WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY...FOOLISHNESS OF THE LAW!

  

WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY...FOOLISHNESS OF THE LAW!

More than 2000 years ago, Jesus, the Lamb of God, walked across the planes of this wicked world in order to reeducate and reintroduce all men from all walks of life to God. For thousands of years, the Jews by virtue of having the Law of Moses; thought that they understood who God was and also sneered and looked down on other nations because they thought they had the monopoly over God. Being Jews to them, meant being the only people God preferred and loved: God didn’t care if the whole world went to Hell. And boy, how wrong they were.

Hundreds of years went by, and God continued to struggle with their rebellion. Prophets were killed in their hundreds for bringing the Word of the Lord to the rebellious nation of Israel but: the Lord was patient with them.

And, in the Fullness of Time...appeared John the Baptist from the horizon of the desert and heralded a new beginning: preaching Repentance and Baptism. They all gathered around the Prophet enthusiastically, after having missed the Word of God for more than 300 years of silence. 

The Prophet’s voice was refreshing to the ears of the people and even attracted the religious leaders of the day: who was still observing the Law of Moses. John pointed them to the One standing among them and described Him as “The Way of the Lord”. 

All the people looked around, hoping to see and find someone resembling the stature of the Messiah and didn’t find anyone looking any different than the rest of the crowd that had gathered around John that day. Others laughed and mocked John as a dreamer; when one of them nudged Jesus and remarked: “Did you hear this clown, the Messiah is standing with us; this very minute?” 

The fool laughed out loud as Jesus raised His face towards the heavens and doing all the best He could: to hold back the tears in the well of His eyes. Oh yes, these fools didn’t have a clue that the Messiah their Fathers have been praying for thousands of years...was standing right there, in their midst: just like John said He was. Hello, John knew that Jesus was standing right there but he had to wait for the sign from Heaven in order to identify Him.

John 1:26

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye knew not.

A Little Background on the Law of Moses

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

If you study the verse above, you must be able to come to a conclusion that says: There was no Grace and Truth in the Law of Moses. Raise your hand if you agree with me? I have just given you a simple transliteration of this verse. This then leaves me to conclude that: The Law was just what it was...to invoke fear for sin in the heart of men without converting their souls to understand the Righteousness of God through Grace and Truth. Why was this the case? Because man was not ready to perceive God the way Grace would enable him to know his God. God wanted to be close and personal with His man: He wanted to have fellowship with him, just like He had with Adam in the Garden before the Fall. The Fall of Adam created the spiritual or divine chasm that separated him from his God. God could not touch man because of his sinful nature; He could not have fellowship as He used to daily at sunset.

Matthew 5:17

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy; but to fulfil.

Does it not surprise you that Jesus said these words right early in His ministry when He stood up and preached the Sermon of the Mount? He had to make it clear into the ears of the religious leaders of His day that they should not alienate Him from the words of the Law of Moses and thus turn the people against Himself. Jesus was addressing this message directly to the Scribes and Pharisees, the leaders who were authorized to uphold the Law of Moses during the latter days of the Old Testament. In these modern times, we are no different to people living in the days of Jesus because: just like them we’re still limited in our thinking and the way we interpret the Bible; as some regard themselves as Pentecostals, others Baptists; while some brag as Evangelicals and others sneer at everybody else worshiping on the wrong day: calling themselves, Seventh Day Adventists (or the true church). What about the Methodists, the Episcopalians and the African church? Hello!

All these are nothing but useless labels based on unbiblical gangsterism and opposing factions among people who are pulling the garment of Jesus in all directions. DOCTRINE IS THE DEVIL’S POISON THAT HAS DIVIDED THE CHURCH FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM.

The Apostles never ever preached any doctrine except the Doctrine of Christ! What is the Doctrine of Christ, perhaps you ask?

