John 8:1-5.11
„But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (…) “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more”
What is the context of this situation? It was during the Jewish Feast Of Tabernacles. "Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught" (John 7:14). The Jews (Pharisees and scribes, or religious leaders) tried to dismiss Jesus as the Teacher and thus undermine the belief of many Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. They tried to show that Jesus could not have the knowledge to teach because he had never been a student of a rabbinical school. "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" (John 7:15). They tried to show that Jesus' teachings were not true to the Bible because no Bible scholar believed in Jesus. "Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?" (John 7:48). There was also a failed attempt to capture Jesus. “Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come”(John 7:30)
What was the main purpose of this provocation? Jesus' teachings were contrary to those of the Pharisees. Jesus was telling people about a different God than the One the Pharisees told about. Therefore, the Pharisees repeatedly tried to show that their vision of God was true and Jesus was wrong. All previous attempts were unsuccessful for them. This made them more and more frustrated, and they were eager to demonstrate their superiority over Jesus and thus lessen the influence of Jesus on people. Ultimately, they wanted to gain the favour of the people, so that the people would support their wish to kill Jesus. By bringing to Jesus a woman who had committed adultery, they wanted to put Jesus in a hopeless situation. It seemed to them that no matter what answer Jesus gave them, they would be overcomers and Jesus would lose. It seemed to them that they knew all the possible answers from Jesus, and that this time Jesus would have no way of avoiding their trap.
What was the fundamental issue in the conflict between the Jews and Jesus? It was about justice, how God judges people. What is sin? What are the consequences of sin? How can man avoid the consequences of sin? On each of these points, the Jews were opposed to Jesus. In other words, the Jews believed in a different God than Jesus and they did not like the image of God that Jesus showed people. Let us discuss some of the points where Jesus' view of God differed from that of the Jews. Justice, sin, consequences of sin, avoiding death as a consequence of sin – 4 items.
Justice (1). Jesus told people about God who loves all people and is a merciful God, willing to forgive sins. (Exodus 34:6‑7) “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation”. ["Visiting" does not mean ‘punishing’, but special care for those who bear the consequences of their ancestors' sins, passed on to them through their spiritual DNA]. The most important thing in God's justice is, that a man should turn from his sins and lose interest in sin. “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live” (Ezekiel 18:21-22). The Jews believed in justice that judges people by their deeds, but does not examine their motivations. They believed that salvation was available only to those who kept purity and avoid everything what is unclean. They believed also that those, who were unclean because of sins, were already condemned to death. For the Jews, sacrifice offerings was a way of cleansing, but only external, because they felt no need to cleanse their own hearts. They were so attached to their concept of righteousness that they were ready to teach God. God said about this in the book of Ezekiel: “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?" (Ezekiel 18:25)
Sin (2). According to the Jews, sin is a physical act that violates God's commandments. According to Jesus, sin is much more than just a physical act. Sin also occurs when a person does not perform a physical act that is sin, but the will to commit that sin arises in his mind. „But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Moreover, the Jews considered sinful acts that Jesus did not believe were sinful. For example, they considered as a sin not to follow the rabbinical requirements, even though they had no Scriptural basis. Jesus pointed to thoughts and feelings that are sin, but the Jews did not recognize thoughts and feelings as sin. „You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matthew 5:38-39). For the Jews, it was a sin to have any contact with people whom they considered unclean, and Jesus not only did not avoid such contact, but was often with such people. According to the Jews, everyone had the right to take revenge, and Jesus took that right away from them. „You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45). According to the Jews, God commanded them to love only their brothers, people who believe in God as much as they do; and at the same time the same God commanded them to hate those who are not their brethren in faith. Jesus extended the obligation of love to all people, and at the same time indicated that any hatred to people is against God's law.
Consequences of Sin (3). According to the Jews, every sin has a penalty for sin. The Jews believed that God punishes people for their sins, but some sins are so great that God, through Moses, commanded them to kill those people who committed these kinds of sins. „Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones” (Leviticus 20:1-2). The Jews believed that God not only told them about the death of the sinner, but also showed them how the sinner was to die - he was to be killed by them, for example stoned to death. „The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 20:10). By the way, why did the Jews only bring an adulteress to Jesus? Where was the adulterer? The Jews also believed that God could punish people for their sins with diseases. „Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2). The Jews also believed that the penalty for sins could also include the loss of property or position. In this way, friends explained to Job the cause of his misfortunes. „Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off? Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of His anger they are consumed” (Job 4:7-9). They perceived health, prosperity and success in life as rewards from God, and diseases, poverty and misfortunes that fell on man as punishment for sins. Jesus taught people about God's mercy, he explained to people that God forgives people their sins. Jesus pointed to sickness, misfortune, and death as a result of sin, not the punishment for sin. Jews scared people with eternal death, Jesus gave people hope for eternal life.
