Sunday School Lesson
May 3
Lesson 10 (KJV)
Prophesying Restoration
Devotional Reading: Psalm 47
Background Scripture: Zephaniah 3
Zephaniah 3:14–20
14. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
18. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
19. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
20. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Identify themes of restoration.
2. Explain the significance of those themes.
3. Use daily for a week a favorite hymn or song that praises God for His promise and work of restored relationship with Him.
HOW TO SAY IT
| Jerusalem | Juh-roo-suh-lem. |
| Judah | Joo-duh. |
| personification | per-saw-nih-fih-kay-shun. |
| Zephaniah | Zef-uh-nye-uh. |
| Zion | Zi-un. |
Introduction
A. An Amateur Restorer
In 2012, the New York Times reported on what it called “probably the worst art restoration project of all time.” A small church in Spain had a famous painting of Jesus that was deteriorating due to age and moisture. Painted directly on the stone wall by nineteenth-century artist Elías García Martínez, the picture portrayed Jesus wearing a purple robe and a crown of thorns.
One day, church officials found the work of art changed beyond all recognition, and authorities suspected vandalism. The modified painting, which quickly became famous on the internet as “Monkey Jesus,” had none of the grace or artistry of the original. While investigating the crime, authorities were shocked to discover that the perpetrator was no young vandal, but rather Cecilia Giménez, an 80-something-year-old member of the church. Cecilia, distressed at the deteriorating state of the painting, had taken it upon herself to restore it. Sadly, her skills were nowhere near up to the task.
When a priceless work of art needs to be restored, it’s foolish to trust the job to anyone but the best. Like the painting, Israel needed true restoration. Was anyone willing and able to take on the job?
B. Lesson Context
Zephaniah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah in the seventh century BC. His lineage suggests that he may have been of royal blood (see Zephaniah 1:1). This family background would have given him deep insight into the state of the nation and impact his understanding of God as king of Israel. Zephaniah understood the importance of leadership and what its absence could do to a nation.
Zephaniah likely wrote in the late 620s BC before King Josiah’s spiritual reforms. The prophet is primarily concerned with Judah’s continued rebellion against God (see 2 Kings 22:1–23:28). The first two chapters of the book of Zephaniah describe a coming Day of the Lord, in which Judah is to face judgment for idolatry. This judgment is to come in the form of both the natural consequences of that nation’s choices and as a tool of God for purifying His people.
God’s process of purification would remove the rebellious in order to ensure the survival of those remaining faithful—“the remnant of Israel” (Zephaniah 3:13; see also 2:7, 9; compare Isaiah 10:20–22). The prophet’s warnings to Judah carried weight given the fact of the deportation of the northern kingdom (Israel) by Assyria in 722 BC. That reality and its associated horror underlined the fact that Zephaniah’s warning was not an idle threat.
Zephaniah’s prophecy of God’s judgment came true in 586 BC. That was the year the Judeans were cast into Babylonian exile (2 Kings 25:1–21). The prophesied restoration would not begin until 538 BC, when Jewish captives were allowed to return to Judah (Ezra 1:1–4).
The ancient writers’ fondness for using parallelism (structural doublets) is important to keep in mind when reading Old Testament passages composed as poetry. Previous discussions in lessons 4 and 9 regarding how to recognize this feature still apply, so that information need not be repeated here. We should, however, stress anew the significance of this technique: when the second phrase in lines of poetry echoes the first phrase, only one thing or action is in view, not two. One happy result of this fact is that when part of a verse is difficult to understand, its companion phrase may be used to interpret the more difficult portion.
Zephaniah’s prophecy presents us with a sharp change of theme beginning in Zephaniah 3:9, as restoration of a remnant takes center stage. The Lord promises that the “afflicted and poor … shall trust in the name of the Lord” (3:12), untroubled by those who are proud and haughty. The remnant can freely celebrate captivity’s end.
