Woman where are your Accusers?

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John 8v3-11 tells us about the woman, that the Jewish religious leaders bring to Jesus because she has committed adultery. The account tells us that she was caught "in the very act".

Just a few thoughts I want to share with you:

The Reason

The religious leaders didn't care how much they humiliated or shamed the woman. They made a spectacle of her and treated her as an object, a useful object, to get at Jesus and put Him on the spot.

The Word of God tells us what their motive and reason was in v6

6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.

They had used the law of Moses to condemn the woman, in an effort to catch Jesus out and put Him in a corner. I'm sure they thought to themselves, "We've got Him this time, how can He possibly go against what the Law commands"?

You see in Leviticus 20v10 and Deuteronomy 22v22 the Law clearly stated, that both the man and woman who were guilty of adultery, should be put to death. The method of putting someone to death - stoning!

It's obvious they also applied a double standard to the situation. They didn't bring the man to face the shame and ridicule of the crowd. No, he was allowed to escape that ordeal. Makes you wonder if he was one of their acquaintances? Could it be possible that he was a religious leader, or was it ok for men to commit adultery without consequences but not women? All conjecture I know but sometimes my imagination just thinks what if?

You see, what religion and those who are leaders within it do? They don't care about mercy, justice or the individual soul. Religion serves its own agenda and purposes and will destroy whoever or whatever gets in the way or use whoever and whatever it can, to further it's purposes, in spite of the consequences.

It will use the law and the Word of God to condemn, punish and bring men and women into bondage but will omit to use God's Word to set people free and to lift their burdens.

In Matthew 23v13-33 Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees hypocrisy and pronounces a series of woes.

In v23&24 He says:

23¶Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

Religion is hard, compassionless and self serving. Religion, is all about control and power over others and about holding on to that power at any costs. That's why they hated Jesus. He threatened their power and control because he showed up their hypocrisy.

The Word says in Matthew 7v28&29

28¶And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

You see associating Jesus with religion is a big mistake. Jesus didn't come to this earth and die on a Roman cross and redeem us unto Himself, to give us the man-controlled religious system. He is so far removed from it and those who are controlling and controlled by it can't even see it!

Jesus said I will build my church (Ekkelsia) and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16v17-19.

Jesus is not building a religious system, denomination or institution. No, He is bypassing such, to call a people unto Himself, who will follow the Lamb, will be led and controlled by the Lamb and will truly represent the Lamb.

Christ's Response

Jesus does something twice that is of great significance in the context of this account.

You see, one thing I've learned over the last 30 years of studying the Word of God is, that there is nothing in the Bible by chance. Every word, every line, has a deeper meaning and the Holy Spirit will reveal that truth to our hearts, if we will trust Him and rely on Him as the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to do so.

Twice Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground. In v6 it tells us that he wrote with his finger.

I don't want you to miss this revelation.

Jesus wrote on the ground with HIS FINGER as if He wasn't listening to the woman's accusers.

In Exodus 31v18 it says

18¶And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, WRITTEN WITH THE FINGER OF GOD.

Have you got it?

The same finger that wrote the commandments, including thou shalt not commit adultery - was now writing on the ground, while faced with those who were using the very law He had written, to try and catch Him out.

But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.

Jesus is God of very God. He was God incarnate in the flesh.

John 1v14 says that the Word became flesh and dwelt (literally: tabernacled) Himself among us.

In Matthew 1v23 it says that Jesus was to be called Emmanuel which means God with us.

I wonder what He wrote but the bible doesn't tell us but I wonder......?

I wonder did he write the commandment and that He as God had written all those centuries ago?

It says that when they kept pressurising Him for an answer that He said to them in v7 let him that is without sin cast the first stone.

v8 says that once again he stooped down and wrote on the ground

For me the act of stooping speaks of his divine humility and condescendion.

I wonder what He wrote the second time?

I will have mercy and not sacrifice?Matthew 9v13

Mercy triumphs or rejoices over judgement?James 2v13

FORGIVEN?

I don't know but what I do know is, that when Jesus got up all the woman's accusers had gone, beginning with the eldest, convicted and cut to the heart by Jesus response, let him that is without sin cast the first stone. Jesus was left alone with the woman.

Repentance and Restoration

What follows is some of the most beautiful words ever recorded in history. Words that changed the woman's life and have changed countless millions of lives including my own.

v10&11

10When 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

What love, what forgiveness, what grace.

Has no one condemned you dear soul? Has no one carried out the punishment?

And then from the lips of the Lawgiver - the Sinless One who could have condemned her - come the life changing words that have echoed down through the last 2000 years, Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.

You see Jesus didn't ignore the sin but he looked past it and saw the sinner and His unsurpassed love, mercy and grace had such an emancipating effect on the woman's life that produced true and lasting repentance.

I believe that woman was changed from that day forward, all because she had a life changing encounter with the Man of Galilee.

The old hymn sums it up beautifully:

That Man of Calvary

Has won my heart from me

And died to set me free

Blessed Man of Calvary

One of the verses say

Granting the sinner life and peace,

Granting the captive sweet release,

Shedding His blood to make us free,

Merciful Man of Calvary!

Hallelujah. Praise God for Jesus!