Avoiding death as a consequence of sin (4). According to the Jews, not only death, but also all misfortunes faced by people, were a punishment for their sins, and the only way to avoid them was to stay clean and to make sacrifices prescribed by law. They believed that the sacrifice was necessary but also sufficient for God to forgive sins. Jesus pointed out that death and misfortune are not the punishment of sin, but a consequence of it. He also talked about another way to avoid the consequences of sin. It is repentance and a turning away from sin. „But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him [this is true forgiveness!!!]; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live” (Ezekiel 18:21-22). God has long exhorted the Israelites to get on the right path and give up what is ineffective in achieving righteousness. „Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies - I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:13-17). With His teachings, Jesus made people aware when sacrifice was ineffective, futile. Thus, He indicated the effect that the sacrifices should have on the human heart. The Jews completely ignored this aspect of their sacrifices.
The growing conflict between the Jewish leaders and Jesus was a product of the pride of Israel's religious leaders. They could not accept that someone outside their group, someone who didn’t have an education like them, someone who didn’t have the same knowledge as them, could be God's messenger. They felt it was impossible that God, who had chosen them, could use someone else to lead God's people. They considered themselves the only legal intermediaries between God and the people. Thus, they considered themselves a special, privileged group. Thus, they believed that defending their position is defending the order established by God, and therefore they may use methods that are not entirely in accordance with God's Law.
Now let's go back to the moment when the Jews, after bringing adulteress to Jesus, said:
Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned
The Pharisees addressed Jesus using the title Teacher. This shows that the issue of teaching was one of the reasons for their intrigue. At the very beginning, they emphasized that Jesus was a teacher because they wanted to show in the end that Jesus is not trustworthy teacher. They wanted to build a simple association in the minds of the people there: Jesus was a false teacher because he taught things that were against the Mosaic Law. They wanted to tell people that if Jesus is a true teacher sent by God, then he should know what sin is. Jesus should know that what this woman did was sin. And since He knows what she did is sin, then He should also know what God commanded them, the Jews, to do if they discover such a sin. Any attempt to pardon this woman would be used by them to accuse Jesus of breaking the law. And if Jesus had supported their demand that this woman be stoned, they would have used it to accuse Jesus to the Romans, and thus they would have overcome the problem by removing Jesus with the hands of the Romans. They didn’t worry that their hypocrisy would manifest themselves in such a case, the most important thing for them was bringing Jesus to death.
That is why, when they brought the woman accused of adultery to Him, they asked Jesus, "What do You say?"
They were convinced that Jesus could only give one of the two answers, and were sure that they could use both to bring about Jesus' death.
This was Satan's purpose that inspired the Pharisees. Satan was convinced that he could use whatever Jesus answered for his purposes. And Satan's main goal was to make people believe that God doesn’t forgive sins without punishing the sinner.
„Lucifer (…) misrepresented God, attributing to Him the desire for self-exaltation. With his own evil characteristics he sought to invest the loving Creator. Thus he deceived angels. Thus he deceived men. He led them to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His goodness. Because God is a God of justice and terrible majesty, Satan caused them to look upon Him as severe and unforgiving. Thus he drew men to join him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe settled down upon the world. {DA 21.3}
The earth was dark through misapprehension of God” {DA 22.1}
„Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in debasing the image of God in humanity. Then Jesus came to restore in man the image of his Maker. None but Christ can fashion anew the character that has been ruined by sin. He came to expel the demons that had controlled the will. He came to lift us up from the dust, to reshape the marred character after the pattern of His divine character, and to make it beautiful with His own glory” {DA 37.3}
„In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed, that justice was inconsistent with mercy, and that, should the law be broken, it would be impossible for the sinner to be pardoned. Every sin must meet its punishment, urged Satan; and if God should remit the punishment of sin, He would not be a God of truth and justice. When men broke the law of God, and defied His will, Satan exulted. It was proved, he declared, that the law could not be obeyed; man could not be forgiven. Because he, after his rebellion, had been banished from heaven, Satan claimed that the human race must be forever shut out from God’s favor. God could not be just [it is the unscriptural concept of God's justice that Satan spreads to mankind] he urged, and yet show mercy to the sinner {DA 761.4}
When Jesus began his ministry, He came with his disciples to Jerusalem. It was during Passover.