I. Celebration
(Zephaniah 3:14, 15)
A. How to Praise (v. 14)
14. Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Having been told why the remnant should celebrate (see the Lesson Context), the people are told how: they are encouraged to sing, … be glad and rejoice (compare Psalms 9:2; 95:1; contrast 137:1–4).
| What Do You Think? What are some techniques we can use to remind ourselves to express proper gratitude for God’s promised care? Digging Deeper |
The designation Zion originally referred to “the city of David” (2 Samuel 5:7); eventually Zion came to include the temple area just to the north (Micah 3:12). Zion often parallels (stands for) Jerusalem as a whole in poetry (example: Psalm 128:5), and that is the case here. Jerusalem is the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah (compare 2 Samuel 5:5).
The prophets frequently refer to Jerusalem and/or Zion in terms of a daughter (examples: Isaiah 37:22; Lamentations 2:13). This is a literary technique known as personification, in which the writer assigns the qualities of a person to something that isn’t human. And since Jerusalem is the location of the temple, this imagery emphasizes the value of God’s covenant people. It also stresses God’s unique claim to stand as their champion.
The word Israel, for its part, can designate different things depending on historical context. Sometimes it refers to the entirety of the 12 tribes (example: 1 Kings 4:7). At other times it refers only to the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of the divided monarchy (example: 2 Kings 3:1). Here the word seems to refer to the faithful remnant, as do the two uses of daughter of.
Some students propose that use of the word Israel signifies the completeness of God’s welcome home. That is quite possible as long as it is accompanied with the realization that the completeness Zephaniah prophesies refers to the completeness of a remnant, not the whole (see Lesson Context).
B. Whom to Praise (v. 15)
15a. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy.
After the prophesied Day of the Lord and the judgments that characterize it (see Zephaniah 1:7–10, 14–16, 18; 2:2, 3), God will step into the situation in a new way. Although the nation of Judah as a whole has disobeyed and turned its back on Him, God will not abandon the faithful among His covenant people. The Lord’s anger regarding Judah’s sin (see 1:4–6, 8–16; 2:1–3) will subside. After God uses Babylon as His agent to discipline His people, He will then defeat Babylon, thus ending the oppression Judah faced during that time. Judah will indeed have to face the consequences of its choices, but God will not allow those consequences to destroy completely. Instead, like a parent considering a punishment to be sufficient, He will end it (compare Isaiah 40:1, 2). God’s affirmation of His faithful remnant is to be the cause for the joyful celebration just noted above.
The faithful remnant will suffer along with the unfaithful majority. But when the time comes for God to cast out the enemy, He will bring the fullness of His presence to bear in rescuing His remnant. The nature of the forthcoming exile may suggest God’s complete abandonment. But that is never true for those who remain faithful (compare 1 Kings 19:18).
15b. The king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee.
In the ancient Near East, the presence of a king was essential to the well-being of his people. An absentee ruler cannot judge disputes. People begin to think, While the cat’s away, the mice can play (compare Matthew 24:48, 49). A ruler who is present and active is expected to provide some degree of protection and justice. So when Zephaniah describes God as a king present in the midst of His people, the prophet is telling a powerful story of God’s protective rule (compare Isaiah 54:14; Zechariah 9:8, 9).
This language of presence foreshadows significant New Testament themes. God’s promise to dwell with His people was fulfilled in Jesus. As the incarnate Word, He physically lived among people (John 1:1–18). Before He ascended, Jesus promised that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit for the Christian is a blessed reality (Romans 8:9–11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14).
15c. Thou shalt not see evil any more.
The promised restoration in general and this verse in particular in no way suggest that God will exempt His people from experiencing the natural consequences of their choices. The context, rather, is that of God’s removal of those who instigate evil against the remnant. The promise of God’s restoration, with the peace and protection He gives, offers hope to God’s people in the midst of judgment against the rebellious. There is joy coming in the morning, even after the tears of the night before (Psalm 30:5).
The promise of restoration does not end with Zephaniah’s prophecies to pre-exilic Judah that is to become the post-exilic remnant. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for restoration in terms of God’s kingdom coming and God’s will being done (Matthew 6:10).