The Doctrine of Christ is God’s Grace and Truth . The Doctrine of Christ is God’s Grace and Truth…..The Doctrine of Christ is God’s Grace and Truth! Say it again.

Who is Jesus Christ, perhaps you want to know?

Christ is Grace and the Truth of God! Christ is Grace and the Truth of God! Say it again: Christ is Grace and the Truth of God! Christ is Grace and the Truth of God!

Being Pentecostal, Charismatic, Evangelical, Baptist, Adventist, Methodist, Episcopalian, African or otherwise; is no better than being under the Law of Moses still! Jesus says: Your sin remains in you because you rejected Me...the Way, the Truth and the Life: I am the Grace of God for your sinful nature and without Me; no one can come to the Father because I am the Door to the Father.

Your own divisive doctrines are like a filthy garment in the sight of God. Yes, God counts your false doctrines as self-righteousness: you are dirty and stinking to Him.

Isaiah 64:6

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

So, yes, in this story of the woman caught in adultery; Jesus was addressing the same thing I’ve just shared with you: in fact, I might as well say my benediction because I have already delivered this sermon to you succinctly.

John 8:3-11

9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No, man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.

Oh, how I wish you can understand and feel the very heartbeat of Jesus in this deep epic scene. How I wish you could stop for a while, and forget about the religious leaders who brought this woman and subverted the Law of Moses and tempted Christ’s interpretation of the Scriptures. Their hearts were not right with God because they did all this in order to tempt the Son of God (see verse 6). They had darkened motives to start a rebellion against Jesus...and how foolish they were in thinking they could trap Jesus the very Person who came to fulfill the Law which was written about Himself. Please obliterate the presence of these evil religious men in your mind and focus on Jesus and the condemned woman and I promise you: your answer and key to understanding this encounter lies right there.

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her…

What happened after Jesus said these immortal words? All her accusers disappeared without saying goodbye to Jesus. Oh God, a few minutes earlier, these morons were making big noise and quoting the Law of Moses to Jesus because they thought they had hatched a perfect plan where they could trap him once and for all. And after this, Jesus will not have guts to embarrass them through His strange teachings which they found impossible to reconcile with the Law.

Woman, where are those thine accusers?

She said, No man, Lord! Suddenly the woman had the revelation, the same one which John the Baptist had: that Jesus was the Lord and the Son of God. No man, Lord is accusing me now: it’s only me and You, they all ran away; I feel safe now.

Jesus had something in Him, His soft and forgiving eyes and His overwhelming presence: something that made women melt and felt safe when alone with Him. This woman who was trembling with fear, a few moments ago, felt all the weight upon her weak shoulders disappear with the noise of her accusers: who dragged and kicked her all the way to Jesus. Oh Lord, no man accuses me now, said the woman.

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.

Go and sin no more, should be the topic and header for this portion of Scripture. The poor woman was freed from all her fear and was able to return to her home with the assurance that Jesus had forgiven her and what joy and oasis of peace flowed inside her heart that one afternoon. She was delivered and saved through the Words Jesus uttered in her presence. Jesus gave her what the Law of Moses could not offer her.

What about you and me? What do you see when you look at me, do you feel angry because you know my past that I broke the Law of God and that zeal for the law of being self-righteous propels you to judge and feels like stoning me to death? Are you better than me because you were not divorced, even when you know that your conscience convicts you just like these religious leaders: for having been unfaithful to your spouse? Do you feel more righteous and vindicated because you weren’t caught or because you feel justified by law you weren’t caught in public just like the guilty religious leaders who were condemning the woman for the same sin they practiced as a lifestyle (in fact and for real now, one of them accusers, actually had sex with the condemned woman: it was a filthy and immoral setup; not necessarily against the woman: but a trap against Jesus). 

Jesus knew about their hypocrisy, innuendo and hence His Divine ruling. Hallelujah!

