“Grace Illustrated”
John 7:53-8:11
Sermon Series: “Getting Acquainted With Jesus”
Introduction: How does God deal with sinful people? Does He just condemn them? Does He look over sin and forgive everybody? How can divine justice and mercy be reconciled? How can God both forgive and punish sin? The answer is the gospel of grace and this passage beautifully illustrates that amazing grace!
1. We are unrighteous sinners who are both unjust judges and immoral lawbreakers (v. 1-6) [see also Romans 1 and 2]. The woman was outwardly immoral, but the Pharisees and scribes were inwardly immoral and hypocritical. Neither type of sin is better or worse than the other. We tend to lean in one direction or the other but have some of both within us. Really, the Law condemns all of us, but Jesus justifies all who trust Him.
There are some clues in the text that seem to indicate this woman was living a life of immorality and this was a pattern instead of an isolated incident. She was probably “easy,” the loose woman in town.
The Pharisees were respected by the people and seemed outwardly moral, but their hypocrisy here was despicable.
A. They had the wrong motive. They were using this woman to trap and destroy Jesus.
B. They did not follow proper procedure. They should have gone to the Sanhedrin instead of Jesus. She was entitled to a public trial with a defense. The Romans had to approve the death penalty at this time.
C. They were breaking the Law in how they handled this situation (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 16:18).
2. Jesus is the perfectly just and righteous Judge (v. 6-11) [see also John 5:22, 7:24 and Acts 17:30-31]. Jesus is the only One who is perfect, and therefore, is the only One who has the right to judge in the sense of condemning others. Condemnation is a prerogative that belongs only to God. We are called to be discerning, restore those who sin, and hold fellow Christians accountable but not condemn (Matthew 7:1-5, 1 Corinthians 2:15, Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 5). It is important to note that Jesus acted in fairness and justice here because He dealt with everyone’s sin. He did not compromise the Law.
3. Jesus is the gracious Savior who offers us forgiveness and new life if we repent and trust Him (v. 9-11). Jesus met this woman where she was and transformed her life.
Jesus was the only man in this woman’s life who was not taking advantage of her. He acted in total purity with her instead of using her in some manner. However, He did not excuse her sin either. He called her “woman” instead of calling her some kind of name. “Woman” was a polite and respectful term of address that Jesus used when speaking to his mother and Mary Magdalene, among others. Godly men honor and respect women instead of taking advantage of them. Godly women let Jesus meet their needs instead of giving themselves to men in sinful ways.
Jesus dealt with her sin, but He offered her forgiveness and a new life. This passage is a beautiful picture of the gospel. It really is “grace illustrated.” We deserve to be stoned (killed) for our sins (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23), but Jesus was killed in our place so that God will not condemn us (Romans 8:1) if we repent and trust Jesus. Otherwise, we are under the wrath of God forever (John 3:36). In other words, somebody has to die for sin because God always fulfills His Law. The only way this woman, or any of us, can be forgiven is because Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24a). God does this in order “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). We have a tendency to be either too lax or too harsh with sin, but God is neither one. He justly punishes sin and is also gracious toward sinners through the cross. What a Savior! How amazing is grace?
Conclusion: Will we examine our own hearts instead of judging others? Will we seek to restore others instead of condemning them? Will we trust Jesus and receive the grace of God today?
