Big Idea: Understanding the meaning of the scripture
How do we begin to understand this scripture, given the context we’ve learned? Is it simply literal – meant to educate and deepen our knowledge of God and his people? Is it a story that parallels our own faith journey – encouraging and helping us? Is it instructional – teaching us how to be more like Jesus? Or was it meant to teach us about heaven and our future with God?
The beginning of John chapter 8 finds Jesus in the temple courts at dawn, people gathered around him eager to hear his teaching. But wouldn’t you know it – before he could even get going, here come the Pharisees with some woman in tow. She had been caught breaking the law – the 9th commandment to be exact. She had been caught in adultery. The Pharisees brought her to Jesus in hopes that he might say something that they could use against him. Perhaps he would deny God’s law. Perhaps he would act as the ultimate authority rather than God. Whatever it was, they were looking for something – anything that they could use entrap him with – accuse him and finally put him in his place.
See, the religious leaders were jealous of Jesus – they didn’t like all this attention he was getting. They didn’t like that even at the crack of dawn, Jesus could draw a crowd. They interpreted the Old Testament very differently from this Jesus fellow – they saw God as a rule monger and a God who required us to earn his favor and a God who only accepted certain ethnicities. The religious leaders were highly threatened by the radical ideas of love and forgiveness and mercy that this Jesus guy was spreading around.
Their plan to ensnare Jesus with the adulterous woman was foiled however when Jesus’ came back with a response nobody expected. His simply said
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
What a response! What could anyone possibly say to that? After all, we all know in our hearts, no matter how self-righteous we may be, that we have sinned. And likewise, the people of that day all went away – stones dropped. Nobody could, in good conscience throw a single rock her way.
There’s a certain satisfaction in reading Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. He displayed mercy and grace while simultaneously beating the Pharisees at their own game. This is a total high-five moment for Christians around the world.
But it should also serve as a wake-up call. An opportunity for self-examination. We should read this passage and ask ourselves – are we more like Jesus or more like the Pharisees in our Christian walk?
Recently, I was with a longtime follower of Jesus as we drove through downtown Nashville. We stopped at a red light and there happened to be some protestors on the street corner. They were holding up signs that advertised their belief in a woman’s right to abortion, among other things. The person I was with is staunchly pro-life and the things she uttered as she watched these women included some choice words and derogatory names attacking their character that I will not repeat. The question here is… who was acting as the hands and feet of Jesus in this moment?
As apprentices of Jesus, we are certainly called to uphold the law and follow Jesus in righteousness. However, we need to remember that we are not God. We are not commanded to judge and condemn others. When we do so, we are no better than the people we accuse.
In fact, even Jesus, although he is God’s perfect and holy son had every right to judge this woman, even he didn’t condemn her. Instead, he said
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11).
It’s then we find our scripture, where Jesus says “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness”. In the context of the story, this indicates that He came to bring light and hope to a desperately broken world. And that, when we are bathed in his light, neither are tempted by fleshly, sinful desires, nor are we seeking to elevate our own righteousness by pointing out the sins and faults of others.
The light of Christ is what prompts us to reach out our hand to a person languishing in sin and want to help them – to lead them to Christ’s light, not throw stones at them. Likewise, the light of Christ is the source of joy and purpose that edges out our desires to indulge in sinful behavior.
Jesus was masterful at shifting the conversation – from condemnation and judgement to beauty and light, from dwelling on what’s wrong, to dwelling on what’s right. As you go through your week, make the light of life – Jesus, your focus and see how the rest simply falls away.
We all fall into both categories – the sinful woman and the judgmental Pharisees. But which category do you find yourself in most of the time?
Live It Out:
- Commit to 5 minutes a day to meditate on and reflect on this verse. Listen to the meditation track or simply read our scripture slowly in sections, allowing for the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
- Change your mind: Use your journal to start recording the things you are grateful for, every day. Be specific.
- Write out our scripture in your journal. Add notes, drawings, encouragements and thoughts about its original intention and meaning.