UP/IN/OUT OUT “Grace and Truth” John 8:1-11 Dave Chae Sunday June 21, 2015

John 8: But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.

They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Nature of Trap Roman Law Mosaic Law

Roman Law In A.D. 6, the year that Judaea became a Roman province, Coponius, a governor, was sent to Palestine by Augustus Caesar.

Nature of Trap Had Jesus pronounced judicial sentence upon the sinful woman, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law could report to the Roman government that he was usurping their authority which would have resulted in his arrest.

Nature of Trap Mosaic Law

Leviticus 20:10 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.

Nature of Trap If Jesus endorses the stoning, he violates Roman Law. If he shows kindness on the adulteress woman and shows grace, he violates the Mosaic Law. Either Jesus is trapped.

Irony According to Mosaic Law both the man and the woman who commit adultery are to be stoned to death. The fact that the Pharisees and Teachers of Law only want to stone the woman, shows that they aren’t willing to obey the Mosaic Law themselves, which is what they are accusing Jesus of doing.

What Jesus does next is absolutely brilliant!!

John 8:7 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus’ Message “None of us is in a position to stone anyone, because we are guilty of the sins we accuse others of.”

Reaction 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Grace and Truth

Application With whom do you most relate? The Pharisee and Teachers of the Law, the people holding the stones, Jesus, or the adulteress woman?

Application How can you show grace and truth to someone who is sinning against you right now? Who … Believes differently Socioeconomic Differences Sexual Orientation