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The Pharisees brought the adulterous woman before Jesus as a
trap. How would He react when presented with a problem of law verses mercy? If He
chose mercy and did not condemn this women for her sin, He would show everyone that He did not
follow the laws of Moses. If He chose law and condemned her for her sin, He would no longer
be looked on as a loving, merciful leader. Jesus chose to do neither. Jesus knew the
sins of the accusers as well as her sin. In John 8:7 Jesus is saying I dispute your qualifications
for punishing someone else. They stood in the presence of Jesus and had a sense of their own
sinfulness and could do nothing but walk away. The woman also could have walked away.
She chose to stay, for she wanted and needed Him. He used a term of respect when
He called her "Woman." Jesus looked to the cure of her sin, Himself. In John 8:12 Jesus reveals that He is the light of the world and the light of life. In Jewish thought light was a supreme manifestation of God's glory. The Rabbis even said the name of Messiah was light. In John 8:23 Jesus clearly states that He is not of this world. He also tells them the consequence of not believing. The whole of Jewish history was designed so that they would recognize the Messiah. Unfortunately their history is also a downward spiral of rejecting God's leadership and following the sinful leadership of men. Throughout the history of the Old Testament the Jewish leaders had rejected the words of God and His prophets. The study of the book of John is to help us see that Jesus is who He claimed to be. When Jesus spoke the words of John 8:58 the people considered His statement blasphemy. "I am" is the same designation God used when Moses asked for the name of God. (See Exodus 3:14.) If Jesus were not God Himself, His statement would have been blasphemous. The Jews picked up stones to stone Him because they understood who He claimed to be. The only condition for salvation is, by the grace of God, to believe that His Son, Jesus, is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Belief always expresses itself in action. True faith is expressed when we keep His words. How can we keep them if we don't read them? When we continue in His word, we enter into the truth of God. Our full personality is revealed through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. |