John Chapter 7-8
Azabujuban Home Group on 5th April 2006 (John 7:53-8:11)
---Note for the leader---
1. Review of the last week (John 7:1-53)
Place: Jerusalem
Time: The Feast of Tabernacle
à September of October
One of three Jewish festivals that celebrates the completion of harvest and commemorates God’s goodness to the people during the desert wanderings
à The other two are Passover (March or April) and Pentecost (May or June).
There were arguments among people whether Jesus came from God or not.
John 7:37-38 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
(Read today’s story)
Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Jesus to trap Jesus. However, Jesus said that a person without sin should throw a stone first and everyone escaped from there. In this way, the adulterous woman was saved.
(Footnote of the today’s story)
NIV says that the earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have this story. Some manuscripts place this story elsewhere in John or in Luke. In the Greek text, the style of writing is similar to Luke (Luke 21:38 is similar to John 7:53.).
However, there are no grounds for considering it unhistorical and it is accepted as part of the New Testament Scripture. This story describes characteristics of Christianity well.
2. When and where of the today’s story
Mount of Olives locates 1km to the east of Jerusalem. It is 800m high and 60 m higher than Mount of Zion (Jerusalem). From the top of Mount of Olives, you can see the temple well.
In the New Testament, Mount of Olives is described as a place for pray. Jesus was arrested by Jews when he prayed at Gethsemane in Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30, 36). At last, after resurrection, Jesus came back to heaven from Mount of Olives (Act1:10, 12).
Place: Jerusalem, temple court, people surrounded Jesus
Time: after the Feast of Tabernacle last chapter, during his preaching
à Similar to “During TUC’s worship service at the sanctuary, some guys come and interrupt the service.” We can guess all the people there were amazed at what happened there suddenly.
(Teachers of the law and Pharisees)
“teachers of the law” are Jewish scholars who interpret and teach laws of the Old Testament. They apply abstract laws to their daily life and made a lot of concrete regulations.
Meaning of the word “Pharisees” is “separated ones”. They wanted to separate from this world’s dirty habits. They were very diligent to observe laws and thought themselves as guardians of law. The number of the Pharisees in Israel at that time was 6,000. They thought much of tradition being equal to the Old Testament.
According to their view, God’s grace extends only to righteous men who keep laws.
3. How was adultery dealt in the Old Testament?
Exodus 20:14 (The Ten Commandments) “You shall not commit adultery.”
Leviticus 20:10 “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.”
Deuteronomy 22:22 “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from among you.”
Jewish law required witnesses who saw the adulterous act to accuse. Circumstance evidence was not enough.
“Stone” was the way of Jewish death punishment regulated in the Old Testament elsewhere.
4. Why was that question a trap?
That question was “well” planed. They assumed that they could accuse Jesus, no matter how Jesus replied.
As to stone the woman,
If Jesus said “No”, they could accuse Jesus as violation of Jewish law written in the Old Testament. Pharisees deemed Jesus suspicious because he had cured the sick person at Sabbath (See John 5:8,9 and 16).
If Jesus said “Yes”, they could accuse Jesus as rebel to Roman Empire which ruled over Israel at that time. The Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences (See John 18:31).
The similar trap was described in Matthew 22:15-22.
(Jesus wrote something on the ground with his finger.)
We can not know why and how did Jesus write on the ground exactly. However, in the Old Testament, some parts referred to the God’s finger. The Ten Commandment was written on stone tablets by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). Daniel 5:5 describes the story that human finger (maybe God’s finger) appeared suddenly and wrote something on the wall that predicted the end of Babylonian Empire.
5. What did Jesus point out to Pharisees by telling “Let the man without sin first throw a stone”?
Jesus pointed out whether their accusation came from right and pure incentive or not. Jesus resorted to their conscience. The sword of judgment is double-edged.
Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of saw-dust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
6. What do you think of each of these words in today’s story?
“began to go away” because there was no one without sin among them.
“the older ones first” maybe one becomes older, he tends to realize his sinfulness more.
“until only Jesus was left” because the only person without sin is Jesus.