As Jesus proclaims that coming kingdom during His time on earth, He does not consider the restoration to be accomplished fully during His earthly ministry. Just before His ascension, His disciples ask if the time has come for the restoration of Israel (Acts 1:6). Jesus’ response, coming on the heels of three years of proclamation that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15), shows that the disciples’ expectation of an immediate physical-political fulfillment misses the point. Instead, restoration and the establishing of the kingdom of God are inaugurated. Fulfillment is in some sense both “now” and “not yet.”
Full restoration in terms of new life in Christ is consummated at His return (1 Corinthians 15:52–57; Revelation 22). In the meantime, we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us daily (Romans 12:2).
The Healing Power of Love
Long ago, I knew a couple who wanted a baby but were unable to conceive. Eventually, they adopted. When I first visited the new family of three, I saw a sickly child covered with evidence of abuse. The infant had been removed from his home because his biological parents didn’t love him or care for him. But his new parents gushed, “Isn’t he beautiful?”
From my perspective, he was not beautiful—physically, anyway. However, the new parents’ love enabled them to see beyond the evidence of his past and to his possibilities for a bright future. Not many weeks later, I saw him again. Their loving care had restored him to health; he was, indeed, a beautiful baby!
The idolatry of many of God’s covenant children ended up leaving the Judeans bruised and beaten. The remnant suffered alongside the rest. But God’s love enabled Him to promise their future healing. What sins does God want to heal in your life?
—C. R. B.
II. Promise
(Zephaniah 3:16–20)
A. In That Day (vv. 16–18)
16a. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem.
Zephaniah’s phrasing makes clear that the promise of restoration is certain even though the exact timing is unrevealed. That day points to a real occasion while leaving the timing wide open. Although people may fervently desire to know exactly when restoration is to come, God’s fervent desire is that people be confident that the promise of the restoration is certain (compare Hebrews 11:1). What is to happen on the day mentioned here is the opposite of what will happen on the “that day” of Zephaniah 1:15.
16b. Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
It is no coincidence that there is no occasion for fear in God’s restored kingdom. When the king of creation is fully present, peace and justice hold sway in His realm.
| What Do You Think? Without giving direct advice, how would you counsel someone whose life seems to be on hold because of besetting fear? Digging Deeper |
The Bible’s imagery of hands can express strength or symbolize power (example: Micah 5:9). Imagery of weak or incapable hands can indicate a feeling of helplessness or hopelessness in situations characterized by fear (example: Isaiah 35:3, 4). Thus if hands be slack after this pronouncement, it indicates the presence of unwarranted fear. That, in turn, indicates lack of faith (compare Matthew 14:26–31).
17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Zephaniah again presents a state of the future, followed by attendant results. The reason the people are not to fear is because the Lord is mighty and present with them. The image Zephaniah paints is of a victorious king. Having defeated His enemy, God’s entire focus shifts to His utter joy over once again being with His people, providing and caring for them (compare Isaiah 62:4).
The phrase he will rest in his love may seem curious at first. It should be understood as God’s shifting from a mode of active wrath to one of steady love. In that mode, the Lord will no longer punish the people (compare Hosea 14:4).
The cycle of joy is thereby complete: as God’s people celebrate their restored relationship with Him, God celebrates being present with them.
| What Do You Think? After you recover from surprise to learn that God sings, how will that fact influence your songs of praise? Digging Deeper |
18a. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee.
This verse presents some translation difficulties. Taken as a whole, however, the verse suggests that the solemn assembly that was instituted (whether part of an annual festival or a Sabbath observance) as an expression of faith has become a matter of shame instead. Another possibility is that because God has called the people to rejoice, He will remove those who choose to continue to wallow in sorrow; they will not be allowed to prevent others from expressing their joy.
18b. To whom the reproach of it was a burden.
The language of reproach brings another dimension to the promise of restoration. The same word is translated “shame” elsewhere (example: Isaiah 47:3), and that may be the sense here. Shame and honor are more than simply matters of hurt feelings in the ancient Near East. Rather, those concepts speak to how people identify and value themselves. To be cast into exile will result in the Judeans no longer understanding who they are as a people (compare Psalm 74).
This burden will be lifted when God reclaims His remnant. Restored relationship means restored identity. God brings the joy of identity with Him in the place of the shame of His rejection.
