April 17, 2023 – John 8
In John 8, Jesus was in the Temple when religious leaders and Pharisees came to him with a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, which was, according to religious law, an offense that warranted the death penalty.
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” They were trying to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger” (vv. 4-6).
Jesus was a teacher unlike any before – teaching both the law of God and the love of God. It was too groundbreaking for the religious fundamentalists of Jesus’ day, so they attempted to trap Jesus at the cost of a woman by asking, “Will you love this woman and save her? Or will you honor God by keeping the law?”
“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (v. 7).
Jesus was brilliant! He knew what the religious people were up to, and he would have none of it. To catch this woman in adultery, there must have been a man in the act, but he was nowhere to be found. Why? Because the religious people didn’t care about the law either. They just cared about making Jesus – the God of law and love – look foolish, but they couldn’t do it. Jesus called them out for it and basically asks: “You’ve sinned too, haven’t you Pharisees?”
“Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman” (v. 9).
In life, we face accusers. Are they right? Will Jesus take their side when they point out our sin?
No.
Because Jesus knows their tricks, and he is the God who can uphold the law and sink deep into love with you. When the woman sinned, Jesus wouldn’t hurt her; he saved her life. Simultaneously, he wouldn’t reject the law; he used it to prove the accusers were hypocrites.
“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (vv. 10-11).
The only one worthy to accuse us won’t condemn us because he bore condemnation. When stones were thrown, they struck him. When spears were tossed, they pierced his side. When thorns were pressed, they entered his skull. Sin has been atoned for, and Jesus paid it in full.
Want to be free from accusers, traps, and sin? When you experience the shame of your accusers, see only Jesus before you. He’s not an accuser. He is the God of law and love.
Questions for reflection:
- Are you carrying shame? Where does it come from?
- Is there anything standing in the way of surrendering your shame to Jesus?
- What does this story in John 8 tell you about the heart of Jesus and his mission? What do you suppose he’d like to do with your shame?