7. Did Jesus hate adultery? Did Jesus hate the woman?
Jesus hated adultery, sin. Therefore, he said “Go now and leave your life of sin”.
Nevertheless, Jesus loved the woman, a sinner. Therefore, he said “Then neither do I condemn you,”.
Jesus hated sin, but loved sinners.
8. God is justice and love. What do you imagine the relationship of the following four words?
First, God is justice. One very simple example of justice is as follows.
Righteous -----> Live
Sinner -----> Die
What is the problem of this chart?
à No one can live.
God is not only justice but also love. God wishes all of us to live. As today’s story indicates, we can live by God’s love as follows.
Righteous
Sinner -------> Live
Is this chart completed?
à God is not only love but also justice. Justice has to be fulfilled. Therefore, to complete this chart, we have to add one more arrow. This is what happened at 2000 years ago. This is the meaning of Jesus’s crucifixion.
9. Why can our sin be forgiven? Why did Jesus not condemned the women in the today’s story?
This is because Jesus was crucified and bore sins of the woman and us. From another point of view, our sin and God’s love for us made Jesus be crucified. This is exactly why Jesus came to this world.
Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took is away, nailing it to the cross.”
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Azabujuban Home Group on 5th April 2006 (John 7:53-8:11)
---Outline for participants---
1. Review of the last week (John 7:1-53)
John 7:37-38
2. When and where of the today’s story?
3. How was adultery dealt in the Old Testament?
Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22
4. Why was that question a trap?
Matthew 22:15-22
5. What did Jesus point out to Pharisees by telling “Let the man without sin first throw a stone”?
Matthew 7:1-5
6. What do you think of each of these words in today’s story?
“began to go away” “the older ones first” “until only Jesus was left”
7. Did Jesus hate adultery? Did Jesus hate the woman?
8. God is justice and love. What do you imagine the relationship of the following four words?
Righteous Live
Sinner Die
9. Why can our sin be forgiven? Why did Jesus not condemned the women in the today’s story?
Colossians 2:13-14, John 3:16-17
---Note for the leader---
1. Review of the last week (John 7:1-53)
Place: Jerusalem
Time: The Feast of Tabernacle
à September of October
One of three Jewish festivals that celebrates the completion of harvest and commemorates God’s goodness to the people during the desert wanderings
à The other two are Passover (March or April) and Pentecost (May or June).
There were arguments among people whether Jesus came from God or not.
John 7:37-38 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
(Read today’s story)
Pharisees brought an adulterous woman to Jesus to trap Jesus. However, Jesus said that a person without sin should throw a stone first and everyone escaped from there. In this way, the adulterous woman was saved.
(Footnote of the today’s story)
NIV says that the earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have this story. Some manuscripts place this story elsewhere in John or in Luke. In the Greek text, the style of writing is similar to Luke (Luke 21:38 is similar to John 7:53.).
However, there are no grounds for considering it unhistorical and it is accepted as part of the New Testament Scripture. This story describes characteristics of Christianity well.
2. When and where of the today’s story
Mount of Olives locates 1km to the east of Jerusalem. It is 800m high and 60 m higher than Mount of Zion (Jerusalem). From the top of Mount of Olives, you can see the temple well.
In the New Testament, Mount of Olives is described as a place for pray. Jesus was arrested by Jews when he prayed at Gethsemane in Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30, 36). At last, after resurrection, Jesus came back to heaven from Mount of Olives (Act1:10, 12).
Place: Jerusalem, temple court, people surrounded Jesus
Time: after the Feast of Tabernacle last chapter, during his preaching
à Similar to “During TUC’s worship service at the sanctuary, some guys come and interrupt the service.” We can guess all the people there were amazed at what happened there suddenly.
(Teachers of the law and Pharisees)
“teachers of the law” are Jewish scholars who interpret and teach laws of the Old Testament. They apply abstract laws to their daily life and made a lot of concrete regulations.
Meaning of the word “Pharisees” is “separated ones”. They wanted to separate from this world’s dirty habits. They were very diligent to observe laws and thought themselves as guardians of law. The number of the Pharisees in Israel at that time was 6,000. They thought much of tradition being equal to the Old Testament.
