Judgment and Grace

Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group. 
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 1-12)
Passage Breakdowns, SOAPS Format & Instructions (Weeks 13-26)

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8:40 Service | 10:00 Service | 11:20 Service | Sermon Audio

Good morning Chapel family. I want to reiterate what Pastor Paul said: it’s been amazing to see God move through these spontaneous baptism opportunities we’ve had already this year. I talked to several people who were baptized in January or February and they said, “When we walked into church that day, we had no intention of being baptized. It wasn’t even on our radar! But the Spirit just drew us forward, and we just knew it—this was our moment.” So I just want to encourage you: if you sense the moving of the Spirit today, don’t resist. Follow God’s lead. And we look forward to celebrating the moment with you.
So…we are continuing our study in the Gospel of John, and today we come to a very well-known event: the woman caught in adultery. Even people who don’t know much about the Bible most likely know about this story…but they probably only know it on a surface level. So today we’re going to go beneath the surface.
It starts in John chapter 8, verse 2. And you might notice in your Bible that this story has a footnote next to it. And the reason is, most Bible scholars don’t believe this was originally part of John’s Gospel. They believe it was added shortly after John wrote the Gospel. So you might wonder: why is it still included in our Bibles? Well, because from the very early days of the church, this story was recognized as a genuine event in the life of Jesus, and the church has preserved it and treasured it all these years. And I’m so grateful for that, because it is more relevant today than it’s ever been.
If you have ever felt guilty or ashamed or embarrassed or exposed or condemned, you’re going to relate to this story. So let’s look at the Scripture together: John chapter 8, beginning in verse 2. Let’s hear God’s Word…
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” This is the Word of the Lord.
I’m going to hang today’s message on three words, and the first word is…
Failure. The woman in this story committed a moral failure. There’s really no question about that. She was caught in the act of adultery, which means either she was married and she was cheating on her husband, or she was in bed with a married man. And I don’t know how they caught her—maybe they were tipped off by someone and they sent spies to her house; maybe they just happened to see her in the act. Whatever the details, she did something wrong, she was caught, and even Jesus doesn’t challenge the accusation. Now—there was obviously another party involved in this sin, and the religious leaders don’t say anything about the man—but that’s a different matter, and we’ll talk about that in a minute. But it’s clear: a moral failure has occurred.
And the religious leaders realize this is a perfect opportunity not only to condemn the woman, but also to trap Jesus. It’s a 2-for-1 deal. So as Jesus is teaching in the courts of the temple, they push their way to the front of the crowd, dragging this woman with them. Can you imagine the terror she must have been feeling? The shame? And they set the trap: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” It’s a clever trap. Because the law did say the penalty for adultery is capital punishment. So if Jesus refuses to confirm that, they can accuse him of contradicting the Scriptures. And that would discredit his reputation as a rabbi. So the trap is set.
Let me ask you something: how do you respond when somebody’s moral failure comes to light? It happens all the time. A few years ago, there was a popular NFL coach, John Gruden, who was forced to resign after emails surfaced where he had said inappropriate things about black people and gay people and women. Some of you are sports fans, and you remember that story. So here’s my question: what went on in your heart when you heard about that?
Last summer, there was an awkward moment at a Coldplay concert near Boston. The stadium “kiss cam” zoomed in on a couple cuddling, and when this couple realized they were on the screen, they quickly hid their faces. Of course nothing is private anymore, and that video clip was promptly posted online. People identified the couple as senior executives who worked at the same company, and were apparently having an affair. That video got billions of views, with millions of people shaming them for their misbehavior. People could not get enough of the story. How about you? How did you respond?
You can think of other examples: moral failures come to light, sometimes by public figures; sometimes in our personal circles. How do we react when those things happen?
The reaction of these religious leaders is obvious: they are determined to bring shame on the woman. They could have brought the case to Jesus privately, but they choose to humiliate her in front of this crowd. What is it in humans that takes pleasure in publicly shaming others?
When my daughter started college, all the incoming freshmen were required to read a book by Jon Ronson, called So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. It talks about how in our culture, when someone fails or sins, people love to pile on. Even if the person who did the wrong thing takes responsibility, people still take pleasure in publicly beating them up. And sometimes the shaming is so successful that the person’s reputation is damaged permanently.
Do you ever find yourself thinking like that? Or acting like that? In a sick way, it can be enjoyable to sit behind the safety of your computer keyboard, or your phone, or in conversations at a family gathering, righteously scolding the wrongdoer. That’s what was happening that day in Jerusalem. The woman had failed morally, and the mob was thirsty for blood.