B. At That Time (vv. 19, 20)
19. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
The phrase at that time links this promise to the previous verses. The people are to experience restoration identity and more: the consequences to be suffered will come to an end as God removes the agents of judgment (see the Lesson Context for lesson 6). Judah will no longer be known as the people who abandoned their God (compare Deuteronomy 29:24, 25; Isaiah 60:18).
In the ancient Near East, physical handicaps often are considered evidence of a deity’s judgment (see John 9:2). The older English word halteth refers to a disability related to walking (that is, being lame). Similarly, enslavement by a hostile nation is thought to prove the inability of both king and deity to protect a people (compare Isaiah 14:1–8). Restored relationship with God removes and heals these purported signs of abandonment (see also Ezekiel 34:16; Micah 4:6). Physical healing, freedom, and return home are concrete ways God’s justice and love will be announced.
Crippling helplessness and insufficiency will disappear in the face of God’s power at work. The language of shame emerges again to highlight the remnant’s restored sense of identity as God’s people. The remnant’s inability to protect themselves is to be negated as God exercises His own power to restore and reclaim. The alienation caused by sin in general and idolatry in particular is reversed when God is once again present with His people. Those willing to affirm allegiance to God alone, rejecting idolatry—the opposite of which will be the main reason for the forthcoming exile (Ezekiel 23)—are promised God’s care in His plan to restore His people to wholeness (compare Psalm 68:6).
| What Do You Think? In what ways do you sense that God wants you to be His hands and feet with regard to restoring the lost to Him? Digging Deeper |
Better than Ever
Young people don’t seem to have the love affair with automobiles that older generations have had. They don’t visit auto museums like generations before. As a result, many such museums are closing and cars are being auctioned off.
People such as William Harrah would restore the lost interest if they could. He loved cars, collecting over 1,400 in his lifetime. After he died in 1978, the National Automobile Museum was created to house about 225 of Harrah’s cars. Each car (from late-1800s motorized buggies to mid-twentieth century classics) has been meticulously restored. The ravages of time, hard use, and neglect have been reversed.
New generations of Judeans had grown up with no interest in God, even though their land was a “museum” of the evidence of God’s actions among them. As a result, God sent the oppressive Babylonians against Judah as the instrument of His judgment. We should be extremely careful about drawing any similar cause-and-effect conclusions today when we see a people group suffering; that’s not our task. When we see suffering and its alienating effects, our tasks are found in Matthew 28:19, 20; James 1:27; etc.
—C. R. B.
20. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.
Zephaniah again refers to that time, reinforcing the link between these promises. God’s restoration of familial relationship goes hand in hand with restoring a sense of identity as God’s covenant people. God’s care is demonstrated in this renewed relationship and rediscovered identity.
| What Do You Think? In what ways is God challenging you to bring back to Christ someone who needs to return from the captivity of sin? Digging Deeper |
The phrase when I turn back your captivity should reemphasize to us that the terrible judgments of the Day of the Lord are yet to occur from the perspective of the original reader. And as the decades pass until those occur, it will be easy to forget or outright dismiss the predictions of exile and return (compare 2 Peter 3; Revelation 2:4, 5). Could there be anything sadder than to fail to be restored to relationship to God Almighty himself?
Conclusion
A. The Restoration Expert
The final words of the book of Zephaniah remind us that restoration requires the power and willingness of God. He and He alone is the one who has the power to make restored relationship with Him possible. That’s why Zephaniah’s promise of restoration for the Old Testament remnant is relevant to us yet today: it foreshadows our restored relationship to God through Christ.
Christians have been delivered from the captivity of sin; yet we still live in a world that is mired in that captivity. Therefore the fullness of our deliverance is yet to come. We trust God to keep His promise in that regard because He has, among other things, “also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22). Although God’s kingdom is not yet here in its fullest sense, His continuing work of restoration is guaranteed by the presence of His Spirit.
Let us therefore celebrate these grand realities! As we do, we can affirm with Paul “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39).
B. Prayer
Lord, open our eyes to ways in which You are present and restoring Your kingdom in and around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Celebrate the present and future reality of restored relationship to God.
