John 7:53-8:11 Caught in Adultery

This is probably one of my favorite passages in John.

53. [Everyone went to his home. This is an interesting comment by John. The meeting place of the officers and Pharisees disbanded and the town emptied out from the festival. The festival was over. Everyone was leaving Jerusalem like the NASCAR fans leave Atlanta Motor Speedway after a race. Nothing but trash, temporary custodians and vagrants remain. This accentuates the setting of the story to follow. Our text beginning here and extending to 8:11 is noted by brackets in most English translations regarding its authentication when examining some ancient texts. 1. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. Everyone goes home while Jesus retreats to His favorite place to be with His Father. The Mount of Olives is east of Jerusalem. While being known for its olive trees, it rises 200 feet above the level of city with the Kidron Valley separating them. It is from this mount that Jesus will weep over the city. The Garden of Gethsemane is on this mount. Jesus favorite Judean place of retreat. "Early in the morning." Do I do anything early in the morning, especially on the morning after a festival? Jesus arose and made the trek down the mount, across the Kidron Valley and up into the city while it was still early. Now that will wake you up and get your blood pumping. "He again into the temple." Jesus was never known for running away from the opportunity to impact the people. He went where they gathered. He "sat down and began to teach them." It is almost like He was expected to be there for there were some there to be taught. They were gathered 'early in the morning' to be taught in the temple. Class has started. The teacher and the students are assembled. Class has begun. Students are attentive to the teacher. Jesus taught (Imperfect, Active, Indicative) them. The Greek word, ἐδίδασκεν, almost always refers to the Scriptures. Jesus is not teaching them how to make coffee, bagels or how to fish, read or pitch a tent. He is teaching them Scripture in the temple. Quiet yourself for He is about the business of revealing Himself in the Ancient Torah. SUDDENLY .....3. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, Talk about interrupting a class. It was like the fire alarm went off and your attention is arrested by the commotion. A group of men who managed to get up early and be at the temple where being taught by Jesus who rose early to make the trip from the Mount of Olives to the temple. The teacher and the students were on purpose to teach and hear the Scriptures. THEN, enter the scribes AND Pharisees dragging a woman caught having sex with someone not her husband. This group, scribes, Pharisees and the woman, undoubtedly stayed up late as contrasted with They took hold of her exactly, with decisive initiative, with eager self-interest." They made their way to the center, probably close to Jesus, and brought her to a standstill up front and center. She was put on display. The Greek word, μοιχείᾳ, translated 'adultery' is the form of μοιχεύω meaning 'commit adultery (of a man with a married woman, but also of a married man). LSJ states that other contemporary extra Greek literature maintains man and woman sexual connotations but spreads that breach of marital vows to a wider meanings as 'falsify,' 'to be unfaithful to God' and 'to have dalliance with the sea.' Dictionary.com gives the meaning of adultery as: "voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse." Enough said for now. 4. they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. One can easily deduce that the scribes and Pharisees either orchestrated her apprehension or they performed the apprehension of her themselves. She was literally pulled away from the person she was 'in the very act' of having sex. How were they so sure of the guilt that they could confidently storm the adultery chambers and pull her away? I think there is room here to conject that they planned the whole adulteress event in order to test Jesus. 5. "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" The scribes and the Pharisees brought this woman before Jesus on the grounds of her violating a Law of Moses. The Law they are referring to is found in Exodus 20:14 in the giving of the Ten Commandments. The seventh commandment is "You shall not commit adultery." The Law is also implied in Leviticus 20:10 "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife- the wife of his neighbor- both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death" and Deuteronomy 22:22 "If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel." 6. They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. I have a question for you. Read again the Old Testament passages above (Exodus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22). Where is the man? It takes two to commit adultery. Both are to be put to death. The OT passages mention the man first thereby placing emphasis on the man's involvement. Why did the scribes and Pharisees NOT bring him to the center of the temple and place him before Jesus? 7. But when they persisted in asking Him, They persisted and had time to persist because Jesus was probably giving time to reflect on the Scriptural knowledge and then repent. The Geneva Bible has a thought provoking comment on this passage, "hypocrites ... are very severe judges against other men and flatter themselves while sinning." Therefore, having enough of their persisting, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8. Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. This passage is the passage of many sermons, but this woman, is experiencing the reality of Jesus addressing her accusers? He is her Advocate. He is her protector. He is her Defender. He is her Judge. He is her Redeemer. He is her Savior. When everyone else leaves due to their hypocrisy, she is left with the One who is anything but hypocritical. Are you ready? Here we go. This is the climax of our story. 10. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did not one condemn you?" 11. She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."] Several issues here. Jesus, in standing up is taking the same position He took when He addressed the scribes and Pharisees. Don't you love Jesus' questions? Her response declaring His LORDSHIP sets up His and His alone authority to condemn. The Greek word translated 'condemn' is κατακρίνω with the meaning of a judicial decision following a precise judicial process in which all evidence is fairly presented. The meaning in English according to Dictionary.com has several meanings but the one that fits here is that condemnation is "to declare incurable." He alone has the authority to condemn or not condemn. "Go and sin no more." Jesus does not dismiss her sin. He does not condemn and then tells her to stop sinning.

