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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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GOSPEL OF JOHN Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert 7. Forgiving
of The Sinful Woman 8:1–11 [11- (Jn 8:1-30) 2/10/10] a) There is
a real possibility that the section of Jn 8:53-8:11 had been added to John in
later manuscripts. There is also a possibility that it had only been passed
down by word of mouth. Edwin Blum, author of the Gospel of John in the Bible
Knowledge Commentary writes, (1) Almost
all textual scholars agree that these verses were not part of the original
manuscript of the Gospel of John. The NIV states in brackets that “The
earliest and most reliable manuscripts do not have John 7:53-8:11.” The style
and vocabulary of this passage differ from the rest of the Gospel, and the
passage interrupts the sequence from 7:52-8:12. (2) It is probably a part of true oral
tradition which was added to later Greek manuscripts by copyists. (3) Nevertheless, the general conservative
opinion is that it records an authentic incident in the life of Christ.
Therefore, we will consider the meaning of this passage and leave the results
up to God. b) The
narrative portrays that Jesus spent the night on the Mount of Olives (cf. Lk
21:37-38). In the morning He came back to Jerusalem and did what He quite
frequently did, i.e. “began to teach” (Mt 5:2; Mk 1:21; 4:1; 6:2, 34; 8:31;
10:1; 11:17; Jn 7:14; 8:2). c) The Scribes and Pharisees brought to
Jesus, a woman who had been caught in adultery. It is interesting to note
that they did not bring the man with them to which the Law of Moses would
also apply. d) Obviously the whole scene was staged to
test (peirazō – vs. 6) Jesus and
bring upon Him a dilemma. If Jesus did not uphold the stoning of this woman
as the Law of Moses requires (Ex 20:14; Dt 22:22-24; Le 20:10) then He
certainly could not be the “Prophet” of whom Moses wrote (Dt 18:18). If on
the other hand, Jesus did uphold the Law of Moses and the stoning of this
woman, He would certainly lose popularity with the people. e) Jesus’ response was very intriguing in
that he stooped down and began writing (imperfect tense fr. katagráphō)
on the ground. There has been much speculation as to what Jesus wrote or
inscribed. Scripture is silent. However, there are a few interesting
suggestions. (1) Some
suggest he may have been writing the sins of the onlookers on the ground, but
we cannot be dogmatic where Scripture is silent. (2) It could very well have been insignificant
what Jesus wrote because is was not significant
enough for the author to include it in the text. Jesus was obviously ignoring
them because “they persisted in asking Him.” This would have been an
interesting strategy by our Lord. He would not have been rude, but would have
forced them to consider why they believed they had to have an answer from
Him. After He spoke, He resumed writing on the ground. (3) Jesus answered in such a way that it did
not reject the Law or the sin of the perpetrator. In fact, He added the
culpability of the Pharisees in the mix. Whoever was without sin could throw
the first stone. Jesus did not promote that judges must be perfect in order
to carry out their duty. However, He did rebuke the self-righteous blind
hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus succeeded because they all walked away
speechless (9). f) Jesus
then turned to the woman and asked her who was left to condemn her. Her
response was, “No one” and she acknowledged Him as “Lord,” perhaps indicating
her faith in Him as Messiah (11). For Jesus said He did not condemn her
either as an act of forgives upon a new-born believer. However, He did
command her not to go on sinning (present tense of hamartánō). 8. Jesus’
Second “I AM” Statement (“I am the Light of the world”) and Discourse (Jn
8:13-30). a) Jesus
spoke again to the crowd, which could possibly suggest that the whole event
of the Pharisees and the adulterous women took place in front of the crowd. b) Jesus now makes His second “I AM”
statement out of seven and says, “I am the Light of the world.” His first
statement was, “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35, 41, 48). c) In the temple’s court, there were golden
candelabras, which were ceremonially lighted during the feast. This is the
second time Jesus applied to Himself the spiritual reality of the Feast of
the Tabernacles (cp. Jn 7:38-39 cp. Zech 14:5b-8).
This would have reminded the Jewish people of the pillar of fire that
protected them in the wilderness. Amazingly, the Angel of the Lord and pillar
of fire were OT Christophanies (Ex 13:21; 14:19).
Furthermore, light is a major metaphor used some thirty-three times in the
writings of the apostle John (Gospel of John; 1, 2, 3 John & Revelation). (1) It can
refer to Jesus Christ (Jn 1:4, 8, 9) or to God’s holiness in which there is
not darkness of sin (1Jn 1:5). (2) It is used for spiritual understanding that
begins with conviction of sin (Jn 1:5; 3:19), new birth (Jn 12:36, 46), and a
believer’s walk before the Lord (Jn 8:12; 1Jn 1:7). (3) It also used for God’s glory and rule and
reign in the affairs of mankind (1Jn 2:8). d) The Jews
began to argue with Jesus because He was testifying about Himself. They
believed His testimony by itself was not valid because the Law states, A single witness
shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which
he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be
confirmed. (Dt 19:15). Jesus responded that even if His testimony alone
did not hold up in the court of men, it was still true in the court of heaven
(Jn 8:14). Jesus’ testimony and judgment was true because it was in agreement
with the Father’s testimony (Jn 8:16). But if they need two witnesses, then
He had His testimony and the testimony of the Father (Jn 8:18 cp. Jn 1:32-34
cp. Mt 3:16-17; Lk 3:22). e) The Pharisees asked where Jesus’ Father
was. He replied that they did not know His Father or the One whom the Father
sent (Jn 8:14, 18-19). Even though the plan of the Pharisees was to seize and
kill Jesus (Jn 5:18; 7:1), no one seized Him. The reason that no one seized
Him was because His hour did not come (Jn 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1;
17:1). f) Jesus revealed that He would go away,
referring to His death, resurrection, and ascension, but because they
rejected Him, they would not be able to come where He was and they would die
in their sins (21, 24). Again, they did not understand so He explained that
He was from “above” a reference to His divine origin (Jn 1:1-3 cp. Jn 3:3-7). g) They asked who He was and He replied that
He had been telling them all along (Jn 5:17; 6:35). He was the Messiah, the
One depicted in the symbols of the Feast (Jn 7:37-38; 8:12). Furthermore,
Jesus answered them in such a way that He claimed to be the Great “I Am.” In
verse 24 and 28, translators supplied the “He.” In the Greek it is literally,
“I Am” with nothing following. They would know who He was when they lift Him
up, again a reference to His death, resurrection, and ascension. Also in a
final statement He proved that He was the Son of God in that He always
pleased the Father, making Him the Lamb of God without the blemish of sin. h) Note that in the midst of His controversy
with the Pharisees, many heard Him and “many came to believe.” i) Applications: (1) In the
midst of our worst trials, God is working behind the scenes to bring people
to Himself. (2) In the midst of our worst trials, nothing
can happen to the believer that God does not allow. (3) In the midst of our worst trials, Jesus is
the light. He gives us spiritual understanding, guides our way, enables us to
walk with Him in the light of His holiness. |
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