KIDS CORNER
Not Condemning nor Condoning
Sunday, May 3, 2020
John 8:1-11
John 8:1-11
(John 8:1) But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
After the Festival of Booths, many went to their homes, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives where He often went to pray and meet with His disciples. His Father led Him to stay in Jerusalem and teach the crowds who came to the temple—His Father’s house.
(John 8:2) Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.
Jesus rose early to teach those who came early to the Temple. Probably, these early morning worshipers would be some of the most devout worshipers of God. Unlike the day before when Jesus had to cry out to be heard by the large crowds, Jesus sat down as was the custom of a Rabbi or Jewish Teacher to teach those who gathered around Him (a smaller crowd, for many had returned home). In this setting, the people would hear or rehear some of Jesus’ most important teachings about himself and why He came into the world—to save us from our sins and give believers eternal life.
(John 8:3) The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,
While Jesus was teaching, we can imagine the scribes and Pharisees pushing their way through the crowd bringing with them a woman caught in adultery—thus bringing great public shame upon her by making her stand before the whole crowd in front of Jesus. Notice: their purpose was not to seek a way to help her receive redemption and forgiveness from God.
(John 8:4) they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
They addressed Jesus as “Rabbi” out of a feigned respect, because they wanted to kill Him and were seeking to entrap Him. The crowd considered Jesus an authoritative compassionate Teacher who healed all their diseases, so the authorities wanted to entrap Jesus as a Teacher to discredit Him before the crowd. Notice: they did not bring the man who was also “in the very act,” because the man was probably part of the scheme to dishonor the woman publicly and entrap Jesus.
(John 8:5) “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”
The Pharisees reminded Jesus of what the Law of Moses commanded. They already believed He violated the Sabbath, and they were looking for more reasons to bring Him before the Sanhedrin or Council for condemnation. If Jesus upheld the Law of Moses and judged that she must be stoned, He would have condemned her to death and have done what He did not come to do; for Jesus came to seek and save the lost and bring sinners to faith in Him that they might receive the gift of eternal life. If He condemned her, He would have contradicted what He had been teaching people to expect from Him as the Savior of the world and the Savior from sin. He would not have been the Friend of sinners. Many in the crowd would have lost faith in the sincerity of His loving concern for others. Furthermore, the Pharisees would have succeeded in discrediting Jesus and His teaching before the crowd and His disciples. They would have destroyed His saving influence.
(John 8:6) They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.
Their test, an effort to entrap Jesus and bring more charges against Him, would have succeeded if Jesus had unwisely answered their question directly. First, if Jesus had upheld the Law of Moses and declared that she must be stoned, Jesus would have advocated violating Roman Law, for the Romans did not permit the Jews to execute criminals by stoning someone or by any other means. If He had advocated breaking Roman Law, the Pharisees would have accused Him before Pilate of being a revolutionary, of inciting rebellion against the Roman government, and of telling people to break Roman Law. With their testimony, Jesus could have been declared guilty by the Romans and crucified—they would have succeeded in killing Jesus as they hoped (but His hour had not yet come). Second, they thought the Law of Moses was clear and could be easily understood and applied. They knew Jesus would be committing a sin if He made void any part of the Law of Moses, as He seemingly made void the Sabbath Law (at least in their opinion and according to their traditions). Then, they could have charged Jesus before the Sanhedrin (that would have easily convicted Him) for being a false prophet and pretending to be the Messiah; thus, they would have destroyed His ministry and influence over the people. They felt they had Jesus in a trap that He could not escape. To begin escaping their trap, Jesus began to write on the ground with His finger.
(John 8:7) But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
The longer Jesus waited to answer them, the more they kept pushing Him or taunting Him for an answer. Because of His delay, they felt they had Him trapped. Meanwhile, they made the woman keep standing in fear and trembling before the crowd and the crowd kept listening expectantly for Jesus to pass judgment. Would Jesus break the Law of Moses and out of compassion let her go, as He healed the sick on the Sabbath—and supposedly broke the Law of Moses as the Pharisees charged? Or would Jesus advocate the breaking of Roman Law, so that the Romans would come and arrest Him? Jesus kept writing in the sand. The Bible does not tell us what Jesus wrote in the sand. But we can use our imaginations and come up with various ideas. In my imagination, I see Jesus writing down a list of sins or commands in the Law of Moses. Then, demonstrating a wisdom greater than Solomon, Jesus said the one without sin should cast the first stone, and in my imagination He had just written a list of sins on the ground that they could see.