Have you ever found yourself in the woman’s position? Where you did something wrong, and you’ve been caught? And it seems like people are going out of their way to shame you and humiliate you. That’s a painful place to be.
So there she is, dragged in front of Jesus. I don’t know how much she knows about Jesus, but he’s a renowned teacher; they called him “Rabbi,” so she probably assumes he’ll uphold the letter of the law. What she doesn’t know is that Jesus is different from every other rabbi, and he’s about to redefine the way she looks at her failure.
Here’s the second word: Hypocrisy. So the question of the religious leaders hangs in the air, and they wait for Jesus to respond. But instead of answering, Jesus does something really strange: he squats down and starts writing on the ground with his finger. What is that all about? There are all kinds of theories, but based on what happens next, I think the most likely answer is he is writing the sins of the religious leaders standing in front of him. Jesus just seemed to know those things about people.
While he does that, it says they kept on questioning him. Finally he stands up, and he says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And then he bends down and continues writing on the ground, because he knows they’re going to need some time to think about this. Notice: Jesus doesn’t argue. He doesn’t panic. He simply lets their conscience do the work.
And it seems like the Pharisees and teachers of the Law do some honest self-reflection. Maybe they start thinking about their own sexual sins, that no one knows about. Or maybe they think about the recent night they drank too much wine, and got a little rough with their wife. Or the dishonest business deal they just made. Or the double standard of dragging the adulterous woman in front of the mob, but letting the adulterous man go free. I don’t know what’s going through their minds, but it seems like some lights turn on, and they become aware of their own hypocrisy.
Jesus talked a lot about hypocrisy. Matthew 7:3-4… 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? Anyone who says Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humor hasn’t read this. You have to picture someone with this 6-foot 2X4 jammed into their eye, and they come up to you and say, “Hey, I couldn’t help but notice that little piece of sawdust in your eye. Hold still while I get it out for you.” And meanwhile their board is swinging back and forth and knocking stuff over, and they can’t see a thing.
Focusing on the faults of others blinds us to our own faults. Why is that? Sociologists have a name for this: it’s called “bias blind spots.” Bias blind spots. It’s when we evaluate other people with a completely different standard than we use on ourselves. For example: if I drive crazy through traffic, it’s because…I’m late for an important meeting. And by the way, I hardly ever do it—it’s not the normal way I drive. That’s how I assess myself. If I see someone else driving crazy through traffic, there’s only one explanation. That guy’s an idiot. Right? So when it comes to my faults, I explain them away. When it comes to your faults, you’re just guilty.
Researchers call it a bias blind spot; the Bible calls it hypocrisy. And hypocrisy is bad for our spiritual health. It’s bad for the health of whatever community we’re in—our family, our church. When there’s an attitude of being the moral police, and scrutinizing the behavior of others, the atmosphere will be toxic. Now, I’m not compromising the seriousness of this woman’s sin. And we’re going to see in a minute, neither was Jesus. But he knew these leaders were blind to their own stuff, and he was trying to help them see.  
Paul would later write this in Galatians 6:1… Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person (what’s that next word? gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. That would have been a better way to do this, right? Rather than shame the woman, this was an opportunity to restore her—help her to get her life on the right track. Restoration is so much better than condemnation. And Paul says as you’re doing this kind of restoration work, do it gently, not harshly. Remember Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart”—so when you do this, be like Jesus. If the religious leaders had approached this woman’s sin like that, this whole situation would have been so different.
So Jesus says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And he gives them some time to think about it. And then something amazing happens. Those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first. Why the older ones first? Because sometimes age brings a level of humility and wisdom and self-knowledge that younger people, in their idealism, just haven’t developed yet.
So: how do you respond when someone else’s moral failure is exposed? Whether it’s the NFL coach, or the two people caught on the kiss cam…anyone. How do you respond when their sin comes to light? Here’s a good rule of thumb: let your heart be ruled by humility. Because humility is the opposite of hypocrisy. Humility says, “That person did that wrong thing, and if it weren’t for God’s grace, I could easily do the same thing. I’m sure I have sins and faults I don’t even realize I have. So I’m going to be really slow to point the finger. I’m going to try to put myself in their shoes, and not rush to judgment, and give them the benefit of the doubt. And if I do need to confront someone—because sometimes you do—I’m going to do it as gently as possible.” Amen?
