Caught Red-Handed

Have you ever been caught red-handed?  What does that mean?  It means you were doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing, and you were caught in the act. 

 

Maybe you were eating something you weren’t supposed to be eating.  Maybe you were watching something you weren’t supposed to be watching.  Maybe you bought something you weren’t supposed to buy.  You were caught red-handed or in the very act.

 

This morning, we come to a text that is probably very familiar to many of us. However, it is surrounded in controversy, but the controversy is more about its origin rather than its content.

 

I suspect that every Bible in the room has some kind of comment or footnote regarding this text.  Most comments allude to the fact that these verses were not included in our earliest copies of the NT.  However, they are in most copies of our earliest NT and in every Bible in the room this morning. 

 

Therefore, we will trust them to be profitable for us today as we continue our study of John’s gospel.  Let’s read the text from 7:53 to 8:11.

 

I need to rewind for just a moment.  Go back to 7:2. Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles.

 

2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.

 

One of His many invitations to those who were listening to Him and dialoguing with Him was to come and drink of Him.  We see this 7:37.

 

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

 

As you know, there were mixed responses to this invitation.  Look at 7:40-44.

 

40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.”  But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people because of Him. 44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

 

This takes us to the end of chapter 7.  At the end of the day, everyone went to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  Maybe He was sleeping under the stars.  Maybe He stayed with friends. 

 

Regardless, verse 2 takes us to the next day, and it was early in the morning, and Jesus was in the temple again teaching.  Notice also that many people were coming to Him.  Why?  Look at 7:45-46.

 

45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”  46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”

 

His teaching was like nothing they had ever heard.  His ability to explain the Scriptures to them left them in awe.

 

1. An Attempt to Entrap, John 8:3-6

3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

 

This attempt to entrap involves three parties.  First of all, we have the cynics played by the scribes and Pharisees in verse 3.  The scribes were experts in the law.  The Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders.  Evidently, they broke into the circle bringing some woman they had supposedly caught sinning and throwing her into the middle of the circle. 

 

Even though they called Him “Teacher” in verse 4, you can bet it was sarcastic as you see their motivation in verse 6.  They were saying these things to test or trap Him. 

 

The second party here is the sinning woman.  There is no question of her guilt.  She was guilty of the alleged crime.  The question was her punishment or discipline. 

 

The third party is the Savior.  Again, the cynics wanted to trap Jesus.  They wanted to get Him to say something that they could use against Him later with the people. 

 

As it relates to their question, the cynics were right.  This woman was guilty and deserved stoning according to the OT Law.  See Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 22:22.

 

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

 

22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.

 

However, we should ask a couple of questions.  First of all, where is the man?  Isn’t he guilty as well?  Secondly, if they caught them in the very act, are these cynics guilty of lust of the flesh which Jesus equates to adultery in Matthew 5:27-28?

 

 

27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 

However, the cynics thought they had trapped Jesus.  If he said let her go, He would have been guilty of contradicting the Mosaic Law. 

 

If he said stone her, He would have compromised His mercy and compassion, and furthermore, He would have been trouble with the Romans because Jews were not allowed to carry out the death penalty (See John 18:31).  What was He to do?

 

31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”  Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

 

 

1. An Answer that was Enigmatic, John 8:6-9

But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

 

The middle of verse 6 tells us that Jesus began writing on the ground. What was He writing? 

 

Was He writing the names of all those present that were guilty of adultery?  Was He writing the sins of those present?  Was He writing the ten commandments that we have all broken? 

 

The bottom line is that no one knows.  Anyone who tells you certainly what Jesus wrote is not be honest.  Any and all answers are speculation.  John didn’t feel like it was important for us to know.

 

Jesus continued to write in the sand and not answer the cynics until they persisted.  Finally, He stood up and instructed them to go ahead and stone her, and the one without sin should throw the first stone. 

 

This was also part of the OT Law.  See Deuteronomy 19:15-19.

 

15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. 16 If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, 17 then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. 18 And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, 19 then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.

 

In other words, the witnesses had to be credible.  They had to be seeking justice rather than malice.  He stooped down and wrote some more.

 

Now let’s be clear.  This passage does not teach that Christian brothers and sisters cannot hold each other accountable.  See Matthew 18:15 and Galatians 6:1.

 

15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

 

1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

 

When no credible witnesses could be found, the crowd of cynics thinned beginning with the older.  Was it because they were humbler and recognized their faults?  Was it because they had accumulated more faults by living longer?  The story doesn’t say. 

 

 

• Applications for Everyone, John 8:10-11

10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”  11 She said, “No one, Lord.”  And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

 

Finally, it was just the woman caught red-handed and Jesus. He asked her if she had any more accusers.  Answering respectfully, she said, “No one, Lord.”

 

Notice then Jesus’ response in verse 11.  No one condemned her and neither did He.

 

First, there’s an application for the saints: don’t be two-faced.  Stop your hypocrisy.

 

See 8:7. Live a life that honors Jesus and is the same whether in public or private.

 

Also, learn to be gracious and compassionate.  There is only one Holy Spirit and you aren’t Him. 

 

Second, there’s an application for sinners: stop sinning.  See 8:11. Jesus didn’t condemn this woman who caught red-handed, but He emphatically told her to stop her lifestyle of sinning. 

 

Christians who are sinners: stop your griping and complaining, stop cheating on your spouse, stop being racist at work, stop spending so much money trying to have all the new toys and gadgets that you don’t give to your local church, stop worshipping youth sports.

 

For those of you who are lost: stop your sinning with unbelief.  Call on the name of Jesus to save you.

 

Finally, there’s an application about the Savior.  This story has one main character. It is not Pharisee who spoke.  It is not the adulterous woman.  It is Jesus. 

 

He is worthy of our worship and worthy of our praise.  He is authoritative in His teaching. He is wise in His judgement.  He is forgiving in His treatment of us. 

 

Will you ask Him to forgive you this morning as you’re caught red-handed?