(John 8:8) Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Resuming His silence and writing in the sand, Jesus let the scribes and Pharisees consider what they would do. The crowd, that also knew that no one was without sin and only God was good, watched expectantly to see who would proudly claim to be sinless and come forward to take her away to be stoned. They would not stone her in the Temple or on its grounds. They would lead her outside the city walls as was the custom. While they were leading her out, no doubt someone would have notified the Roman authorities and put the blame on Jesus for condemning her to be stoned. Thus, they had probably planned on Him being arrested by Roman soldiers before they stoned her—for they would have wanted to remain innocent. Again, the Bible does not tell us what Jesus wrote in the sand, but we can use our imaginations and think about what He might have written. In my imagination, Jesus began to write the names of the scribes and Pharisees by each one of the sins or broken commandments that He had written earlier. Since Jesus knew what was within each of the scribes and Pharisees, He may have begun with the oldest leader and written his name by the sins he had committed. Then He went to the next oldest, perhaps even writing guilty by each name. If Jesus did this (and remember we have no idea what He wrote) I can see why the scribes and Pharisees would have begun leaving, and leaving quickly, before He wrote down their names too. He probably would not have needed to reveal the sins of too many of them.
(John 8:9) When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.
“Beginning with the eldest or oldest ones” is to be preferred to “beginning with the elders” (see KJV, NASB, and NIV). If I had been one of the scribes or Pharisees, I certainly would have wanted to leave before my name was written down and my sins were exposed before the whole crowd as they had exposed the woman’s sin before the whole crowd. The Bible does not tell us whether the whole crowd left too, but it does tell us that Jesus was left alone with her. Perhaps each person in the crowd was ashamed of their sins and ashamed of what the scribes and Pharisees had done to bring shame to the woman; so, they respectfully left Jesus alone with her. At least we know with certainty that the ones who shamefully brought her to Jesus left her standing alone before Him.
(John 8:10) Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
Then, Jesus spoke to the woman for the first time. He asked her if anyone had condemned her. No one had tried to take her outside the city to be stoned. No one had tried to break the Roman Law which forbid the Jews from executing someone. No one had tried to enforce the Law of Moses against her; so, the religious authorities did not uphold the Law of Moses—they had her in their grasp and knew what the Law of Moses required, but they did not enforce it. Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, with His authoritative answer to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus did not break or advocate the breaking of either the Law of Moses or Roman Law. He did not answer their question, but stayed true to himself; for in John 3:17, Jesus declared, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus came not to condemn her, but to save her.
(John 8:11) She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
If the crowd were watching, they heard her tell Jesus that none of the authorities had condemned her, and if they heard Jesus say that He did not condemn her either, they were probably amazed at His wise compassionate application of Jewish Law and Roman Law. In addition, neither the woman nor the crowd were left with the impression that Jesus condoned breaking the Law of God. He called her behavior a sin and told her not to sin again. We do not learn if she repented of her sins and asked Jesus to forgive her as He had forgiven others. We do not know if she believed in Jesus as her Lord and Savior and received the gift of eternal life, but Jesus gave her the opportunity to do so by not condemning her. Jesus wants to forgive us for our sins, not condemn us. He wants to lead us to faith in Him. He wants us to receive Him and also receive from Him the power to become children of God.
Not Condemning nor Condoning
Sunday, May 3, 2020
John 8:1-11
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not (John 8:5-6—KJV).
“Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground (John 8:5-6—NASB). “In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground (John 8:5-6—NRSV). The scribes and Pharisees did not care about saving a woman from sin when they brought her before Jesus and a crowd and accused her of a sin that could lead to the death penalty. They only wanted to misuse her to entrap Jesus in a crime that could lead to His death. If Jesus upheld the Law of Moses and condemned her, they could accuse Him before Pilate of promoting rebellion, for the Romans forbid the Jews from stoning someone. If He upheld Roman Law and said she should not be stoned, they could bring charges against Him before the Sanhedrin for not upholding the Law of Moses. They were already condemning Him for breaking the Sabbath. To begin His answer, Jesus wrote in the ground. The Bible does not tell us what He wrote. But we can use our imaginations. I imagine He wrote a list of sins or commands from the Law of Moses. Then, Jesus said, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” and He began writing again (John 8:7-8). I imagine He began to write the names of her accusers by the list of sins or commands that they had broken, because all her accusers left without condemning her. Without condoning her sin, Jesus found a way to save her from being condemned and gave her the opportunity to repent of her sins and believe in Him as her Savior and Lord.
Thinking Further
Not Condemning nor Condoning
Sunday, May 3, 2020
John 8:1-11
Name _________________________________
- Who brought the woman to Jesus and why did they?
- What was the charge against the woman and what was the punishment if she was found guilty?
- Why might they have not brought the man to Jesus too?
- What might Jesus have written on the ground with His finger?
- Who condemned the woman, and what did Jesus tell her?
Discussion and Thinking Further
- Who brought the woman to Jesus and why did they?
The scribes and Pharisees brought the woman to test Him. They wanted to put Him into a position that no matter what He said it would be wrong and He would be condemned.
- What was the charge against the woman and what was the
punishment if she was found guilty?
They charged her with breaking one of the Ten Commandments by being caught in the very act of adultery. The punishment was execution by stoning her to death.
- Why might they have not brought the man to Jesus too?
He might have run away too fast. Most probably he was part of the plot to test Jesus. The scribes, the Pharisees, and the man were willing to sacrifice the woman to trap Jesus.
- What might Jesus have written on the ground with His finger?
The first time, He might have written abbreviations of the Ten
Commandments or some of the other laws in the Law of Moses. The second time He wrote, He might have written the names of those among the scribes and Pharisees (beginning with the oldest among them) beside the laws they had broken, thus revealing their sins, for He knew what was in everyone.
- Who condemned the woman, and what did Jesus tell her?
No one was left to condemn her. Jesus told her that He did not condemn her and she should go and not sin again.
Word Search
Not Condemning nor Condoning
Sunday, May 3, 2020
John 8:1-11
Name ______________________________
N A Z X L B D Z X J S Z I A X
P S U R H F T R D O C A D R V
H W I N T S Z N F U Y J T W G
A H E C R P U X E E N O T S O
R C S I U O C K T A C W P U D
I A F Y R T W G O P T Z I Z O
S E Q G S V N Q R A G N D S H
E T L E A Y A T W E L P M E T
E N T W H R M S E B I R C S H
S H Z B Z E O V K U K X Y X S
U O W C V T W T A P C S I E J
F A F R K L N D L W Z B V K E
M J K Z M U H A E P F I J A S
Z E Y W O D W Z H G L E Z E U
V P A M J A G S M O Q D I Q S
Mount
Olives
Temple
Sat
Teach
Scribes
Pharisees
Woman
Adultery
Law
Stone
Test
Wrote
Ground
First
True and False Test
Not Condemning nor Condoning
Sunday, May 3, 2020
John 8:1-11
Name _______________________________
- After the Festival, Jesus went to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. True or False
- Jesus went up a mountain to help His disciples harvest olives. True or False
- Jesus went into the Temple and sat down to teach. True or False
- The scribes and Pharisees brought a man and woman to Jesus for Him to judge. True or False
- A woman was caught in the very act of committing a sin. True or False
- The Law of Moses commanded the Jews to execute someone by stoning and not by crucifixion. True or False
- The Bible does not tell us what Jesus wrote with His finger. True or False
- Jesus may have written some or all the Ten Commandments on the ground with His finger. True or False
- Jesus condemned the woman because she refused to admit her guilt before the crowd. True or False
- No one cast a stone at the woman, and Jesus told her to go and not sin again. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- True
- False
- True