February 21, 2016
Love Is: Love Is Costly
John 8:1-11
Teaching Plan
PREPARATION
> Spend the week reading through and studying John 8:1-11. Consult the commentary provided and any
additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation.
> Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group.
> Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their
receptivity to the study.
HIGHLIGHTS
Biblical Emphasis: All of us are sinners in need of forgiveness.
Teaching Aim: The church is called to demonstrate authentic love and compassion to those who have
fallen into the trap of sexual sin. Our job is to point people to the forgiveness, redemption, and restoration
found in Jesus Christ.
INTRODUCTION
As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going.
C.S. Lewis said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the
inexcusable in you.” As Christians, it’s sometimes tempting to have less tolerance for some sins than
others. When people sin differently when we do, we are prone to wonder why they would behave in the
manner that they do. But the Bible teaches we are all sinners saved by God’s grace (Rom. 3:23) Our
society has seen a dramatic increase in sexual sin over the last several decades. What was once
considered socially unacceptable is now the status quo.
As Christ followers, we are called to reach out to those struggling with all types of sin, and point them to
the saving grace of Jesus Christ. While it’s important to always communicate with both grace and truth,
our love for Christ and others will draw lost people to us. If we act in condemnation, we sin, and have the
potential to alienate other’s from what they need most—a saving relationship with Christ Jesus. Our
passage today illustrates how Jesus ministered to a woman caught in sexual sin.
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How would you describe our culture’s view of sex?
How is sex portrayed in various forms of media (social, movies, blogs, etc.)?
What do you think is the primary source that people in our culture end up trusting for their
convictions about sexual behavior?
UNDERSTANDING
Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic.
> Have a volunteer read John 8:2-6.
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When the scribes and the Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus, where did they make her stand?
Why do you think they did that?
What was their real motivation in bringing the woman to Jesus?
The temple complex that Jesus was teaching in was a public venue and the scribes and Pharisees had easy
access to Jesus. It’s probable that they had the woman stand in the center of the temple complex to
maximize her humiliation and embarrassment. Although her sin certainly wouldn’t have been committed
in isolation, the man involved is notably absent. The scribes and Pharisees’ intention wasn’t to help
restore the woman, but rather, to trap Jesus.
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When someone attempts to embarrass another person there are often other motives involved.
What are common motives for publicly exposing someone in this manner?
What is a more effective way to confront someone caught in the trap of sin?
> Have a volunteer read John 8:7-11.
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What do you think Jesus may have written on the ground?
What counsel did Jesus give to those questioning Him?
How did they respond to Jesus’ statement?
We have no way to know with certainty what Jesus wrote on the ground. There has been a longstanding
speculation in the church that He wrote a portion of Jeremiah 17:13, “All who turn away from Me will be
written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.”
Regardless of what He wrote, His action delayed His answer and they continued to press Jesus for a
response. He answered, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw the stone at her.”
This statement is a direct reference to Deuteronomy 13:9 and 17:7, meaning a witness of a crime must be
the first to throw the stone, and they must not be a participant in the crime itself. One by one they left.
Those who had come to shame Jesus now left in shame. Just Jesus and the woman are left at the scene.
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What does Jesus ask the woman?
What does Jesus tell her to do?
What do you think was the woman’s response to Jesus’ grace and kindness? How do you respond
when someone is loving and kind when you least deserve it?
Jesus addresses the woman for the first time and the form of His address, “woman,” is the Greek word
gynai and is a term that is entirely respectful. It’s notable that He didn’t ask her if she was guilty, but if
there was anyone left to condemn her. When she replied that no one was left, He responded with lifeaffirming words, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” Jesus’ response
reinforces the reason for His mission.
> Have a volunteer read John 3:17.
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What does this passage identify as the reason for Jesus’ mission?
As Christ followers, how do we biblically respond to those who are caught in sin?
What role does love play in our actions?
Ministering to people who are caught up in sin is difficult work, but it’s something Christ followers are
called to do. Sin has devastating consequences and always leaves a trail of heartbreak and destruction.
The church is designed to be a place where lost and broken people can be loved unconditionally and as a
result, be introduced to the saving power of Jesus Christ. At one point, we were all lost and in need of a
Savior. It is our privilege and responsibility to share the good news of the gospel with a lost and broken
world.
APPLICATION
Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives.
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As Christians, how can we begin to reclaim the definition of “love” in our culture?
Who can you show biblical love to this week?
In what ways is the Holy Spirit prompting you to respond to this message?
