The scene described in John 8:1-11 conjures up in our mind an overly zealous group of hypocrites bent on destroying a soul! And often about the only thing we get out of this experience in the life of Jesus is something about "casting the first stone." Either that or pointless speculation over what he wrote on the ground! Let us consider the setting before us. Here are the sanctimonious Pharisees, pretending to honor and respect the law, and yet their ulterior motive was nothing more than to entrap Jesus, using the woman taken in ery. Concerning the matter of ery, they pose the question: "What sayest thou?" (v. 5). No doubt had Jesus in­sisted on stoning her, he would be ac­cused of harsh treatment. On the other hand, if he insisted on releasing the woman, the charge would be that he ignored the law of Moses. But Jesus saw through such a thin veneer and dealt with the matter in a way that astounded them one and all. How did he deal with the sin of the woman? Be_ fore we consider that, we might look at two other ways in which the matter could be dealt with. One of them was the way of the hypocrite and the other the way of the law.

THE HYPOCRITE'S WAY. What a terri­ble thing to find one's self in the hands of others so blind they are unable to see their own faults! Oh, they could verbalize their love for God; they could enshroud themselves in their shiny robes of self righteousness. But at the same time, they deal mercilessly with any victim that did not measure up to their standards. See the pleasure they took in setting before Jesus all the details. This woman was "taken in the very act." They "set her in the midst. . ." Then they gleefully expect to trap Jesus by asking him what he would do about the case. How little expectation of deliverance one would find under such circumstances! In looking at these Pharisees, we see one way that sin might be handled.

THE LAW'S WAY. The law basically had two functions: [1] it was defini­tive, and [2] it was punitive. Now it was true that the law demanded a se­vere penalty for ery (Lev. 20: 10; Deut. 22:22). There has been the question: "May one be justified under a system of law?" The answer might be "yes" and "no." From a theoretical standpoint, a man might be justified ­if he kept the law perfectly. But from a practical standpoint, such was not the case, for "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). This is the reason the woman of our text, nor any other person, could never be justified by law. Here is what the hypocritical Pharisees wanted - the law applied to the woman and that alone. And so in such a situation, the heavy hand of the law descends upon the sinner, with never a chance of re­demption.

THE SAVIOUR'S WAY. We see two things about Jesus in our text. First, there is his disgust for the hypocrites before him, and then there is sympa­thy for a sinful soul. Jesus knew about sin and its terrible consequences; he knew that sin was the very reason that he must soon die. He wants men to live and not die spiritually. He does not look for ways to condemn men, but to salvage their sin-wracked lives. That way can come when man, in humble repentance "comes to himself' (cf. Lk. 15:17ff) and returns to God. There was no question but what the woman had sinned, for Jesus, once the Pharisees left his presence, turned to her, urging her to "sin no more."

Does all this mean that Jesus merely "overlooks" sin? No - a thousand times no, for it is too repulsive to him. But where the accuser wants the sin­ner to die; where the law wants him to be punished, Jesus wants him to be saved. Certainly Jesus had the power to forgive sins, and the same Saviour that in a little while would forgive a penitent thief who was being crucified beside him, also forgave this woman when her penitent heart was in plain view before him. How thankful we should be that our judge will be the Saviour, and not other sinners or the law! We are made to wonder how many souls would turn in repentance if some semblance of patience, pity, sympathy and love were shown for them. Let us learn to deal with sin in others like Jesus did. Do not condone it - but deal with it in a way that will save the sinner and not doom him. - Bill Moseley (modified)

 

 

 

It was a few years ago, but there I was. I felt like I was in a "time warp." The place was the lobby of the local Holiday Inn where I was to meet my tax man for the yearly ordeal of hav­ing my hard earned cash taken away. As my wife and I sat there, we were deluged with characters right out of the 50's and 60's - beatniks and hip­pies everywhere. Haven't used those terms much lately have we? - but there they were - dozens of them!

"They can't be here to have their taxes done," I thought. You have to work and earn money to pay taxes! Then ­there before me was the answer. A poster advertised the presence of one Thakar Singh. Had a big white turban, long beard, white gown and a huge smile. The ad proclaimed him a dealer in "music and meditation." This, the claim was, "the language of the heart." "All this good stuff," I thought, "and I have to listen to a tax man." On sec­ond thought, I figured my tax man would make as much sense as this character. Then too, I could visit with him and not some weird crew that had just blown in from no telling where to have some guru tell them how to evaluate their navels. Look around ­you can find all sorts of interesting things! - Bill Moseley