SUMMARY
Look at the chapter or section titles in your Bibles. I am suggesting that most, if not all, Bibles have something like 'The Adulteress Woman' or 'Woman Caught in Adultery' or "The Woman Taken in Adultery' or nothing at all for this section. Do not be misled by the chapter and section titles. They can lead you astray. For the primary issue of this story, hypocrisy, is centered around the absence of the male in the accusation of the woman. They were both caught, hence my title of this blog.

In Jeremiah 15 we have the LORD giving Jeremiah some personal instruction in order for him to survive and be a prophet in the perilous time of the fall of Jerusalem. In this passage, which extends from verse 19 through verse 21, Jeremiah is told to 'extract the precious from the worthless' (NASB). That is what Jesus was doing with the woman brought before Him.

GO AND SIN NO MORE!

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ..." Romans 8:1-17 NASB

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John 2:12-25 Expelling Twisted Worship

According to John

Chapter 2, Verses 12-25

12. After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

13. The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16. and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17. His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.” 18. The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20. The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

23. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25. and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Commentary

Most harmonized or paralleled gospel accounts, putting all four gospels in chronological order, have John 1:19 through 4:42 uninterrupted with other events from Matthew, Mark or Luke.

Verse 12

(As we have verse designations in our translations, the original manuscripts did not contain chapter or verse designations, verse 12 is a paragraph in itself.)

After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

"Where is Capernaum? : Located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum is a little over 2 miles from the Jordan river. The village was very close to the Via Maris, an important trade route between Syria and Egypt, and evidently levied taxes on caravans passing through. It was 85 miles from Capernaum to Jerusalem. Jerusalem stands on the crest of the Judean hills at an elevation of 2,577 feet above sea-level, 13 miles west of the Dead Sea, 32 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, and roughly 80 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.

Why is Capernaum important? : Capernaum is important for the study of the New Testament because of its central role in Jesus’ ministry around Galilee. Various miracles, healings, and preaching are described by all four gospel authors as taking place there. Matthew even goes so far as to call Capernaum Jesus’ “own city.” Despite this, Jesus is described as cursing the town because of their rejection of him.

The town is mentioned in the New Testament: in the Luke’s Gospel it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. In Matthew 4:13 the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus himself. According to Luke 4:31-44, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on the sabbath days. In Capernaum also, Jesus allegedly healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil and healed a fever in Simon Peter's mother-in-law. According to Matthew 8:5-13, it is also the place where a Roman Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant.

Verses 13-22

Verse 13

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Passover is the most important festival event on the Jewish calendar. It marks Israel's deliverance from Egyptian captivity by the direction and provision of YHWH and the leadership of Moses (Exodus 12). Capernaum was 85 miles from Jerusalem. Jerusalem stands on the crest of the Judean hills at an elevation of 2,577 feet above sea-level, 13 miles west of the Dead Sea, 32 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, and roughly 80 miles south of the Sea of Galilee. Whenever Jerusalem is the object of one's destination or perspective, it is always "up". Up does not a determining northward direction. Jerusalem may be north, south, east or west of your position but you will always go up to Jerusalem. This is due to its elevation especially when considering its close proximity to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem being some 2500 feet above sea level.

Verses 14-17

14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME."

Jesus found two issues in the Temple that stirred His zeal. The challenge here is directly applicable to the modern Church. How do we complicate or over simplify worship of I AM, the Almighty God, YHWH, the ἐγώ εἰμι?

