Evangelical Church of Oskaloosa
Sermon Text: John 8:1-11
Sermon Title: Forgiven
Ralf HT Bergmann
Sunday August 6, 2000 – PM Service
Scripture Introduction: We’ve heard the numerous accounts in the Bible about the scribes, the Pharisees and the Saducees. Who exactly were these people, that caused them to give Jesus such a hard time? Before we begin reading the Scripture, let’s take a quick look at who they are. One of the groups, the Saducees, although not being specifically mentioned in this text were those that opposed everything that the Pharisees stood for. The only thing that they agreed on is that they were united in opposition to Jesus and they cooperated in the events that eventually led to His crucifixion. Here are some of the things that they believed: They disregarded the traditions and unwritten laws of the Pharisees, they rejected the concept of demons, angels and of the existence of the soul. To them, death was final without punishment or reward. Many members of the Sanhedrin were Sadducees.
The dominant sect of the Jews was the Pharisees. They first made their appearance after the Jews returned from captivity. They held in high regard the books of the Old Testament as a source of the Jewish beliefs. They also attributed great and equal authority to their traditions especially their rites such as ablution or ceremonial washing and cleansing, fasting, long prayers, the distribution of alms, and especially avoiding any contact whatsoever with those disgusting pagan gentiles. Their pious nature gave them great favor and influence over the common people. There were those that were truly walking with God such as Joseph of Arimithea, Nicodemus, and the aging Simeon. Saul of Tarsus was a member of the strictest of the sects.
The Scribes were those that were skilled in writing and accounts. These were the people who communicated the commands of the king, kind of like the Secretary of State. They were skilled in the interpretation of the Law so they were seen as teachers and interpreters. Like the Pharisees, they were bitterly opposed to Christ. They joined right in when it came to the persecution of Jesus and His followers. PLEASE JOIN ME IN READING GOD’S WORD!
Scripture Reading: John 8:1-11 [NASB95]
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 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. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4 they *said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
Introduction:
We begin this section of Scripture with Jesus coming into the Temple to teach in the early morning. The break of dawn. How many people do we know now that come to learn more about God’s Word at that time of the morning? He is coming to teach and the crowd begins to filter in and follow Jesus into the Temple. As is the tradition for a Rabbi, He sits down and begins to teach. The Scribes and Pharisees come into the Temple, interrupting His teachings, they have a woman in their custody and they bring her to the center of the court and announce to Jesus “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act”. They announce her sin so that everyone in the Temple can hear. Now being well schooled in the Law, they explain to Jesus “In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what do you say?”
They were testing Him. They wanted to find grounds to accuse Him. What did Jesus do? He stooped down and with His finger He wrote on the Ground. They kept after Him asking Him. He gets up, looks at them, and says “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The eyes of God looking deep within the souls of these men. “Are you without sin?” Once again He stoops down and writes upon the ground, and one by one from the oldest to the youngest they file out of the Temple. All that remains is the women, standing where her accusers have left her and our Lord Jesus. “Women where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She answers “No one Lord”. And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more!”
Let us pray
POINT 1: We need to realize that there are those that are out in the world that are quick to condemn us. No only from the segment of our society that we call non-Christian and in the times of this Scripture were called pagan, but we are sometimes equally attacked by some that would call themselves Christian. The Pharisees were a self-fulfilling bunch who greatest thought was the accolades of those around them. They wanted others to know just how much more religious they were then the common man.
With little respect for the fact that Jesus was preaching in the Temple, they interrupt Him "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" These learned scholars of the Scripture were out to trick Jesus. They thought they could fool God in the flesh. What does the Law say about this act?
In Leviticus 20:10 we are told,
’If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.’
And in Deuteronomy 22:22,
"If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.”
What is missing from this accusation that they are bringing to Jesus? Where is the man that the women had the adulterous relationship with?
How were these Scriptural scholars interpreting the Scripture? Were they perhaps protecting a lifestyle contrary to Biblical standards? Were they compromising their views in favor of someone whose favor that they were seeking? Perhaps they were even protecting one of their own.