PRAY
Thank God for the grace He has shown by sending His son to redeem us from our sins. Confess that we
haven’t loved others in the same way He has loved us. Pray that God would empower His church to
respond with biblical love to a lost and hurting world.
FOLLOW UP
Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following
information:
> Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week:
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What opportunities have you had this week to show biblical love?
How is your perception of love changing as you study these lessons?
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A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group
gathering.
> The challenge to memorize John 8:7.
COMMENTARY
John 8:1-11
8:1-6a. The earliest and most reliable manuscripts do not include John 7:53–8:11. The Pharisees posed a
dilemma. If Jesus agreed to stone the woman, he would incur the distrust of the sinners he came to save
as well as break Roman law. But a refusal to stone her would make him vulnerable to the accusation that
he treated the Law of Moses lightly. It is a sad commentary on the culture of first-century Israel that they
brought in the woman but no mention is made of the man. The sin of adultery and its handmaiden,
divorce, represent almost the norm in modern America. But at least in our day we recognize mutuality of
responsibility.
John left no doubt regarding the Pharisees’ motivation: They were using this question as a trap, in order
to have a basis for accusing him. So the chapter begins with public accusation, but it also goes on to talk
about personal guilt. In one sense the Pharisees stood on solid ground with their appeal to the Law of
Moses (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22–24), but the law was not as clear as their accusation seems to imply. For
example, her marital status would be a defining factor.
8:6b-8. Interpreters seem fascinated by Jesus’ writing in the sand, certainly a reaction unexpected by the
Pharisees. Why did Jesus do this? What did he write? One answer suffices for both questions: We do not
know. It is useless to speculate, as some have done, that he wrote the names of other adulterers who
were standing there among the group of accusers. We are bound to the text which tells us nothing more
than that Jesus refused an immediate or reactionary response to the Pharisees’ accusation. The
centerpiece of this scene is the Lord’s answer: If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw
a stone at her.
The writing in the sand was followed by the wisdom of the Son. This rubric is certainly valuable for
judgmental Christians in our times. The perfect reply preserved both Jewish and Roman law while
exposing the wickedness of the accusers. As Jesus began writing on the ground a second time, they had
time to think about their own lives and God began to speak to those who were open to hear his voice.
Again the accusers were brought face to face with the law they themselves had quoted. According to
Deuteronomy 17:2-7, the witnesses of a crime who had reported it to the authorities would be the first to
cast the stones.
8:9. What followed was the withdrawal of the sinners, one at a time, the older ones first. Did the older
ones leave first because they had more time to accumulate sins of their own? Was it their maturity and
sense of impending judgment that made them fleet of foot to escape this embarrassing predicament? Did
they recognize that perhaps their sin was greater than the woman’s and Jesus knew that full well? Again,
the text does not tell us. But conscience must have played some role in this scene as the accusers left
Jesus alone with the woman.
Imagine a stage play as you watch in silence—no dialogue, no music. The confident and critical Pharisees,
moments ago pointing their fingers at the woman and at Jesus, now silently exit stage right or stage left
without another word. Christians are not perfect—just forgiven. And because of the extent of God’s
forgiveness to us, we ought to be the least judgmental people in the world.
8:10-11. The first two scenes of the story described the charges and their response. Now we come to the
verdict. With the accusers gone, there remained no condemnation. The Son of God refused to press the
issue. Her sin was not just set aside; soon Jesus would pay the penalty for both the woman and her
accusers. Chapter 8 tells about a woman who had no clean clothes—and about Pharisees who also had no
clean clothes. She knew she did not; they thought they did. Jesus offered the clean clothes of forgiveness
to all of them—and to us as well.
Jesus asked a rhetorical question and the woman answered it simply. Forgiveness rests upon the Lord’s
understanding. In this vignette we find recognition, repentance, regeneration, restitution, and
reconciliation.
A second important lesson in these two verses is that forgiveness rests upon the Lord’s grace. Remember
the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15? The father showed unconditional forgiveness and restoration
when the son returned. Salvation does not come from suffering; it comes from grace—from the suffering
and death of Jesus on our behalf.
Finally, we see that the verdict rests upon the Lord’s forgiveness. Forgiveness demands a clean break
with sin. In Matthew 9:2 we read, “Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw
their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.’ ” In searching for a way to
translate this, a missionary linguist working among the Guajira tribe in Colombia rendered the Lord’s
words, “I forgive you. Let’s be friends again.”
The same Jesus offers forgiveness today to sinners whose sins equal that of the woman or those of the
Pharisees. And not only forgiveness for initial salvation but also for daily sins of anger, disobedience,
envy, greed, and the judgmental character shown by the Pharisees which gave birth to this episode.