The two issues are animals for sacrifice and moneylenders. The oxen and sheep were animals of the fields. In the Jewish sacrificial system, with no lessening of this Passover occurrence, these animals were to be raised by the families and then presented as a sacrifice. Sheep were the most important sacrificial animal with the ram or the young male often being specified. It was intended for families to raise these animals and bring them to be sacrificed. Passover, however, posed a problem for the worshipers. Some having traveled great distances to Jerusalem for the Passover, Jesus, Himself traveling over 85 miles, found it difficult perhaps even dangerous to bring these blemish-less animals on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Ultimately, we have the solution provided by the money changers. The money changers changed money. The exchanged currency so that the pilgrims could purchase the sacrificial ox or sheep that they did not bring themselves. This is worship done easy with the only price being that of potential extortion by the money changers. This is twisted worship. The only thing that the pilgrim needed was to make the trip to the worship center (Jerusalem) and bring money. For everything else will be provided for you. There was no investment on the pilgrim's part. They did not raise the ox or the sheep, they did not make the journey which may have necessitated a trust in God (see Psalm 121, A Song of Assents) and they ended up sacrificing that which they did not know. The issues of the sheep, the oxen and the money changers is that Jesus "drove them out." Why do you think that Jesus only gave a somewhat reserved verbal correction to those selling the doves? A pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons was an offering sufficient for the poor, specifically for the poor woman that just gave birth (Leviticus 12:8). Therefore, you have the Law's allowance for the poor (mother) but with the overriding command to not make the temple, His Father's House, a place of business. as compared to those who should have brought their own sheep and oxen but did not. They, through a decisive act of their will, relied on the temple sales and the money changers to make their worship easy and less personal.

Worship is always personal and costly. It is simple but not easy. Jesus' zeal was manifested by the easy way in which this Passover was being observed in the Temple. What does He say about our worship, your worship, and my worship of HIM?

Verses 18-22

18. The Jews then said to Him, "What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?"

It amazes me that every time someone does or says something bold in contradiction to the norm, correct some deviate behavior, or speak the truth in a mislead company of folks, the issue of authority always rises to the top. The Jews, as we will see, had a foundation questioning of Jesus' authority. Of course, anyone that would upset their nice little religious money making enterprise would definitely be questioned. It is all about authority, control and money. John, this gospel's author, will address 'authority' throughout this gospel account.

19. Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

What is the authoritative answer to the question regarding authority for the Christian? ...the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It appears by verse 19 that Jesus is foretelling of raising Himself from the dead. He may not desire to instruct about the role of the Father or the Holy Spirit in the resurrection. Irregardless, the life He lived that is characterized by a supreme example of righteousness, would make Him perfectly capable of deserving of resurrection. His righteousness was perfectly accepted before His Father. Therefore, His perfectly righteous condition warranted His resurrection. His resurrection was in His control due to His perfectly righteous standing before His Father. We will learn more of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit relationships as we move through John.

The world, family and work associates may not know of that which you speak, but they will eventually either remember to the point of belief or they will remember when they are forced to bow at the sound of His NAME.

Verses 23-25

23. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25. and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

It was at this Passover that John tells us that many believed in His name. Their belief came as a result of the signs He did which include His zeal at the temple. When He did the act of over turning that which sets itself against worship, many believed in His name. Worship here can be described as anything that sets itself against a total dependency on God for His protection, His provision and His revelation. Worship is all about HIM.

"But Jesus..." It is amazing that Jesus exhibits a reserved control of His destiny. John will soon tell us to whom He yields. Jesus knows man. If anyone knows you, it is Jesus. Does that bother you? Or, is that comfort to you? Irregardless, creation cannot hide anything from the Creator (see John Chapter One). Man cannot hide anything from Jesus.

Conclusion:

How is your worship? Do you find it easy to pawn off the expense of your religiosity to those who are so-called professionals? Consider your worship experience, even of the Great I AM, are you a spectator or participant? To the degree that you are a spectator by not personally investing or personally participating, your worship is twisted and you will be ultimately driven out of His presence. It has the form of godliness but not the heart of righteousness. Only righteous will stand before and please God. Our righteousness is in Christ for He alone is our Righteousness. Finally, what does the "almightiness" of our God do to you? His is mighty to save. Turn to Him, for in Him is peace.

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