In Between Me and Judgement

John 8:1-11

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.”

The law actually had great juris prudence. Possibly even better than our system in America. Here, you can convict someone with simply having one eye witness and as long as there’s beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, you can be convicted of a crime - even murder. Not in ancient Israel. Not with the Torah.
I was listening to the Bible Project podcast this week and they were teaching about the Torah. In Deut 7 and 13, we’re told about adultery and even in Leviticus and what was required to convict someone of adultery was two witnesses and you had to have the man AND the woman caught.
So in this moment with this woman, where’s the man!? 

Where is the man she slept with?
And who is the second witness?
These pharisees felt “Aha, we’ve trapped Jesus! If He knows the law, He’s compelled to agree that this woman deserves to die therefore, if He ignores that, He disobeys the Law and can’t be the Messiah, sent from God.
If He does agree with us and chooses to stone her to death, then everyone will know ... He’s not this compassionate, empathic person He claims to be!” They thought they had Him trapped!
What will be his message ... “come to me you who are heavy burden and I will... stone you to death!”
You see the Pharisees felt “WE HAVE HIM TRAPPED” If He obeys the law and kills her, he is not as merciful and compassionate as He claims. If He forgives her, then He disrespects the Torah/the law of God.

Others may have been trapped by this. But not Jesus. Jesus fulfills the law. Jesus knew that they were actually missing both the man who slept with her AND the two people who caught them in the act. He knew they were simply trying to look better than him and trap him. He knew they were using this poor woman’s terrible situation and exploiting her for their own gain. Jesus wasn’t shaken by the drama.

Jesus was poised. He took between her and judgment. He wasn’t shaken by the crowd of Pharisees who were circled around him, stones in the air. He could’ve been afraid that He too would be stoned to death. But He knew He could trust the Father to protect Him; He was doing the Father’s will.

Jesus stood between her and judgment and risked His life for her. He forgave her but He also said “Go and sin no more” He didn’t ignore her sin. He forgave it THEN instructed her to go and sin no more.
By the way, the order of His two statements matter. I love what Tim Keller says about this moment in Jesus’ ministry. “The order of Jesus comments matter a great deal. It’s the Gospel.”
Jesus says “Where are your accusers? Neither do I accuse you. Now go, and sin no more.” The reason the order of His words are important is because THAT is what the Gospel is. JESUS removes the accusation. Even HE doesn’t accuse us. Why? HE takes on the accusation. He steps between US and our accuser, between us and judgement. In Hebrews, He’s called the Great High Priest - the the one who goes between.

Can you picture that moment? Imagine you are her!

Stones are raised, ready to be thrown at us for we are guilty but JESUS steps in and takes them for us.
“Where are your accusers? Neither do I accuse you.”

Then what does he say “Go and sin no more.” Jesus doesn’t want you to keep sining as if He is fine with it and He’ll just keep forgiving you. NO. He knows that your sin causes you and others pain. He knows that your sin and my sin causes us to be separated from God - a perfect, holy God. He teaches us “GO and sin no more.”
The powerful truth you need to remember is that “going and sinning no more” IS POSSIBLE because He sent His Spirit to come into us making us a new creation that desires to please Him. Like we said earlier, He writes His law upon our heart. It’s possible for us to go and sin no more because we have FIRST been forgiven by our Lord and Savior. He stood between us and judgment. Grace compels us towards holiness.

Jesus isn’t shaken in this moment. Surrounded by people with rocks in the air - ready to throw. He’s not afraid of people being mad at him or not liking him. We can learn so much from Jesus in this moment. We are, after all, called to become like Him - to let the Spirit form us into His character.

When you are poised, you are not afraid of people disagreeing with you or attacking you. When you are poised like Jesus, you are not in need of everyone liking you.

If you need everyone to like you then you need to once again, take on the identity of Jesus and step into all that He has for you. If you need everyone to agree with you - if not, you start an argument - then you have yet to take on the posture of Jesus - the identity of Jesus. When you are poised, you don’t need everyone to agree with you or like you. You know who you are and what you stand for. Period.

Jesus was poised with compassion and dignity, confidence and humility. He knew he was “HIGHER” than the woman caught in adultery but He lowered himself. He didn’t say He was less; He acted less. He acted lower - to come to her level - to get eye to eye with her.

Jesus, in the sense that He was God, was the wealthiest person ever! Think of it! He had streets of gold, pearl gates and all that you could ask for in Heaven but He left it all ... for THIS WOMAN. He left it all … FOR YOU!

We are the harolt, caught in adultery. We are the sinful ones Jesus came for. What is it about age that compelled the older guys to drop their stones first? Wisdom I suppose.
They dropped their stones after Jesus’ comment “You without sin cast the first stone.” They dropped them beginning with the oldest. Why? They knew they too were sinners. Some of them even adulterers. It’s possible by the way, that one of them could’ve slept with this very woman. I know I’m making an assumption here but Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy all the time! Why did the oldest drop their stone first? Because often, in youth, there is a pride that doesn’t want to admit when we’re wrong.
Often, as you get older if you let the Holy Spirit mature you, you realize that you have A LOT to learn and that you have been forgiven of A LOT. Often when someone is younger, especially if they’ve grown up in religion they can falsely believe that they really aren’t a sinner and really are right about just about everything.
Jesus saw them realize their own depravity when he asked them “You who are without sin, throw the first stone.”

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake, became poor, so that you by his poverty, might become rich.

Jesus is POISED. He knows why He came - to forgive us and show us how gracious God is.

“Humility is the earth in which all the graces of Christian godliness grow.” Alistair Begg

“God gives grace to the humble...” the Word says.

Today, let’s become extra grateful for our loving Savior who stood between us and certain death. He died not only for us but as us! He took our punishment and by His stripes we are made well! THANK YOU JESUS!