John 2:13-16 „Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!””
The temple was considered primarily as the residence of the deity, and only secondarily as a place of worship. The Jewish leaders changed that. According to them, the temple was primarily a place to perform the activities prescribed in the Mosaic Law. People were to come to the temple to worship God, primarily by making offerings. Ellen White wrote about it this way:
„Numerous ceremonies were enjoined upon the people without the proper instruction as to their import. The worshipers offered their sacrifices without understanding that they were typical of the only perfect Sacrifice” {DA 157.3}.
However, the temple was primarily a place that people would associate with God's dwelling, a place where they could meet God. Jesus spoke of the temple as being the Father's home (John 2:16), and a home is a meeting place. The rules that were introduced by Israel's spiritual leaders made it difficult for people to access the house of God. By their actions, the priests contributed to the fact that people had a wrong image of God. „Lucifer (…) misrepresented God (…) Satan caused them [people] to look upon Him as severe and unforgiving (…) The earth was dark through misapprehension of God”.
And now Jesus is in the Father's house, standing in the vestibule of the Temple. What he thought before he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!" (John 2:16 NIV)
And now let’s go to the book “Desire Of Ages””
As Jesus came into the temple, He took in the whole scene. He saw the unfair transactions. He saw the distress of the poor, who thought that without shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for their sins. He saw the outer court of His temple converted into a place of unholy traffic. The sacred enclosure had become one vast exchange. Christ saw that something must be done {DA 157.2-3}
It was because of Satan's deceptions that when people read the Bible, they saw in it what Satan was suggesting about God. It is because of Satan's deceptions that when people read the Bible, they see in it what Satan is suggesting about God.
Leviticus 17:11 „For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul”
There are two statements:
1. blood makes atonement for the soul (Leviticus, it says the Lord)
2. without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (DA, what the people believed)
Do you see the difference between the two sentences?
Atonement for life - Whom is the shedding blood begging for life? God? Do you believe in a God who must be begged to spare a sinner's life? I believe in God who does everything to help the sinner save his life. Your life depends on the decisions made by yourself. It is the man who must be begged to abandon the sin that leads him to death.
What did Jesus want to do? The cleansing of the temple was one of His goals, but the most important thing for Jesus was to show that God does not need blood to forgive people's sins.
Does God say that He can forgive a man his sins only when blood is shed? Does God say He will not forgive a man his sins unless a blood sacrifice is made? Does God need this blood to forgive sins? I believe in a God who doesn't need blood to forgive us our sins. I believe in a God who is very willing to forgive our sins. We need this blood to turn from all our sins.
The Bible says that "the blood makes atonement for life." Do you believe in God who needs to be begged for forgiveness, in a God who doesn’t want to forgive us our sins, but wants to punish us for our sins, and only by repeated prayer changes His decision? Is it not that the blood of the sacrifices and the blood shed by Jesus tried and still are trying to beg and plead our hearts? God said to Cain:
„What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). Unfortunately, Cain didn’t hear that voice. How many of those who offered sacrifices to God have not heard this voice either? How many of those who know the story of Jesus do not hear the voice of His blood.
What God did those whom Jesus saw in the temple believe in?
Jesus saw people who felt that "without shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for their sins." And Jesus knew He had to do something with this.
The cleansing of the temple is a symbol of the cleansing of the heart. However, the purification of the heart can only take place when a person has a correct idea of God, only when false views about God, about His love and His mercy are removed from the heart and mind of man. You cannot believe in a God who is love and at the same time believe that such a God must be begged for mercy. Does a loving God need blood to forgive people's sins?
Does a loving father forgive his child only when the child begs forgiveness, and when the child does not, can he only expect punishment? Is this what love is all about?
Throughout his life on earth, Jesus restored the image of God in people, this image that Satan has been distorting for six thousand years. Such a distorted, false image of God was possessed by those who wanted to use a woman caught in adultery to kill Jesus. They believed in God who punishes people for their sins. They believed that God required blood from them.
