Dave spoke this morning from John 8:2-11. The narrative deals with a woman caught in adultery – which is, of course, a sin with devastating effects – but the passage deals with the far more prevalent sin of hypcrisy. Jesus was confronted by leaders who wanted to trap Him; they were far more concerned about tripping Him up than in the actual dilemma faced by the woman.They expected Him either to preach a message of forgiveness and ignore God’s law or to stand with the law and show no grace to the woman. Jesus was not deceived by their machinations, however, and His response showed that whilst He did not intend to hide sin, He wanted all to realise the all-encompassing nature of sin and to understand also the all-encompassing nature of His grace and forgiveness.
Jesus gets to the heart of the matter in every situation and saves us by fulfilling the law – which we are incapable of doing – and thereby dismissing the charges against us. This story shows us hope and grace and above all reminds us that Jesus is the only way we can be forgiven and set free.
