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      • 1-15-2017, The Second Century Church, part 11
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    • #5: The Importance of Our Words
    • #6: The Greatness of Jesus #2
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    • #14 Jesus is our Righteousness
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    • #17 Victory Over All the Power of the Evil One
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    • #23: Victory Over All the Power of the Evil One, part 2
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    • #25: The Whole Armor of God, part 2
    • #26: Victory over all the power of the evil one, part 3
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    • #29: Victory over Fear
    • # 30 Freedom through Jesus Christ
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    • #31: Seeking the Lord
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    • Create Blessings!
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    • #5: When a King and a Prophet Agreed in Prayer, part one
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1-20-2018,  #6:  A Woman Facing the Death Sentence
(John 8:2-11)



It looks like she has ruined her life. This morning they arrested her and now they are ready to kill her. Only one detail remains. A new teacher in Judea must be consulted first. Why, she doesn’t know.
 
The Scribes and Pharisees who captured her seem to be ushering her before someone of authority and wisdom. Yet her captors are filled with hatred and resolve. As they drag her by her arms to the temple area, she sees a young teacher sitting before a small audience. Nothing is threatening about this scene. Neither does the teacher look like someone of great importance to her. But the rulers force her to stand before the group while one of them brings forth the accusation and a challenge: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery! Moses’ law demands, `Stone her!’ What is your verdict?” A crowd gathers around to hear his answer.
 
As she contemplates the brutal and horrible death these men plan for her, she waits in suspense and anxiety for the teacher’s reply. She doesn’t realize that this is a deadly trap set for the young Rabbi.
 
Past Events Repeated:
“. . . they say, `If you say anything, we will report it' . . .
‘He will trap himself', they say,
‘and then we will get our revenge on him'”
(Jeremiah 20:10c, e, NLT).
 
Silence; only silence. The teacher bends down and writes in the ground with his finger. He knows that God desires to write His laws upon people’s hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). People must do more than obey laws on the outside. When God’s laws are written in one’s heart, that person obeys them because he wants to, not because he has to. The religious leaders persist with their question, but Jesus waits for the answer that his Father will give him.
 
Messianic Prophecy Fulfilled:
(Given 712 B. C.)
“And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
but with righteousness shall he judge . . .”
(Isaiah 11:3bc, 4a, NKJV)

On another occasion, Jesus said, “. . . as I hear I judge” (John 5:30b). Jesus’ ear is trained to hear God’s voice and his tongue is trained to speak God’s word (Isaiah 50:4-5). Now Jesus stands up and repeats what he heard the Father say: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her” (John 8:7b). Then he sits down and writes on the ground again.
 
His words are living and powerful and they penetrate to the deepest core of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). A Spirit of conviction moves among the crowd as the Holy Spirit deals with their hearts. Each one is convinced in his conscience about his own sins and guilt. The woman hears stones dropping. The crowd begins to walk away, one by one, beginning with the oldest among them. In light of their own sins, they no longer feel qualified to condemn her.
 
These Jews sought to trick Jesus and formulate charges against him for saying the wrong thing, but they didn’t realize they were standing before one who could judge cases with wisdom greater than Solomon’s (Matthew 12:42).
 
After they all leave, Jesus stands and asks the woman,
    “Woman, where are those who accused you? Did not one give judgment against you?” (John 8:10b, LITV)
    “No one, Lord” she answers.
    “Neither do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11b, LITV). This day, compassion and mercy triumphed over judgment (James 2:13).
 
When Jesus spoke the words, “Go, and sin no more”, the woman received a new enabling power to resist sin. For Jesus’ words are filled with power, as written, “He sent His word and . . . delivered [them] from all their pitfalls” (Psalm 107:20, LITV).
 
The religious leaders planned to stone the woman, but the one they really wanted to stone was Jesus. Some of these men had been students of the Scriptures for over 50 years. So they reasoned, “How could this man in his early thirties know so much? He spent his life learning carpentry work, not listening to our teachers.” They considered themselves much older, wiser and more experienced than he. And they were jealous because he was so popular with the people.
 
Jesus had thoroughly studied the Word of God, and in him the word was fulfilled: “I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments . . . For You Yourself have taught me” (Psalm 119:100, NLT, 102b, NKJV).
 
Comments:  Like this woman, when we give God our submitted wills, He gives us the power to do what He has called us to do. He not only tells us to repent when we need to, but He gives us the supernatural enabling to do it and to go on to live new and better lives.
 
