Sermon Audio: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

In the name of Jesus Christ who came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, dear fellow redeemed,

As we read about the life of Jesus in the Bible, we find different people reacting in different ways to being His presence. Aged Simeon held Jesus in his arms and broke into a song of praise when Jesus was only 40 days old. When Jesus was a grown man, parents would bring their little babies to Jesus to have Him hold them and bless them. Demons would fall down in fear in the presence of Jesus. However, violent men acted much differently in Jesus’ presence— spitting on Him, beating Him, mocking Him, and finally, stretching out His hands and feet to nail them to a cross.

This morning, we will hear an account of different groups of people standing before Jesus and their reactions. As we hear this event recorded in John 8, I want you to think about where you fit into this text and how you would react if you stood in the presence of Jesus under the circumstances of our text. Are you the one caught in sin or convicted of your sin? We read from John chapter 8, verse 2 through 11:

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.” (ESV)

ONE CAUGHT IN SIN

We’ve all experienced having our stomach in a knot, as we were caught doing something wrong. Maybe the police pulled you over for speeding. Or maybe you were caught stealing a pack of gum from a store or cheating on a test. Or maybe it was something much more humiliating, like the woman in our text. She had been caught committing adultery—that is, she was sleeping with someone who was married to another woman.

As if that weren’t enough, the leaders of her church, the Scribes and the Pharisees, made her stand before Jesus. But it wasn’t just Jesus. This took place at the Temple at Jerusalem— the central place of worship for Jews, surrounded by people Jesus had been teaching.

Imagine being caught in such a shameful sin. Though it wasn’t enough you had sinned against your Lord, sinned against your body, sinned against God’s institution of marriage, now you are presented before your friends, family, and neighbors at church, and made to stand before Jesus—the Great Teacher who has power to heal the sick and cast out demons.

What could she say? What defense did she have? She couldn’t give excuses like Adam, “The woman made me do it,” or King Saul, “The people made me do it.” She couldn’t claim, “it wasn’t me.” She was guilty and there was no denying it. She had been caught in sin.

ONES CONVICTED OF SIN

The Scribes and Pharisees who brought this guilty woman before Jesus certainly were not acting out of love. Placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” (8:3-5)

The Scribes and Pharisees knew their Old Testament laws. Leviticus 20 was pretty clear. The punishment for adultery was death. However, listen carefully to the words of Moses: “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:10) This woman had been caught red-handed. She was guilty. But this is a sin that involves two people. Where was the man? Why was she alone brought to Jesus? This reminds us of how little the Jewish leaders of those days thought of women—that they were almost second-class Jews. It also shows their hypocrisy in this case. If she was “caught in the act,” the man should have been brought before Jesus as well.

As they stood before Jesus, what was His reaction? He draws in the dust. That seems odd. The Holy Spirit doesn’t tell us what He wrote, so we know it is not important for us. However, His reaction, silently drawing in the dust, shows His disinterest in what the Scribes and Pharisees were trying to do. Jesus had come to save sinners like this woman, not stone them to death for their sins. Oh, that we would learn from Jesus to silently draw in the dirt, rather than involve ourselves in conversations about the sins of other people!

Furthermore, this was a civil law for the nation of Israel with a civil punishment. This was a matter for the Jewish courts to handle—Jewish courts that would require witnesses; Jewish courts that no longer had the authority to execute anyone under Roman rule.

The Scribes and Pharisees aren’t satisfied with Jesus’ reaction—or lack of reaction. They continue to press Him on it. They know that if Jesus says to let her go that He then will be going against the law of Moses in Holy Scripture. And if He says to carry out the stoning, He will be going against His message of repentance and forgiveness of sins. So, they continue to push the issue as Jesus draws in the dirt.

Finally, Jesus answers them: 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.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. (8:7-8) These men brought a condemned woman, caught in sin. As they stood before Jesus, they all were pointing the finger at her. However, Jesus saw through it all. He exposed their hypocrisy. He opened their eyes to see that they too were guilty of sin. The Apostle John writes, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) John writes that one by one, starting with the oldest, they walked away, convicted of their own sin and guilt.

So how do we fit in this story? How many times have you been shocked and appalled at the sins of other people? Sins that you would NEVER find yourself committing. There certainly can be a righteous indignation over sin. Sins that violate God’s holy commandments and impact other people, such as this woman’s adultery, impacted the marriage of another man and woman that God had joined together.

However, if you see them in church standing before Jesus, what thoughts go through your mind? Are you disgusted that they are here? Do you begin to stone them in your mind with loveless words as you condemn them for the things that they have done?

Or maybe you are the one that has been caught. You are so embarrassed by your sin that you are afraid to come to church. You are afraid of what people will say or how they will react when they see you. You are afraid you’ll get stoned by the looks of your fellow Christian. You feel like you don’t belong among church going people.

Brothers and sisters, we all have fallen short of God’s glory. In Hebrews 4 we read, “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13) Standing before Jesus we all have been caught and convicted.

So where can we go? Well, is there a better place for sinners to stand than in the presence of Jesus?

We have heard of the one caught in sin and those convicted of sin, we find one more figure in our text—one who was condemned FOR sin, Jesus. He is the Lamb of God who takes the sin of the world, the sin of this woman, the loveless sin of hypocrisy of these men, Jesus takes all of it away. He doesn’t just take it away, He becomes it. “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) God made Jesus to be our hate, our adultery, our hypocrisy, our ugly thoughts and ugly words, whatever the sin you can think of that makes your stomach turn, God made Jesus to be that sin.

What is it that Jesus says to this adulterous woman? After her accusers had left, Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (8:9-11) Jesus came to save sinners—including adulterous sinners. Jesus did not condemn her, He came to forgive her. He freed her from the rightly deserved punishment of eternal death in hell, by being condemned for her sin. Yes, let us stand before Jesus! Only His blood can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Only His death on the cross can free us from our condemnation. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!

As He forgives her, notice what else Jesus goes on to say: “Go, and from now on sin no more.” In other words, freed from your sins, don’t go on continuing in that sinful lifestyle. As you stand before Jesus, caught and convicted, Jesus says the same thing to you in your repentance. Jesus was condemned for those sins to forgive you. You are forgiven. Because of Jesus, God remembers them no more. Jesus does not forgive us so that we can continue in them. Redeemed, restored, and forgiven He calls on us to flee those sins as we live for Him who was condemned for us.

Who deserves to stand before Jesus? No one. Even the holy angels in heaven bow before Jesus, how much less should caught and convicted sinners stand before holy Jesus. Yet, Jesus stands before us. He stands before us as one condemned for our sins, so that we could stand forgiven before God and in His presence eternally in heaven. All praise to Jesus! Amen.

—Pastor Nathan Pfeiffer

Berea Ev. Lutheran Church
Inver Grove Heights, MN

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.