I hope
everyone had a nice Ressurection Day. I spent some of
this weekend in my most treasured spot, by the rivers
edge. There are three rivers which I attend to on
occasion where I go and open my soul to God, and He
adjust things as needed. This week it was the Merced
(mercy) river in Yosemite National Park. In the presence
of the monolithic El Capitan and the and majestic
Yosemite Falls, God and I had a talk, and He adjusted
what needed to be adjusted and I came to understand, yet
again, that God knows me, all of me. The depths of each
one of my faults He has plumbed and yet He loves me
still. It is amazing this love God has for us. When
surely each of us would have reached the point of
frustration and wiped us off the face of the earth, His
love endures, and is everlasting.
John
8: 1-11
We take
up with the challenge of Jesus to the established rule of
the pharisees. A rule based on a desire to keep and maintain
power, rather than to serve God. Jesus has just answered one
of the Pharisees, Nicodemus , who we know to be an ardent
seeker of God, while still numbering himself a Pharisee.
Jesus has is still something of an unknown quantity to
people as the day ends.
John 7: 53 And everyone went to his own
house
John 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of
Olives.
Jesus
as always, goes to pray to His Father. This must be a trying
time for him. I know in my discussions with scoffers and
unbelievers I am easily fatigued, and find it easy to lose
traction. But getting alone with God, and praying and
praising, has a away of restoring. To Jesus, this time with
God was utter restoration.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the
temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and
taught them.
The
people were still very interested in Jesus, anyone with an
open heart could hear the world of God being spoken to them.
There are times when I wish I could be sitting there hearing
His teaching. The pharisees, with their closed hearts had
already made up their mind and set about to trap Jesus
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees
brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.And when they had
set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this
woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
One
always wonders exactly how she was caught in the act. Was
this a set up, or something the Pharisee’s stumbled upon and
decided to use to their advantage. I tend to think it was a
set up from the word go, and in their bitter hearts set up
this woman to sin, just to accuse Christ. This is how messed
up our agenda becomes when we stray from God. ( And yes I
know she could not do this alone….where was the man?)
5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us
that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
It is
interesting to me here, that they referred to it as coming
from Moses. This to is a sign of their disconnection from
God, for they were not serving God’s law…but Moses’.
What is also interesting to me , is why this is a question.
Why would they think Jesus’ answer would be any different
from the law. Yes it is true that was the penalty for
such action. What was it about Jesus that would make them
think, He would stry from the law? They must have, through
His teachings, come to the conclusion that this new
law of Love Jesus was preaching was outside of God’s
law. Which we know it was not. So
how do you answer a setup? You don’t.
6 This they said, testing Him, that
they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus
stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as
though He did not hear.
There
is much ado about what it was that Jesus wrote, and how and
if it applied to what was going on here. the bottom line is
we won’t know until we get there, but as we will see later,
it is what they heard from Jesus that convicted them.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised
Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among
you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
Jesus
did not violate the law, he simply measured them by the same
law. Jesus said elsewhere , “judge not, lest you be
judged, for with whatever measure you judge with, it will be
measured back to you.”
8 And again He stooped down and wrote
on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by
their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the
oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the
woman standing in the midst.
And
here he applied it to those who would accuse the girl, and
each one was convicted in his heart that he was not worthy.
The plain and simple truth of God penetrates into the most
hardened soul. No one is beyond reach, but each responds in
his own way.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and
saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are
those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She
said, “No one, Lord.”And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I
condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Romans 8: 1 There is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do
not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has made me free from the law of sin and death.
There
was one man in that group that was worthy of passing
judgement on this woman. He could have easily condemned her
and stoned her. But Jesus’ purpose is never to condemn us.
But to usher in a life of mercy and grace in Christ Jesus
Mercy
is God not giving us what we deserve (The stoning)
Grace
is God giving us what we do not deserve (Forgiveness)
While
that woman was guilty of the sin, Jesus granter her Mercy
and Grace. As He does to us. Do not ever live in guilt and
condemnation, for if you are in Jesus (and you are beloved
brothers and sisters) then it has no part of you.
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