Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Continuing a series of the 'People Jesus Met'
• Now seeing Jesus confronted by pharisees with the real focus on the woman condemned by the Pharisees
• Imagine the scene
• The Pharisees weren't concerned with Jesus but used this woman as a pawn to test and discredit Jesus
• 7:5 - His brothers did not believe in Him
• 7:30-31 - people had tried to take Him by force
• 7:32 - the Pharisees send officers/guards to take him but the guards said "No man ever spoke like this"
• 8:59 - people tried to stone Jesus
• Overview:
• The worse in human nature
• The one without sin
• The one who forgives sin
• Adultery is a grevious sin:
• It first happens in the heart
• It is treachery to your partner and betrayal to the one you love
• It breaks up relationships and causes pain in another marriage
• The woman committed adultery?
• There is a possibility that she might have been set-up
• It takes two to commit adultery but only one is brought before the authorities
• To test Jesus: Is He for or against the law of Moses

The worse in human nature

• Adultery was not the worse in human nature
• Jesus say the sins of men and how they were standing in judgement over this lady
• The Pharisees Character
• But Jesus knew their hearts
• The Pharisees are condemning a woman to test Jesus
• They are also hiding their own heart
• Jesus taught parables about this:
• Example of the Pharisee and the Tax collector
• Example of the Prodigal son
• They were white wash sepulchers [tombs]
• What about us - do we judge others?
• Examples
• Do we pray for others and long for them to be saved?
• God sees it

The one without sin

• Jesus did not initially get involved in the confrontation
• It is foolish to speculate on why/what He was doing?
• Num 5
• He writes twice on the ground (v6,8)
• Jesus did not automatically react - He was wise
• Deut 17:7
• He was honouring the Word of God
• He was testing the Pharisees
• The reaction - all left
• The older first as they have sinned more
• Older people are not immune to sin
• "He who us without sin ..." (v7)
• Christ was the only one without sin and able to judge the situation
• Christ always did what was right

The one who forgives sin

• Christ was ignoring the men but not the woman
• The woman has a contrite repentant heart
• Christ did not condemn her but showed grace, love and mercy
• Christ has come to fulfill the law and take her sin on the cross
• God must punish sin
• Christ was cursed so that we would not be
• Christ was the 'friend of sinners' - He came not to call the righteous but sinners
• Do we recognise our guilt and sin before a holy God?
• Do we realise that we are a sinner?
• Do we realise that there is grace to cover all our sin?
• Do we realise that God has such love that He wants none to perish but all to come to repentance?
• Grace does not remove the requirement of the law - it fulfills it
• We are not to deliberately transgress - "go and sin no more"
• We are to live for Christ
• We are safe in Christ Jesus
• If we walk away from Christ we will face the judgement of God
• If we come to Christ then God will abundantly pardon us