John 8:1-11 / January 14, 2018
Pastor Lori Broschat
STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING
John Newton is known for one of his hymns that is recognized around the world for its message of grace, Amazing Grace. He is not as well known for his life prior to his conversion by the grace of God. He grew up on the sea, traveling with his father who was the captain of a slave ship. When John was of age he became the captain of his own slave ship and engaged in the cruel treatment of his human cargo.
When a storm on the Atlantic threatened the lives of all aboard ship as they returned to England from Africa, John felt the remorse he lacked as God touched his heart. He was converted and changed his life, becoming a preacher and a writer of hymns. His words, "I once was blind, but now I see" related to his former life as a heartless purveyor of human trafficking.
Willam Wilberforce, a parishioner of Newton's as a young man, was burdened by the cost of human life, dignity and freedom that characterized the slave trade. As a member of Parliament from the small town of Hull in Yorkshire, he became a champion for the abolishment of the practice. Many years went into his fight, and along with his poor health it nearly killed him. Finally, after 20 years, the bill was passed in 1807. Thanks to the efforts of many abolitionists, one of the most despicable evils of human history had been stopped in Britain.
Sometimes our need to stop something in our lives may feel like a monumental task. We heard last week that to make a positive change is as important as recognizing our negative traits or behaviors. It's also important that we are the one who owns whatever we need to change and not to have others name it for us.
A great preacher of the 20th century once said, "When we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power or forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances." It is often easier for us to endure the sins of others than it is to endure our own. For some people it's flat out entertaining, which sadly only serves to feed their own sinfulness.
There is a line from the classic film "It's A Wonderful Life" that perfectly describes our gospel lesson. Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed are walking home from a dance, but their clothes are soaking wet and, so they are wearing garments from the school locker room. Jimmy accidentally steps on the hem of Donna's robe, which then slips off as she jumps behind a hydrangea bush. jimmy stand there pondering the robe in his hand and says, "This is a very interesting situation!" The incident John described certainly fits that description. A woman in distress, facing public humiliation, but that's not all that makes it interesting.
Just look at the timing of this event, at dawn, probably still dark. It wasn't exactly the time of day for business, but then we should remember how Jesus said people do their evil deeds in the darkness so as not to be seen. We could argue that the act of adultery must certainly be done in the dark, which is true. However, there was more to the motivation of these men than simply pointing out sin, and that's what made them sinful as well.
This was a highly irregular proceeding. They dragged this woman from wherever they had found her and interrupted Jesus teaching in the Temple. They also brought her alone. It takes two to commit adultery, yet no mention is made of the man. The Pharisees came quoting the Law of Moses, as they always did, using that as a means to trap Jesus. But they misquoted this particular law, which said the punishment was death by stoning.
They saw her only as a sinner, and a useful one at that. As they admitted, they knew the law. They didn't have to involve Jesus. They were simply using her to trap Him into something they could use against Him. Jesus didn't only see her as a sinner. He saw her as a person in need of redemption and transformation. I think that's a description we all share. Too many times the body of Christ excels in finding fault.
What if this was played out in a church today? Imagine dredging up people's sins for public debate – how horrifying! Worse yet, how many among us would get in line to stone the sinner? Remember the message last week about judging others? We may think a silent judgment harms no one, but the required punishment for this crime was death for both parties. Jesus was not against upholding the law, but He knew it better than they did. He also tempered it with grace.
Jesus was not letting her off the hook. He was saying that no one could act as a judge, only the one with no sin. Being the only sinless one there, He could make the condition. Someone once said, "If the secret thoughts of a man were written on his forehead, he would never remove his hat!"
These men, these accusers, became convicted by their own consciences, which is a whole lot better than being convicted by the thoughts, attitudes, and opinions of others. We are in the same place as those Pharisees. We also have no authority to sit in judgment, which is why I chose it as an example. You've heard of the seat of judgment? Imagine how you would feel if Jesus came to you and said, "Excuse me, I believe you're in my seat."
