John Lesson 23

Introduction

Very pleasant good day to you. Welcome to let the Bible speak. There is no story more touching in the gospel than the one concerning the woman taken in the act of adultery. It is a very widely appreciated story, for Jesus told her, Go and sin no more. Now that story is indeed a well-known story. Sometimes it has been abused and misused as though Jesus was overlooking sin and saying it doesn’t really matter. But that isn’t the point of that text. Rather, it is a story that teaches us of the attitude of Jesus Christ toward those who are sinners. Sinners, Jesus will receive. There’s a favorite and familiar song that we often sing in the church, and that is the song that Christ receiveth sinful men, even me with all my sin.

Purge from every spot and stink. Heaven, with him I enter in. Sing it o’er and o’er again, Christ receiveth sinful men. Make the message clear and plain. Christ receiveth sinful men. Indeed, that is a beautiful song, and the words are so true to the book, to the Bible, the Word of God. For Jesus Christ came into this world to seek and to save those who are lost. And everything that he did was to prove, first of all, that he had that authority from the Father as the Son of God. He was one who could live on this earth, who himself, though he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet he was without sin. And he thereby became a perfect sacrifice for others who did sin.

Jesus therefore paid the price that you and I deserve to pay. He died in our place. The punishment for sin is death, eternal death ultimately. But Jesus Christ was separated from God at the cross. He died for our sins. And Jesus Christ is merciful to sinners. In that he himself was tempted, he understands from our point of view when we are tempted. And therefore, when we read the story in John the eighth chapter, it is a touching story, and it is a very much appreciated story, as we said. I hope that you have your New Testaments and that you’ll get them open. And read along with us today, as we said it from John chapter 8, verses 1 through 11. Actually, the scene in this passage is one where the religious leaders, the Pharisees, were trying to trap Jesus.

1. Tempting Him That They Might Accuse Him

It wasn’t that they were coming to seek truth or to see his attitude towards sinners, although that is a lesson that we glean from it. The real point of the text is that they were seeking a way by which they could find a reason to accuse him and to put him to death. Now let’s read John chapter 8, beginning in verse 1. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives, 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. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery in the very act.

Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. Now, the time of this text, if you recall in our last study, was sometime shortly before his crucifixion. In fact, the events of John the seventh chapter is pinpointed for us as being at the time of the Feast of the Tabernacles. And we know that the Feast of the Tabernacles, according to the law of Moses, occurred six months prior to the Passover feast. And it was at the next Passover feast when Jesus was betrayed and tried and ultimately crucified. So we know that the time period of John chapter 8 is within the last six months of the life of Christ, perhaps shortly after the Feast of the Tabernacles.

And the scripture says that Jesus went into the Mount of Olives, which of course is in the Jerusalem area, but he went early in the morning again into the temple, and the people came near unto him. And he sat down and taught them. Now, the very fact that the people would gather about Jesus and listen to him must have stirred the scribes and the Pharisees not only with jealousy, with their anger, and and all the more would stir them up to find some way by which they could entrap Jesus and embarrass him if they could, and in some way at least uh give good cause whereby they might uh accuse him and put him to death. And really that’s the key when you notice in verse six it says they brought this woman tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.

When they brought the woman, they said she was taken in the act of adultery. And then they re-remind Jesus of the law of Moses, which indeed uh did teach that anyone taken in the act of adultery should be stoned. Now, how was it that they were tempting Jesus? If they were bringing this woman and and and they applied the law of Moses, how did that test him, or how did that tempt him? Well, actually, they they thought they were putting Jesus into a dilemma. Because you see, the Jews in Jerusalem were really under Roman law. The world empire, Rome itself, governed the whole world, and and though the the Jews had a local form of government, and the Sanhedrin council would still meet and and would apply the law of Moses to their people, yet they did not did not have full control, especially when they would want to put someone to death.

Whereas the law of Moses, Moses said that anyone taken in the act of adultery should be stoned or should be put to death. That’s about in Leviticus chapter 20 and verse 10. But over and against that was the Roman law. And the Roman law forbade the Jews to take the life of anyone unless he’d gone through the due process of Roman court or through the Roman law. And you remember remember uh if you’ve studied over in John chapter 18, in fact, when the Jews wanted to put Jesus to death, and they had arrested him, and they brought him before Pilate, the Roman governor. Now that was after they had brought him before the before the Sanhedrin Council. They had every reason, they thought, by their own law, to put Jesus to death, but they could not do so unless it was given, unless they would have been given approval by Roman law.

