Sunday, February 26, 2012

ADULTERY! - (JOHN 8 VS. 1 TO 11)


Time with Jesus - Monday, 27 February 2012
Hi all,
Yesterday’s meditation and Scriptures were all about Covenant. You may recall that it referred to the fact that it was usually only the woman who was stoned to death for adultery. The man got off “scot-free”. I suspect that if women were stronger than men, it would have been the other way round! Being stoned to death for committing adultery is the topic dealt with in John 8 – one of today’s Scriptures.
This portion of Scripture is left out in some translations. Where it has been included, there is often a footnote or marginal-note stating that the passage is not in them. It’s been deliberately left out for a good reason. Many translators do not like to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God! So they remove any section of Scripture which makes reference to His Divinity. After all, only God can forgive sin!
What is not mentioned is that if she was caught in the act of adultery and brought before Jesus, she was probably naked. Her deep humiliation and embarrassment would have touched Him deeply. To help her with this, Jesus didn’t look at her. Instead He wrote on the ground. It’s likely that someone threw her a covering of some sort during the time when the Pharisees left one by one. This would have quietened her trembling significantly. In other words, Jesus would not have been looking at a naked woman! I like this understanding, because of the deep care for women He displayed throughout His time in ministry. He would not have wanted to increase her embarrassment.
They thought they had “caught” Jesus out. The Mosaic Law was very clear. The penalty for adultery was stoning to death. If He had agreed, they would have stoned her to death there and then. If He didn’t He would have been siding with someone who had broken the law. His action was an act of God; repentance and forgiveness for an adulterer. No condemnation! “Go and sin no more”, was His injunction. Whether she did or did not we are not told. My guess is that her life was transformed by the incident. Jesus still does this today for sinners like you and me. Some of us have gone to Him more deeply entrenched in sin than this unfortunate woman. He forgave us and said, “Go and sin no more”! I’m so glad He did!
This little poem was written in 1985. However, it is as just as relevant today as it was back then. So I’ve included in today’s meditation. 
Blessings
Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Adultery! - (John 8 vs. 1 to 11)
He'd been on the Mountain of Olives,
As well as our Temple in town.
We had heard Jesus speak
All the previous week
And at dawn, He came in and sat down.

We all began gathering round Him;
All eager, His voice, for to hear;
Perhaps we would see
Him miraculously
Cause a wondrous sign to appear!

Then, up walked a group of our leaders
With a woman they thought He should see.
They said, "It's a fact!"
"She's been caught in the act
Of committing adultery."

They said that, according to Moses,
She should now pay the ultimate price;
And, if He agreed,
They would like to proceed.
But first, would He give His advice?

Now, all of us knew that the question
Was designed to put Him in a flap.
They wanted to see
What His answer would be.
Perhaps, He'd be caught in their trap?

The woman looked horribly frightened.
She stood there just shaking with fear.
She was weeping aloud
In front of the crowd,
Convinced that her death was now near.

But we were all looking at Jesus
And wondering what He would say.
We could see He was faced
With His utter distaste
For this harsh and unloving display.

We didn't know how He could answer,
Or the principle He would propound.
But, we knew what He meant
When He silently bent
And His finger did write on the ground.

The Scribes and the Pharisees gloated,
Insisting He make a reply.
They thought He was beat
Till He got to His feet
And looked them all straight in the eye.

With a voice of authoritive passion,
He uttered these words from His heart:
“The one without sin
May her stoning begin."
Then, His writing, once more, He did start!
The leaders all stared in amazement;
Confused by the answer they'd heard.
For, the words that He spoke
Nearly caused them to choke!
To them, He had sounded absurd.

But slowly the truth of His answer
Started settling into each mind.
Like the light of the day
Driving darkness away,
Their reasons for stoning, declined.

Then, shamed by the wisdom of Jesus,
The eldest departed the scene.
How could he reply?
He did not qualify!
He knew what a sinner he'd been.

And, right the way down to the youngest,
They followed the eldest man's lead
And left, one by one,
Till each person had gone
That accused her of doing the deed.

The woman continued her weeping
But, since only Jesus was near,
Her trembling finished;
Her wailing diminished
And she was controlling her fear.

Then, Jesus arose from His bending
And glanced very quickly around.
We could tell from His eyes
He wasn't surprised
Her inquisitors couldn't be found!

"Woman, where are your accusers?"
Jesus asked as the woman grew calm.
"Where are the men
Who seek to condemn?
Is there no one that's seeking your harm?"

By then, she was filled with amazement
And relief that she couldn't disguise.
"No one Sir!" she replied
In a voice which implied
That she didn't believe her own eyes.

Then, Jesus looked full of compassion
As He gazed at her straight in the eye;
And His words set her free
As He said tenderly,
"If they haven't, neither do I!"

Jesus knew that she'd truly repented
Of what she'd been doing before;
And so He did say
That she could go away
And added, "Don't sin any more!"
Jim Strickland – Written 1985




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