8th April 2022 – John 8:1-11
"1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”"
John 8:1-11
Two things in particular stand out in the story: one is the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees, the other is our Lord's attitude, to the woman. As to the first, the truly odious thing is that these men were using the woman's circumstances to attempt to trap Jesus into error. They were tempting Him (6). As such, this incident is comparable to their saying, 'Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?’, where either answer would have trapped Him: 'Yes' would have put Him in the wrong with them, 'No' with the Roman government. So here. To say, 'Apply the law and stone her' would have gone against the Roman government who retained the prerogative of capital punishment and did not allow the Jews to exercise it; it would also have gone against the more liberal and lenient attitude to such a law that was in vogue among the Jews at the time. To say 'Do not stone her' would have on the other hand opened him to the charge that He did not honour the Law of Moses. This was their craftiness. It was ugly in the case of the tribute money. But to use it here, and use the woman's shame as a lever against Christ was horrible and contemptuous, and it betrayed a heartlessness and inhumanity beyond words. It is a terrible thing to use people. They were the guardians of the law, but what were they caring about the law here? There was no sense of indignation in them at its violation, only evil intent to trap Jesus, and anything would do as an excuse or pretext. What sin was theirs!
7th April 2022 – John 8:1-11
“1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who…
6th April 2022 – John 7:45-52
“45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have…
5th April 2022 – John 7:37-44
“37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will…
4th April 2022 – John 7:37-44
“37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will…
3rd April 2022 – John 7:37-44
“37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will…
2nd April 2022 – John 7:37-44
“37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will…
1st April 2022 – John 7:37-44
“37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will…
31st March 2022 – John 7:32-36
“32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who…
30th March 2022 – John 7:25-31
“25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this…