How many times do we see it in our society today where the Scripture is interpreted in such a way that it protects the interpreters from the guilt of their actions? How many churches have sacrificed interpretational accuracy for attendance and monetary gain? When we are told to study the Scripture and Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our understanding it is for the reason that we understand what God would have us understand, not what any particular deviant behavior lifestyle group would have us believe. We need to know God’s Word and what He means so that those whose interest it is to pervert and circumvent the Scripture don’t mislead us.
[We need to be aware of those that wish to point the finger at others just to keep the focus off of them. There is much truth to the phrase that when you point a finger you have three pointing right back at you. The Scribes and Pharisees were playing upon the Scriptural ignorance of those around them. They listened to the teachings of Jesus and realized that as His following grew, theirs would dwindle and their easy lives as a result of their self-proclaimed superiority over others was in jeopardy. They had lost touch with God. They were worshipping the material world and the key to their spiritual victory had become their obstacle to worldly wealth. They failed to see that Jesus had the power that they had long been waiting for.]
POINT 2: Now how rude it was to interrupt Jesus as He was teaching. They were trying to trick Jesus into making a statement that would allow for His arrest. Had Jesus said to release Her then they could have said that He was teaching contrary to the Mosaic Law. If He had said to stone her, then He would have been going contrary to the Roman Law which forbid the Jews to carry out their own sentences.
What did Jesus do? Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. What did He write? The Bible doesn’t say and there is much conjecture about what He might have written. Some say that He wrote the Ten Commandments. Some have speculated that He wrote the name of the man among the throng who were condemning the woman that she was having the affair with. Perhaps since there is no clear indication of what Jesus wrote, the emphasis is not so much on the content but in the act of writing and the surface He was writing upon.
Let’s think back to the days when we were all young. Didn’t we all write things in the sand, the dirt? How many times have we written the words wash me on the side or back of someone’s dirty car? The wind comes, the rain comes, or the car wash removes any traces of the words that were once written and inscribed. How many of those inscriptions that we left upon the face of this earth remain today. What was Jesus trying to tell the Scribes and Pharisees? Who was He trying to show them that He was? The sins of that woman under His forgiveness would take on the permanence of that inscription on the dirt of the Temple floor. Soon to be washed away completely. Soon to be forgotten as though it had never happened. Washed away by the blood of the Lamb.
It may seem to be to simple of a solution for many of us to see. My sins can be forgiven and forgotten by our Lord Jesus just as the sand looses the words to the waves of the sea. It is an easy option for us because of the price that He paid on the cross. That cleansing, that forgiveness comes from Jesus’ shed blood. We can have that refreshment of forgiveness through the act of admission.
[Jesus knows the trick that they were trying to pull on Him. They miss the point entirely that those sins that are erased through His forgiveness could be from their own burdens of guilt as well.]
POINT 3: Jesus is now going to turn the tables on the woman’s accusers. With the eyes that can penetrate the soul, he looks at the men and says, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." How would you imagine that felt like? To be filled with unrepented sin and have God Himself peer deep into your soul, do you remember the day when you came under conviction of the Holy Spirit? Do you remember that uncomfortable feeling? I can remember shifting from side to side – trying to sit comfortably. I can remember the fact that it seemed like the thermostat in the church was turned up. I felt and I knew of the uncertainty of my walk with God at that given point. There is nothing more terrifying then to come face to face with the realization that at that very moment if death were to come - - - - - - eternal damnation, separation from God forever was my future. There is no more terrifying experience then to realize that and not being able to deny it because the eyes of God were peering deep within my soul and there I was exposed for what I had allowed myself to become. Maybe there are those that find themselves at this very moment trying to sit still, trying to ignore the temperatures rising from deep within, trying to avoid the eye contact with God through the Holy Spirit. "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone". As Jesus looks deep into their eyes He stoops again, writing once more into the dirt of the floor of the Temple, and shows them the permanence of their inequities. Just like the words in the dust are blown away by the wind, swept into forgiveness by the broom, or washed away, their sins also could be forgiven and washed away by the drops of His blood. One by one as they glance at each other, none willing to give in to their egos and pride, they turn their backs on their Savior and walk away from His salvation.
