jesus.
He offers the only hope anyone - John 14:6; Heb. 2:3.)
Her Salvation-
In their effort to humiliate this woman and to discredit the Lord, they brought her to the best possible place. They brought her to the very man who could deal with her past and her problems and who could make it all right.
NOTE OUR LORD’S TREATMENT OF THE WOMAN.
“Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
He Faced Her – (vss. 9-10)
He Forgave Her – (v11)
1. A New Lord –
By her simple confession of Christ as Lord, salvation became hers. That is all there is to being saved! Rom. 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved!"
It doesn't get any easier than that! Even small children can comprehend that truth and make it real in their lives. What about you? Have you taken this step of faith?
(Ill. Anyone who wants to be saved can be saved through faith in the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! Rev. 22:17; John 3:16; John 6:37.)
2. A New Life –
All her life, she had been subject to the God of this world, Satan. She had been a prisoner of her own lusts and desires, Eph. 2:1-3.
This Woman became “A Recipient of Love!”
Mister, He’s Like Me
"He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.
"'Mister,' he said. 'I want to buy one of your puppies.'
"'Well,' said the farmer, as he wiped the sweat off the back of his neck, 'these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.'
"The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. 'I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to look?'
"'Sure,' said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. 'Here, Dolly!' he called. Out from the doghouse ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain-link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
"As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring in the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. In a somewhat awkward manner, the little puppy began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up. This was clearly the runt of the litter.
"'I want that one,' said the boy pointing to the runt.
"The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, 'Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.’ “With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up the leg of his trousers. In doing so, he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg and attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, 'You see, sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.'"
THE SUMMARY: Maybe. Like this woman, your life has been wrecked and ruined by sin.
Maybe you have been hurt by religious people.
Maybe you are looking for a compassionate Savior, one who will make everything right.
I want to invite you to come to Jesus. He cares about you just like you are. He loves you and wants to save you. He wants to deliver you from your bondage. He wants to set you free.
Therefore, He invites you to come to Him today. If there are issues in your life that need to be settled, this altar is the place where they be taken care of forever. Will you bring your life to Jesus and let Him make it over?
Sinners need that same sort of understanding!
I praise the Lord this morning that there is a Savior who loves sinners and understands us like we are so we can become “Recipients of Love!”
Disclaimer: This sermon is a collection of several sources and I claim no originality to all, only as I have tried to tailor it to develop the sermon. I have sought to acknowledge credit to whom credit is due. I hope it will bless you.