What did Jesus do when these religious bigots insisted He give His ruling over this adulterous woman’s case? Jesus squatted and wrote something on the ground with His finger, nobody knows what that was because even His Disciples didn’t see it. I believe I can reveal to you what Jesus wrote on the ground, remember, He did it twice.

Here’s the formula which Jesus wrote down on the ground to arrive at His ruling:

Adultery (condemned woman) Divide By God’s Grace and Truth = Not Guilty 

Damn, I can see that you didn’t get it! I have just given you one of the greatest revelations hidden for thousands of years, right inside a simple verse right at the beginning of this exposition. Let me paraphrase this Formula for you once more.

Law of Moses (Sin) Divide By God’s Grace and Truth = Not Guilty (Forgiven)

Ok, let’s now put this in the context of the Scripture….

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

God’s Divine Nature in Christ, as God in the flesh gave Him no other solution to solve this greatest paradox ever faced by God: Jesus revealed what the Law could not see and could not provide nor comprehend because man had fallen so below God’s Bar of Righteousness it demanded Christ to come here below and died on the Cross; go down right deep in the belly of the earth like Jonah inside the fish: in order to pull out and save this woman condemned by the self-righteous religious leaders; to death and Declare her Clean and Forgiven. The verdict.. 

Neither Do I Condemn You...Go And Sin No More!

We people as humans do not, will never be able nor ever grasp God’s rationale behind His Divine Grace and Truth...we cannot understand the way He works or moves; because He never ever deals with us in masses as in crowded numbers: but expedites His Grace and saltens it with His Truth on individual bases. 

Only the contrite and the forgiven feels and experiences His Power of Forgiveness upon their souls and, it’s this very Divine Grace and Truth which cause the same individual to pick up their cross and follow the Master willfully and without being coerced by the Law. This act of selflessness brings unequaled joy to the heart of the Father and God celebrates this reunion He’s been craving for since the Fall of Adam in the Garden! Again, as human as I am; I do not qualify to underscore God’s moods!

This woman’s accusers didn’t wait long enough, even after pressuring Jesus to give His judgment because they thought the Law was on their side: they left in a hurry without saying a word of judgement against Jesus or the woman. Jesus didn’t preach to the woman caught in adultery but the woman fell under God’s Divine conviction and saw Jesus for what He really was when He asked where had all her accusers gone...No one, LORD! No man around me with clenched fists and hands filled with stones at the ready to condemn me  to death...No man, Lord, they’re all gone!

How I hope and pray that you understand this great message; when Jesus, the Son of God: exposed the Foolishness of the Law by demonstrating God’s Grace and expended the Truth of God to free a woman cursed under the Law. I hope you do!

2 Corinthians 3:6

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

I am sure by now, after so much deliberation on this subject of the Law; you now understand that Apostle Paul was talking about the Law when he referred to it as the “Letter”. The Bible is so easy to understand, and there’s no man who spoke with better clarity than Jesus, the Son of God; to help man understand and find his way back to God: it was complicated by those who regarded themselves as the experts of the Law. 

The same idiots thought they were pushing Christ to the limit every time they brought an argument in relation to the Law of Moses. What did Jesus do in each case recorded in the Gospels? He took the same Law and took a swipe at their ignorant hearts and laid down the reason why God said the things He said in the Law of Moses. Unfortunately and sadly speaking, those days are still stuck with us today, as they did back then when Jesus faced the over-zealous religious bigots.

The Church today is still divided along doctrinal lines and religious bigotry and underlined by false identification which is not endorsed by the Christ of the Cross. I thank God that in my life as a Christian; I never ever aligned my faith in Christ based on doctrinal ism-schisms: I have always struggled to understand the Man from Galilee and did my best to study and discover Him in His own Words. I never classified myself nor identified with any of the controversial groups I have given you at the beginning of this exposition. 

What is your doctrine, Sydney? My Doctrine is JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED!

1 Corinthians 2:2

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ , and him crucified.

 

NB: FIRST PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER 2020