When Moses spoke to Israel, "the blood makes atonement for the soul," he was not talking about God demanding blood, but about the fact that human hearts are so hardened and attached to sins that only the sight of shed blood can break their stone hearts. "Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked [h] no longer" (Deuteronomy 10:16). It is only because of the effect of the shed blood on the conscience of man that man can reject sin with all his heart. It is the blood that makes us aware of what sin really is.
Let us go back once more to the moment when the Jews, after bringing adulteress to Jesus, said:
Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned
Looking at them, Jesus saw people who, because of their attachment to what was not of God, allowed Satan to change their views about God. Jesus knew how often in the past he had tried to help them see and love the Truth. From the very beginning, from the very first moments He spent with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He tried to form the right image of God in people. From the very beginning, Jesus revealed this truth to mankind that can help them to reject false ideas about God. From the very beginning, Jesus did everything so that people would love God and, out of love for their Creator, wanted to live in accordance with God's law.
Jesus looked at the scribes and Pharisees and saw their true state of spiritual bondage. He felt sorry for them with all his heart and wanted to help them. How many times in similar situations has Jesus thought or said, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning" (John 8:25). These words express the despair of Jesus who did so much to save those who thought they were religious leaders and yet they refused to accept this help and continued to stubbornly turn away from the Truth.
Once again, Jesus did what was possible at that moment to show the truth about God to those who looked at Him. He showed once again that God doesn’t punish people for their sins, but forgives them. By answering the Pharisees' question, "But what do You say?", Jesus was able to move the consciences of these people. Jesus said:
Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7)
After these words, the Jews around Jesus realized their sinfulness. They realized that their condition was no better than that of the woman who had committed adultery. They realized that they themselves deserved what they wanted to do to this woman and to Jesus. They felt as if they were standing before a God from whom they could not hide anything. And they felt that they didn't want God to treat them as they wanted to treat everyone they considered a sinner.
Pharisees and priests remembered this feeling. They felt the same when Jesus spoke to them in the temple saying: „Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16 NIV).
This is how Ellen White described the reaction of the Pharisees and priests:
Christ spoke with the authority of a king, and in His appearance, and in the tones of His voice, there was that which they had no power to resist. At the word of command they realized, as they had never realized before, their true position as hypocrites and robbers. When divinity flashed through humanity, not only did they see indignation on Christ’s countenance; they realized the import of His words. They felt as if before the throne of the eternal Judge, with their sentence passed on them for time and for eternity {DA 162.3}
They were so afraid of the consequences of their own decisions that they could only run away because the last thing they were willing to do was recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Their pride didn’t allow them to humble themselves and confess their sins. They would rather escape than do it.
For some of them, it was perhaps the last chance to humble themselves before God, the last chance to accept God's help. Each refusal, each "NO" to God for His offer of help, makes the heart of the sinner more and more hard and any "NO" is the one after which there is no longer a chance for the sinner to convert. This is not the result of God's decision to help the sinner no more, but it is the result of the sinner's decision, and God can only say:
What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? (Isaiah 5:4)
Jesus' words took effect.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there (John 8:9)
Unfortunately, for many of them, this effect was not permanent, and soon they stopped listening to the voice of conscience again. However, there was someone who saw something special in Jesus. The woman who was about to be stoned saw God's love in Jesus. And she heard the words that changed her life.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11).
This woman realized that what she had been taught about God who is punishing people for their sins was not true. This woman saw in Jesus an image of a God who not only willingly forgives sins, but also helps us to reject them. This woman loved Jesus with all her heart, and from then on, her love for Christ became her shield. She loved God so much that the mere awareness of what God felt about sin effectively discouraged her from committing anything that might hurt the One she loved.
And now I have a question for you: what happened to the disciples of Jesus? Where were they?
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
Just Jesus and the woman the Jews wanted to use to kill Jesus.
Usually, disciples didn’t leave their Master behind. This time, however, they departed from Jesus along with the Pharisees. Jesus' words also touched his disciples. They realized that what they had learned about God's love from their religious teachers was not true. They also judged the woman and felt that she should be stoned to death. After Jesus' words "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her", they could not stand and look into the face of neither Jesus nor this woman. They walked away because of the shame in their minds when they realized they were misjudging God.
Jesus said to this woman:
Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more
Jesus says the same to all of us. "Go and sin no more."
Do you find within yourself the same love for Him that this woman found? Do you see with the eyes of faith the same God that this woman saw that day?
