The radical Messiah

John 8: 1-11

(Please read this passage in a translation which is your preference.)

   Jesus did three epic actions within the course of this historic event: Jesus furthered the Law, Jesus waived conviction, and Jesus instructed the woman to live a new life.

   In line with their sinister mission, in the wake of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, the Pharisees seized a woman who was having sex outside of marriage.  They did this solely to trap Jesus.

   Ironic that the “teachers of the law” joined in with the Pharisees for this confrontation, because their statement about what Moses commanded is oversimplified, thus not completely accurate.  Now the sin of adultery is as clear as can be, since it was one of the “Ten Commandments,” which were commandments given to Moses by God.  But the punishment of death by stoning for certain sexual sins had complex parameters.

   The bottom line regarding this vindictive plan was that the plan surely seemed to be a trap which would be successful one way or the other.  If Jesus said ‘no,’ do not stone her, then the Pharisees could get away with announcing across the land that Jesus permitted adultery, and that He went against the Mosaic Law, whether that was accurate or not.  Thus they could counter any claims that He is the Christ.

   And if Jesus said ‘yes,’ then the Pharisees could say that Jesus was a brutal and violent judge.  The reason: We can presume that stoning punishments for sexual sins under the Mosaic Law had been scratched by Israelite leaders many centuries before.  They sure were not enforced by King Solomon nearly a thousand years earlier.  This punishment probably was only carried out for a short time in Israelite history, possibly for brief periods during the time of the Israelite judges.  If Jesus would have said to stone the woman, He would have been hated.

   Instead, Jesus, being God the Son, did what only He could do.  Jesus furthered the Mosaic Law by commanding that only a person who is sinless should carry out a stoning punishment.  He had furthered the Law in His ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ and He did it again here.

   Thus not a single person threw a rock, because there was not a single person without sin, other than Jesus.

   That is why Jesus was left all alone with the accused.

   Secondly, Jesus did not convict her.

   The ultimate mission of Jesus was to die on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of all people.  In the near future, Jesus would also fulfill the Law, being the atoning sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.  On this occasion, however long before those pinnacle six hours, Jesus was foreshadowing his merciful atoning work by not convicting the woman.

   Yet there was one more crucial declaration.  Always remember the final statement by Jesus: “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11 NIV).

   Sin hurts people.  Jesus does not want anyone getting hurt.

   Jesus clearly taught adultery is a sin.  Jesus instructed the woman to cease committing adultery.

   In this day and age, sexual immorality is rampant, and many people are getting hurt.

   We Christians need to continue to adhere to and proclaim the teachings of Jesus.

   We need to acknowledge that sex outside of marriage is wrong and hurtful.

   In the wake of graduating from Virginia Tech many years ago, I was a proud graduate, and I had a successful three years as a Resident Advisor to my credit.  But sadly, I struggled with a private sin of lust, which only brought loneliness.  Turning to Jesus ended up being the path to living by love instead.  Turning to Christ less than a year after graduating resulted in a changed life where I have lived with peace and joy for all these remaining years.

   We need to tell people that forgiveness is offered from Jesus and can be received by anyone.

   We need to be tactful yet bold in saying the will of Jesus for His children is to flee from a life of sin and to rely on the Holy Spirit to live a life of holiness.

   Living in holiness results in goodness!

   Jesus is for real!

Hunter Irvine

Scripture Love Blog

Pharisees refused to listen

John 7:45-52 Finally, the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

   “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared.

   “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted.  “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?  No!  But this mob that knows nothing of the law - there is a curse on them.”

   Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

   They replied, “Are you from Galilee too?  Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee” (NIV).

   The temple guards listened to Jesus.  But the leaders of the Pharisees did not listen to the temple guards, rather they insulted the guards.

   Then those leaders made a generalization saying that none of the Pharisees had believed in Jesus.  Yet did Nicodemus believe in Jesus?  Whether he did or not at this juncture, he gave a rational response about their rejection of Jesus.  But the leaders of the Pharisees did not listen to Nicodemus either.  Instead they insulted him also.

   Wild enough, this emotional string of insults exposes an evil mode of those involved in the insulting.  I preface that mode to say there is a minuscule chance those leaders could have been unaware of what was written in Isaiah 9.  Yet it is more likely they were ignoring and distorting Isaiah 9.  What evil for those leaders to be ignoring and distorting Scripture.

   Tragic.

Here is the Scripture they were ignoring:

Isaiah 9:1-2   Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.  In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan - The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (NIV).

   Indeed, the prophet Isaiah foretold of a great light which would come out of Galilee.  This prophecy must have seemed bizarre at the time, because Galilee was part of the kingdom of Israel.  Yet after the fall of the northern kingdom, Israel became flooded with Gentiles.  Isaiah was correct.

   Isaiah gave a prophecy of much hope in telling of a great light.  That great light was the Messiah!

   Yet the Pharisees diverted that truth or ignored that truth.

   Tragedy continues two thousand years later as people ignore, distort, or even reject the revelations of Scripture.

   Yet even in our time, many adhere to the revelations of Scripture!  For example, verses or messages from Isaiah 9 are sung and stated often in Christian worship services all over the world during the Christmas season.

   Though he was not born in Nazareth, it was the hometown of Jesus.  Thus out of Galilee, at about age thirty, came the Messiah!

Hunter Irvine

Scripture Love Blog