And when they brought him to Pilate, Pilate at first, this Roman authority, and said, You you go judge him yourself. And they in fact said we we could not put him to death except it be by Pilate’s approval. Well, that’s the dilemma. They thought they had Jesus in at this point in time. On the one hand, they thought if Jesus were to answer, well, apply the law of Moses because she’s been taken to the act of adultery, stone her. Then they would have taken the other side of the argument and said, Well, you’re violating Roman law. But then on the other hand, they thought that if Jesus were to say, Well, Roman law, let’s let’s uh it forbids to put her to death, and we can’t put her to death, then they would have said, But but the law of Moses says you should stone her.

And it’s sort of wait and see whichever uh side Jesus would take or what position he would take, they were going to take the other side of it. So they thought they had a way by which they might accuse him, and they were tempting him. Actually, the very circumstances of the story indicate they weren’t concerned or interested about the real truth of the matter. If they were, you may raise the question, where was the man? If she was caught in the very act of adultery, why didn’t they bring both the man and the woman together at this point in time? But they were just simply trying to draw up some kind of a case whereby they could test or trap and trap Jesus. But in verses 7, or reading the rest of verse 6 through verse 8, the scripture says uh 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.

2. Without Sin, Let Him First Cast a Stone

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. And again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. We do not know what Jesus was writing on the ground. All kinds of speculation. There have been some who’ve said, Well, Jesus was writing the names of the people who had gathered there and some of the sins that they might have been guilty of, and and they saw that Jesus knew about them, and and that’s why they they left one at the beginning of the eldest and even to the least. But we don’t know that’s what he was writing. Others have said he was just simply scribbling in the sand, doodling, as we might uh describe it.

And and again, we do not know what he wrote. The scripture does not say.

To even speculate. But simply that he did stoop down. It was as though he was ignoring them when they were wanting a direct answer. Are you going to follow Roman law or the law of Moses? He didn’t answer them. But rather, he returned the dilemma to them. He asked them a question, in effect. In effect, he was saying, Are you going to obey the law by which you would judge another? Would you be willing to be judged by the by the very law that you’re trying to apply? When he said, He that is without sin, let him first cast a stone at her. Let him be the first one to cast a stone. And as they began to think about that, they being convicted by their own sin, began to leave one at a time, and of course they did not stone this woman.

What Jesus was saying is an application that we must make ourselves today. As we read the word of God and would point an accusing finger at someone else, would we be willing to be judged by the same accusation? If we stood guilty, would we be willing to apply the word of God to ourselves? I’ve sometimes heard people say, Well, you should never condemn another person. The Bible says, judge not that you be not judged. And it’s never right to say anything negative about another person. Well, that’s partly true, but not altogether. Romans chapter 2 says, Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou that judges doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

And thinkest thou this old man that judges them which do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God. What he said in Romans 2 is simply, if you think that you can condemn another person, and if you’re doing the same thing, you not be condemned, you’re only deceiving yourself. By the very same law that you apply to someone else, recognize it’s going to be applied to you. Someone said, When you have one finger pointing that way, there are three pointing back at you. And remember that the word of God is going to be fair, it is going to be equitable, and you shall be judged by the same law as you judge another. In Matthew chapter 7 is the passage where Jesus said, Judge not that ye be not judged.

But again, let’s read the whole text. He isn’t saying, never say anything condemning of another. But what he did say, with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged, and with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the moat out of thine eye, and behold a beam is in thine own eye, thou hypocrite. First cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou seek clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brother’s eye. You notice verse 5, particularly, he said, First, do what?

Cast the beam out of your own eye. Recognize that you shall be judged by the same standard. Now we must help others. Galatians 6 and verse 1 says, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such and one. There come a time, there come times in our life where we where we must go to a brother or a sister who is at fault, and try to reprove them, try to encourage them to repent, help them to straighten their life out with God, and we would expect them, if they love us, to do the same thing for us. And there are times when false doctrine is taught, that we must expose error. We must speak a distinctive message and let it be known what is sin and cry out against sin and call men to repentance.