The prophet Ezekiel foretold that one aspect of the New Covenant would be that God’s people would receive the Holy Spirit, who empowers and enables us to do God’s will. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, . . .” (Ezekiel 36:27a, NKJV). The way that the Lord “causes” us to walk in His Word is He empowers and enables us to do so by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us to live the Christian life.
 
Thank God for the grace of Jesus! Thank God for sending Jesus, who came to give us more abundant life today and eternal life in the life to come.
 
Note: much of this devotional is from The Life of Jesus Foretold, pages 176-180.

© COPYRIGHT 2021 by Stephen Long. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Polycarp and the Second Century Church
    • The Life of Jesus Foretold
    • Proverbs of Faith, Hope and Love
    • 300 Things I Like About Who I am in Jesus
  • Reviews
    • Reviews of Polycarp and the 2nd century church
    • Reviews of The Life of Jesus Foretold
  • Devotionals & Articles
    • Life of Jesus Devotionals >
      • #1 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #2 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #3 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #4 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #5: Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #6 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #7: Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #8 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #9 LIfe of Jesus Devotional
      • #10 Life of Jesus devotional
      • # 11 Life of Jesus devotional
    • 2nd group - Life of Jesus Devotionals >
      • #12 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #13 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #14 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #15 Life of Jesus devotional
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      • # 18 Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #19 Life of Jesus Devotional
    • 3rd group - Life of Jesus Devotionals >
      • #20 Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #21 Life of Jesus devotional
      • #22 Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #23 Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #24 Life of Jesus devotional
      • # 25 Life of Jesus Devotional
      • #26 Life of Jesus Devotional
    • Church History Articles >
      • 8-1-16 The Second Century Church, part one
      • 8-15-16 Second Century Church, part two
      • 9-1-16 The Second Century Church, part three
      • 9-15-16 The Second Century Church, part four
      • 10-1-16 The Second Century Church part five
      • 10-15-16 The Second Century Church, part six
    • More Church History Articles >
      • 11-1-2016, The Second Century Church, part seven
      • 11-15-2016 The Second Century Church, part 8
      • 12-1-2016 The Second Century Church, part 9
      • 12-15-2016, The Second Century Church, part 10
      • 1-15-2017, The Second Century Church, part 11
  • Proverbs of Faith, Hope and Love
    • #1: The Love of God, from I John
    • #2: God's Love - Isaiah 58
    • #3: The Greatness of Jesus
    • #4: Our Sufficiency is in Christ
    • #5: The Importance of Our Words
    • #6: The Greatness of Jesus #2
    • #7 The Wisdom of God
    • #8 Faith and Prayer (from the teaching of Jesus)
    • #9 Faith and Prayer (from Romans)
    • #10 Faith and Prayer (from Hebrews)
    • # 11: God Gives us Hope
    • # 12: Mercy and Compassion
    • #13: The Lord is our Refuge
    • #14 Jesus is our Righteousness
    • #15 The Peace of God
    • #16 The Joy of the Lord
  • More Proverbs of Faith, Hope and Love
    • #17 Victory Over All the Power of the Evil One
    • #18: The Wisdom of God (from the teaching of Jesus)
    • #19 The Spirit of Truth
    • #20 The Love of God (from I Corinthians 13)
    • #21: The Love of God (from I Corinthians 13, part two)
    • #22: The Spirit of Truth, part two
    • #23: Victory Over All the Power of the Evil One, part 2
    • #24: The Whole Armor of God, part 1
    • #25: The Whole Armor of God, part 2
    • #26: Victory over all the power of the evil one, part 3
    • #27: Faith and Prayer, part 4
    • #28: Our God Gives us Hope, part two
    • #29: Victory over Fear
    • # 30 Freedom through Jesus Christ
  • Proverbs of Faith, Hope and Love, third group
    • #31: Seeking the Lord
  • Declarations of Faith
    • Declaration Proclaiming Forgiveness
    • Create Blessings!
  • Poems
    • #1 Poem Describing Heaven
    • Poem #2, A Great Battle at the End of Time
    • #3 Poem, the trials of Job
    • #4 Poem, God's Love from Romans
    • Poem #5: Receiving God's Rest
  • Miscellaneous Articles
    • # 1: "And the plague was stopped"
    • #2 "Let the Sun of Righteousness Arise!"
    • #3: The Pulling Down of Dagon
    • #4 The Pulling Down of Dagon, Part Two
    • #5: When a King and a Prophet Agreed in Prayer, part one
    • # 6: When a King and a Prophet agreed in prayer, part 2
    • #7: A Wall of Fire for our Nation