So Jesus responds to the accusers by exposing their hypocrisy. And now it’s just him and the woman, by themselves. How will he respond to her? Here’s the last word: Love. Verse 10: 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
If you’re looking for a beautiful and accurate summary of the message of Jesus, this is it. Back in chapter one it says Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth. And that’s exactly what he shows this woman. First, he shows her grace—something the Pharisees didn’t understand. He says, I don’t condemn you. Notice, he doesn’t say, “You’re not guilty.” He’s not saying she’s innocent. But he doesn’t condemn her. How is that? I mean, the Hebrew law says adulterers must be stoned; the woman is an adulterer, and Jesus lets her go. How can he do that? How can he uphold the law, but also pardon the woman?
This is the very heart of Christianity. The Christian message is: you are guilty, but you are not condemned. How can that be? Here it is—Romans 8:1…Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That’s how we can be guilty but not condemned: it’s only if we are in Christ Jesus. Because listen to this: when we’re in Christ—when we believe in him—he is condemned in our place. See, the sin and the guilt don’t just disappear. Somebody has to pay for it. And on the cross, Jesus paid for it. The only reason he could say, “I don’t condemn you,” was that he knew he would later be condemned for her on the cross. So instead of her being crushed under the weight of the stones, he would be crushed on the cross by the weight of his body and the weight of God’s justice.
What that woman did was wrong and it broke the law of God. And you and I have a long list of things that we’ve done that have broken the law of God. Here’s the question: have you accepted the price Jesus paid for your debt? Because if not, you will face the terror of paying for it yourself.
Some of you find yourself strongly relating to this woman. Because you have felt deep shame and regret, because of some sexual sin—you’ve been cheapening yourself through lust or porn or adultery or casual sex. Or you’ve been hiding some other kind of sin, and you feel ashamed and condemned. Or maybe you’ve been exposed, and it’s horrible. You need to hear the voice of Jesus speaking directly to you, saying, “I don’t condemn you. I gave my life for you on the cross, so you could be forgiven and washed clean.” Allow yourself to hear his voice of grace, and choose to receive his gift. And man, if you’ve never been baptized, I cannot think of a better way to wash away your shame. Step into the water, let Jesus wash away your shame, and walk away free.
But Jesus isn’t done speaking yet. Remember, he came from the Father, full of grace and…what? Truth. Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “Go now, and just keep doing what you were doing—you’re fine.” “Go now—after all, God doesn’t care what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom.” What does he say? “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Yes, he showed her grace. But at the same time, he loves her too much to leave her as she is. So he speaks truth to her: “You need to leave this kind of life.” The Pharisees viewed her as someone to condemn and toss aside—they didn’t care about her. Jesus looks at her with value and dignity and potential. “Leave your life of sin. You’re so much better than this.”
Notice the order! Jesus doesn’t say, “I won’t condemn you if you leave your life of sin.” He says, “I don’t condemn you. Now, leave your life of sin.” His grace always comes first.
So if you can relate to this woman, you need to hear Jesus’ voice of truth. Don’t treat his grace as cheap, and just go back to your same old ways. He’s calling you to something better. Turn away from your sin, and turn toward him. Make him your first love. Make him the center of your life. And as you do that, he’ll give you the power you need to continue walking in the light. Hear the voice of Jesus saying, “Go and leave your life of sin. Follow me; walk in my kingdom; I have something so much better for you.”
When the religious leaders dragged this woman in front of Jesus, they thought they were getting an incredible 2-for-1 deal: they would expose the woman and trap Jesus. But the whole thing backfires. They get exposed by Jesus, and little did they know, they wind up introducing the woman to the kind of love that can transform a life.
On that same NFL team where the coach resigned because of those nasty emails—the Las Vegas Raiders—the team’s quarterback at the time was Derek Carr. I’ve always admired him because he’s outspoken about his faith in Christ. And right after this all happened, there was a press conference where they asked him how he feels about it. And I want to read you part of his answer:
It was a lot to handle, I'll say it that way. You all know me, man. I don't condone that kind of talk. I don't talk that way. My kids sure as heck will never talk that way and it's hard because I love the man so much. I have family members that have done things, I've done things that I'm glad that I'm still loved. I think more than anything coach needs people to help him, to love him in whatever areas that we can.
You know what I hear in those words? I hear humility; I hear grace and truth; and most of all, I hear love. What a mature, beautiful response.
Is Jesus speaking you through all this?
The next time you see somebody’s moral failure being exposed, and you feel that urge to judge, remember the woman caught in adultery. Remember your own sin. Remember Jesus. And put down your rock.
Let’s pray and prepare our hearts to worship.