And if there’s false doctrine being taught, to point out how the devil is a deceiver and he will teach false doctrine. Jesus does not condemn that practice. In fact, in this same passage in Matthew chapter 7, where it’s found, judge not that ye be not judged. Just a little bit later in Matthew 7, verses 15 through 20, he says, beware of false prophets. You see, he is saying, Open your eyes and open your ears and discern between truth and error. In verse 20 of Matthew 7, by their fruits ye shall know them. Test them. Are they preaching truth? If they are not, then do not receive them. Beware of false prophets. That isn’t wrong to do that. It isn’t wrong to point out error and to disapprove of it, in fact, to expose it.

But what Jesus is saying when he said, Judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. It simply says, as you read the word of God and apply it to others, let it go both ways. You see yourself in the mirror of God’s word and try to live and abide by it, because you shall be judged by it. If any man is without sin, let him cast the first stone. These who were hypocrites were not willing to be judged by the same law they were wanting to apply at this particular occasion. We’re going to pause for a moment. We’re going to come back and talk about Jesus’ attitude toward this woman when he said, Go and sin no more.

3. Neither Do I Condemn Thee

I hope that you’ll stay with us. We’re in John chapter 8, where the woman taking the act of adultery was brought to Jesus, and the Jews were tempting him to take a stand either for the law of Moses or for the law of the Romans, thinking that whatever position he took, that they could take the opposite position and have some reason by which they could accuse him. But he said, Let him that is without sin first cast a stone at her, and began again to ride in the sand. And I’m reading now John 8, verses 9 to 11. 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.

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? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more. These men who had brought the woman to Jesus obviously began to recognize their own hypocrisy and how that they stood accused by the very law. They were wanting to judge her, they were not willing to be judged. But then the scene is with this woman. And well, while Jesus asked her, Where are those thine accusers? Hath no man accused thee. He of course knew that they had left, and she said, No man, and he then said, Well, neither do I condemn thee.

Sometimes that verse, verse eleven, has been misapplied, I think, and misused, taken out of its context, as though to indicate that Jesus forgave her for sin, that it didn’t matter whether she repented or not, and that it really didn’t matter what she had done in the past. Well, I do not believe that Jesus was saying, I will overlook sin, ignore sin, it doesn’t matter if you’ve sinned. That isn’t the point at all. When he said, Neither do I condemn thee. First of all, even according to the law of Moses, he could not have cast a stone at her, not being the first at least to do so. Because according to the law of Moses, those who who had taken the woman in the act of adultery, those had who had seen her in that act of adultery, were the ones who should have cast the first stones.

That’s found in Deuteronomy chapter 17 and in verse 7. And then all the people would have added uh uh also added to the casting of the stones, but Jesus could not have condemned her from that point of view. But a second reason that Jesus did not condemn her is because he himself was willing to forgive. While it is not said here, I forgive thee of sin. We know he had that power. We know that he came to the earth to seek and to save the lost. Matthew 9, verse 13. That is 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 4, God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And in verse 6 of 1 Timothy 2, it says that Christ died as a ransom for all.

Jesus wanted all to be saved. He wants you to be saved. He wanted those Pharisees and even the hypocrites who had come. He wants them to be saved. For Christ died as a ransom for all. But only those who obey his will are promised forgiveness of sin. Only those who are willing to come to Jesus Christ, truly receiving him, believing in him. That is the kind of belief, even that will obey his word, not just mentally sit back with folded arm and say, Yes, I acknowledge Jesus to be the Son of God. It involves obedience. We need to recognize how terrible sin is. And what a great gift God has bestowed upon us by sending his only begotten Son to die for us. If God has done so much for us, surely, we should be willing to live for him.

4. God’s Attitude Towards Sin

If Christ died for us, would we not be willing to stand up for him and be counted? Saving belief, you see, involves obedient, obedience unto the will of God. When we take a look at God’s attitude towards sin, we we recognize how that sin is that which separates us from God. And the prophet Isaiah and Isaiah chapter 59 verses 1 and 2 said, Behold, the Lord’s hand is not uh heavy that it cannot save, uh his ear heavy that it cannot save, neither his hand shortened, then he cannot uh bring you to him. But your sins, your iniquities have separated between you and God, and and and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear you. You can come to God, but by sin you’ve been separated from him.