[Jesus made His point with a question that caused the accusers to look within themselves. Here they were ready to have this woman condemned to death, and they are challenged to review their own situation. They came to trick Jesus, only to find themselves in a situation of being the fools. Jesus showed them that this gift of salvation was for them as well, even those that would be among the group that would eventually be responsible for His death on the cross.]
POINT 4: We live in a world that is filled with so much pain, so much hurt, and so much sin. From the day we are born we have to discern between those that would lead us astray and those that will help guide us home. We will all make mistakes, and that is a simple fact of being born after the creation. The mistakes we make however do not mean that our eternity is set. Those in this world will come with fingers pointed right at us. There will be people who proclaim they are followers of the Gospel of Christ with fingers pointed directly at us with souls so full of unrepented sin that they are blinded to the truth that they proclaim. Perhaps we may even be one of the finger pointers. Our spiritual condition is not terminal. Jesus tells the woman and He tells us that when our accusers step aside, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
I would like to share a story that demonstrates Jesus’ love for each and every one of us.
It was 1944, and Bert Frizen was an infantryman on the front lines in Europe. American forces had advanced in the face of intermittent shelling and small-arms fire throughout the morning hours, but now all was quiet. His patrol reached the edge of a wooded area with an open field before them. Unknown to the Americans, a battery of Germans waited in a hedgerow about two hundred yards across the field.
Bert was one of two scouts who moved out into the clearing. Once he was halfway across the field, the remainder of his battalion followed. Suddenly the Germans opened fire, and machine gun fire ripped into both of Bert’s legs. The American battalion withdrew into the woods for protection, while a rapid exchange of fire continued.
Bert lay helplessly in a small stream as shots volleyed overhead. There seemed to be no way out. To make matters worse, he now noticed that a German soldier was crawling toward him. Death appeared imminent; he closed his eyes and waited. To his surprise, a considerable period passed without the expected attack, so he ventured opening his eyes again. He was startled to see the German kneeling at his side, smiling. He then noticed that the shooting had stopped. Troops from both sides of the battlefield watched anxiously. Without any verbal exchange, this mysterious German reached down to lift Bert in his arms and proceeded to carry him to the safety of Bert’s comrades.
Having accomplished his self-appointed mission, and still without speaking a word, the German soldier turned and walked back across the field to his own troop. No one dared break the silence of this sacred moment. Moments later the cease-fire ended, but not before all those present had witnessed how one man risked everything for his enemy.
Bert’s life was saved through the compassion of a man whom he considered his enemy. This courageous act pictures what Jesus did for us. --Lynn McAdam
Conclusion:
The world around us is always prepared with an accusing finger and sometimes Scripture that has been interpreted with only self-interest in mind. The accusations may even be right on the mark, but their condemnations can’t over ride the awesome forgiveness that was made possible by Jesus’ death on that cross.
The accusations that are leveled against us by the world, the sins that we commit, can be made like those words upon the sand when we reach that point and lay them on the altar. Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. Our sins can become dust in the wind when we ask for that forgiveness that is possible through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Then we hear the voice of Jesus exclaiming:
"He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Are we guilty of complaining about someone else’s backyard while our own is need of attention? I think it is worthwhile to hold close to our hearts the words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 7:1-2
"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
Then Jesus concludes this section of Scripture with the following words:
"I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
There are too many in the world that stop with their salvation and choose to progress no further. There is no reason to continue on, falling victim to sin and continuously needing to ask for forgiveness. We can seek that holy lifestyle that is possible through the seeking of the entire sanctification, the death of self, the complete surrender to the will of God, and all we need do is to be prepared to receive and to ask.