He did not approve of her sin, nor simply dismiss her without a warning. No, her life of sin must stop. Jesus' word of release, then, was a word of grace, not of permission.[1] He alone was qualified to stone her. But He did not do so. Why? Because He forgave her sin. So, if God requires repentance, why did Jesus set this woman free without a single word of repentance on her part? The repentance took place within her heart![2]
Jesus does not say, "Sin no more, and then I won't condemn you." Jesus' grace says, "I do not condemn you, now go and sin no more." In that moment, Jesus restored her dignity.[3] Forgiveness is not the same thing as 'tolerance.' Being forgiven doesn't mean that sin doesn't matter. On the contrary, forgiveness' means that sin does matter – but that God is choosing to set it aside.[4]
We who accept forgiveness from God must express it to each other, especially those who have wronged us, but it's vital that we extend it to ourselves as well. Jesus told the woman not to sin again. He was asking her to change, and not just in a temporary or inconsequential way. He brought to the surface any repressed sin, but forgave any freely acknowledged sin. In the context of Christian community, how do we receive this passage?
A young man, ridden with guilt during the Middle Ages, went to a monk, and said "I've sinned by telling slanderous statements about someone in town. What should I do now?" The monk said, "First I want you to put a feather on every doorstep in town." The young man followed the monk's instructions.
Then he returned to see what he was to do next. The monk then said, "Now, go back and pick up all the feathers." The young man replied, "That's impossible! By now the wind will have blown them all over town." Seizing the moment, the monk replied, "So has your slanderous word become impossible to retrieve."
Now you can understand why it's not enough to own your unwanted or unwholesome behavior, but the act of stopping it has to be a part of the process. After we own it, if it's bad we need to stop it; easier said than done, but we're not without help. Sometimes we need help with the owning part of the plan. Stopping an action doesn't always have to involve something harmful.
Maybe it's something that's just not worthwhile or beneficial. Maybe it's only in our minds and no one else knows, but God does. He also knows when we are being self-destructive by doing nothing at all. Or we could be unaware of what we need to stop until someone we trust reveals it to us. There's a very pertinent quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that says, "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you are saying."
Before you stop anything, stop blaming yourself for what is beyond your control. Forgive yourself for what you think is your fault. Often, we hear the words, "You ought to be ashamed" as a way of correcting our behavior. We do feel ashamed if we've been told to often enough, which can get in the way of change in our lives.
We can't get help for problems we can't admit we have. Instead, exhausted, discouraged, shame-bound people practice what an interventionist calls the three steps of shame, "trying, trying harder, and trying my hardest."[5]
They say the only constant is change, which for some be a very troublesome truth, but in a spiritual sense it is a good thing. we are being transformed into God's image, so even our suffering is beneficial. Paul described it as a kind of chain reaction, but I call it a change reaction. Our reaction to the trials and suffering in our lives should be to rejoice and boast because of the progressive effect on our souls and ourselves.
This progress began at the death of Christ, which resulted in justification, a declaration of not guilty on our behalf. It is not because of this justification that we enjoy peace with God; not the peace that comes from a lack of inner turmoil, but peace as in the absence of war. Our sinfulness made us at war with God, but with Christ's sacrifice for us that war has been declared over.
With peace on our side, we also have access to God's grace. Paul said that we stand in it, which is a term of certainty. Rounding out these blessings is the hope we have in God's glory. These three components of our justification – peace, grace and hope – follow Paul's pattern of salvation in the rest of Romans 5. Peace takes care of the past; grace takes care of the present; and hope takes care of the future.
This is what the woman in John's gospel experienced if she followed through on Jesus' offer of forgiveness. The gate at which all hope seems lost is the place at which it is continually renewed. Go now and leave your life of sin. Go now and sin no more. Go and claim your future.
Romans 5:1-5
5 Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. 3 But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
John 8:1-11
8 1 And Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he returned to the temple. All the people gathered around him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The legal experts and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. Placing her in the center of the group, 4 they said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone women like this. What do you say?” 6 They said this to test him, because they wanted a reason to bring an accusation against him. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
7 They continued to question him, so he stood up and replied, “Whoever hasn’t sinned should throw the first stone.” 8 Bending down again, he wrote on the ground. 9 Those who heard him went away, one by one, beginning with the elders. Finally, only Jesus and the woman were left in the middle of the crowd.10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Is there no one to condemn you?”11 She said, “No one, sir.”Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, don’t sin anymore.”
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[1]Dongell, Joseph, John: A Commentary for Bible Students, pg. 229
[2]Stedman, Ray C., God's Loving Word – Exploring the Gospel of John, pg. 231
[3]Mosser, David N., editor, The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2013, pg. 369
[4]Wright, N.T., John for Everyone, Part One, pg. 113
[5]Wilson, Dr. Sandra D., Hurt People Hurt People – Hope and Healing for Yourself and Your Relationships, pg. 105