According to their view, God’s grace extends only to righteous men who keep laws.
3. How was adultery dealt in the Old Testament?
Exodus 20:14 (The Ten Commandments) “You shall not commit adultery.”
Leviticus 20:10 “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.”
Deuteronomy 22:22 “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from among you.”
Jewish law required witnesses who saw the adulterous act to accuse. Circumstance evidence was not enough.
“Stone” was the way of Jewish death punishment regulated in the Old Testament elsewhere.
4. Why was that question a trap?
That question was “well” planed. They assumed that they could accuse Jesus, no matter how Jesus replied.
As to stone the woman,
If Jesus said “No”, they could accuse Jesus as violation of Jewish law written in the Old Testament. Pharisees deemed Jesus suspicious because he had cured the sick person at Sabbath (See John 5:8,9 and 16).
If Jesus said “Yes”, they could accuse Jesus as rebel to Roman Empire which ruled over Israel at that time. The Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences (See John 18:31).
The similar trap was described in Matthew 22:15-22.
(Jesus wrote something on the ground with his finger.)
We can not know why and how did Jesus write on the ground exactly. However, in the Old Testament, some parts referred to the God’s finger. The Ten Commandment was written on stone tablets by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18). Daniel 5:5 describes the story that human finger (maybe God’s finger) appeared suddenly and wrote something on the wall that predicted the end of Babylonian Empire.
5. What did Jesus point out to Pharisees by telling “Let the man without sin first throw a stone”?
Jesus pointed out whether their accusation came from right and pure incentive or not. Jesus resorted to their conscience. The sword of judgment is double-edged.
Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of saw-dust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
6. What do you think of each of these words in today’s story?
“began to go away” because there was no one without sin among them.
“the older ones first” maybe one becomes older, he tends to realize his sinfulness more.
“until only Jesus was left” because the only person without sin is Jesus.
7. Did Jesus hate adultery? Did Jesus hate the woman?
Jesus hated adultery, sin. Therefore, he said “Go now and leave your life of sin”.
Nevertheless, Jesus loved the woman, a sinner. Therefore, he said “Then neither do I condemn you,”.
Jesus hated sin, but loved sinners.
8. God is justice and love. What do you imagine the relationship of the following four words?
First, God is justice. One very simple example of justice is as follows.
Righteous -----> Live
Sinner -----> Die
What is the problem of this chart?
à No one can live.
God is not only justice but also love. God wishes all of us to live. As today’s story indicates, we can live by God’s love as follows.
Righteous
Sinner -------> Live
Is this chart completed?
à God is not only love but also justice. Justice has to be fulfilled. Therefore, to complete this chart, we have to add one more arrow. This is what happened at 2000 years ago. This is the meaning of Jesus’s crucifixion.
9. Why can our sin be forgiven? Why did Jesus not condemned the women in the today’s story?
This is because Jesus was crucified and bore sins of the woman and us. From another point of view, our sin and God’s love for us made Jesus be crucified. This is exactly why Jesus came to this world.
Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took is away, nailing it to the cross.”
John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Azabujuban Home Group on 5th April 2006 (John 7:53-8:11)
---Outline for participants---
1. Review of the last week (John 7:1-53)
John 7:37-38
2. When and where of the today’s story?
3. How was adultery dealt in the Old Testament?
Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22
4. Why was that question a trap?
Matthew 22:15-22
5. What did Jesus point out to Pharisees by telling “Let the man without sin first throw a stone”?
Matthew 7:1-5
6. What do you think of each of these words in today’s story?
“began to go away” “the older ones first” “until only Jesus was left”
7. Did Jesus hate adultery? Did Jesus hate the woman?
8. God is justice and love. What do you imagine the relationship of the following four words?
Righteous Live
Sinner Die
9. Why can our sin be forgiven? Why did Jesus not condemned the women in the today’s story?
Colossians 2:13-14, John 3:16-17
posted by Mindy @ 10:33 AM
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