Now, if we’re in a separated condition, where are we? Sin brings about spiritual death. God’s attitude towards sin is that there is death. In fact, in Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 20, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father bear the iniquity of the son, but the righteous of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. We do not inherit our parents’ sin. We don’t even inherit Adam’s sin for that matter. The Bible doesn’t teach that. But it does teach that that by sin we shall die, be separated from God. And as Ezekiel 18 and 20 says, each soul shall give an account for himself. But the wages of sin is death.

Romans 6 23. And that death that described in Revelation 21 and verse 8, the second death is described as a lake of fire and brimstone. The fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the whoremongers, the sorcerers, and idolaters, all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. God will punish those who are sinners who will not repent of their sin. And we must not take an attitude that it really doesn’t matter what we do. Don’t rationalize that, well, everybody somehow, somehow is going to go to heaven, because that isn’t true. In Galatians chapter 5, verses 19 through 21, there the apostle speaks about the work of the flesh, and a very clear statement is made about sinners and those who be lost by committing the works of the flesh.

5. Go and Sin No More

And here’s what he lists adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations or jealousies, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I’ve also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Sinners are going to be lost. When Christ said, Go thy way, neither do I condemn thee. He wasn’t saying it doesn’t matter whether you sin or not. But he said to her, Go and sin no more. Now the implication is there’s forgiveness. But he was saying it does matter. You go and start changing. You do a you live a different life. You see, the promise of God is that if we repent, God will forgive us.

We can be forgiven of sin. If we do not repent, then we’ll pay the consequences by eternal condemnation. Separated from God and shall spend eternity in a lake of fire and brimstone. But if we repent, it matters not what we’ve committed. We can be forgiven. I had a friend who made a telephone call, son of a call-in type program, and the speaker or the preacher on the other side said, if you’ve goofed, and then he paused and said, Well, now we don’t use this word sin anymore because it has some psychological complications. So if you goofed, he said, Well, that’s indistinctive kind of preaching. And there’s some who seem to be afraid to talk about sin anymore. But the Bible clearly points out sin and the consequences of sin.

But it also says we can have forgiveness. And if you think I’ve done too much, I can’t be forgiven, you’re wrong. You can be forgiven. Passages like 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 through 11 says, Don’t you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterous, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves of mankind. And one translation renders that homosexuals. Neither thieves nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. But such were some of you. But you’re washed. You’re sanctified. You’re justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. It matters not what you’ve committed. You can be forgiven if you will repent and turn to God.

Conclusion

Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. By his precious blood, there’s forgiveness. As you hear the gospel, Romans chapter 10 and verse 17, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. You see, you can be forgiven of sin if you’ll turn to the word of God. Listen to what Christ has done for you. Believe in Him as the Son of God. Mark chapter 16 and verse 16 says, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be damned. You can you can have the right to reject. Nobody’s going to force you to believe. My friends, what you say about the word of God, how you react to it, will determine where you spend eternity. And this life, you can refuse it, laugh at it, scoff at it.

But on the other hand, if you will willingly hear and believe, you can be saved, no matter what sin you’ve committed. Repenting of your sins. In Acts 2 and verse 38, when those on the day of Pentecost, even some among who had who just a few days earlier said, Crucify the Son of God. Yet when they were convinced that he’s the Son of God were pricked in their heart, they said, Men and brethren, what shall we do? The answer to these believers was, Acts 2.38, repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Repent and be baptized. Also, there’s the need to confess it. Don’t be ashamed of Christ.

Don’t just silently in your mind accept him, but rather be willing to stand up for him. That if thou shall confess the Lord Jesus with thy mouth, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with a heart man believeth unto righteousness. With a mouth, confession is made unto salvation. That’s Romans 10, verses 9 and 10. But then you need to be baptized. Yes, immersed in water. Baptized into the death of Jesus Christ, for that’s how the sins are washed away by his blood, Ephesians 1 7. But look at the correlation. In Acts 22 and verse 16, when Saul of Tarsus, who later became known as the Apostle Paul, was told, And now why tarryest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Won’t you come to Him and be baptized for the remission of sins? Until our next study, we bid that the grace and peace of our Lord be with you.