ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS: AMAZING GRACE
March 2 , 2011
JOHN 8:7b - “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
THE STORY
The story begins in the early hours of the morning with Jesus teaching in the temple courts. The teachers of the law and Pharisees who had previously sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus (John 7:32), brought to him a woman “caught” in the act of adultery. Interestingly enough, they didn’t bother to bring the other half of the act of adultery. Their earlier attempt to arrest Jesus was in vain so they go back to the drawing board and conjure up a fool proof plan that’ll give them a legitimate reason to arrest Jesus. The came under the guise of wanting justice, however the heart of their actions was to trap Jesus. Jesus being the God-man who was there on Mount Sinai when the law was given to Moses, immediately recognized that their intent was not to uphold the law as teachers of the law. The law they refer to can be found 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”; and Deuteronomy 22:22 – “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.” As teachers of the law, they could not claim ignorance as their reason for only bringing the poor woman in front of Jesus and leaving the man also caught in the act.
Knowing their true intentions (v6), Jesus uses this situation to continue his teaching to all who had gathered to hear him, the teachers of the law and Pharisees who brought the woman and the humiliated, sinful woman. The Bible doesn’t mention what Jesus wrote with his fingers when he bent down but perhaps it was the law that was written with the fingers of God back in the desert (Exodus 31:18). We don’t know for certain but if what He wrote along didn’t stop them, His words in verse 7 certainly hit home – “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” These words probably reminded these teachers of the law and Pharisees that in order to carry out a death sentence it needed to be on the testimony of at least two witnesses and those two witnesses would be first in line to begin to carry out the death sentence followed by everyone else (Deu.17:6-7). In addition, as the connoisseurs of the law that they were, the law regarding being a false witness may have just come back to their memory (Exo.23:1-2 & 7; Deu.19:15-19.)
For supposed teachers of the law, they certainly didn’t think their plot through very well in their haste to trap Jesus. The same laws they used to bring the woman forward were likely the same laws that ate up their conscious. What was meant as a trap for Jesus was used as an opportunity to change lives.
WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?
· Just like it was never about the woman caught in the act, people bring up the sins of others not because they want to have a sin-less society but to support their agendas.
· Being graceful to sinners does not mean that we accept and approve of the sin.
· What we forget is that it wasn’t “the laws of Moses…” but the laws of God given to Moses.
· Before we throw the first “stone” of condemnation, let us first remember that we have our own sins that need God’s grace.
· When caught in the act of sins, be humble, recognize Jesus as Lord, and let Him represent you in the court of public condemnation.
· When Jesus grants you grace and redeems you of your sin, it comes with a responsibility to “…Go and sin no more…”
FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?
- "Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" - James 2:13 (NIV)
· “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” – Matthew 5:7
It’s easy to condemn someone we know for certain to be living a sinful lifestyle. But it takes a different heart to see a sin and extend God’s grace to the sinner. Thank God for Jesus who doesn’t judge like we humans judge. As He extends his graceful arms to us and shows us mercy in our sins, let us too extend a graceful hand to our fallen brothers and sisters to help them get back on their sanctified feet. As we bathe in grace, let us not forget that while God is graceful, we have a responsibility to “…sin no more…” as we receive this grace.
Next Week: The Man Blind From Birth (John 9)
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