John Bible Study - Lesson 23

John Bible Study - Lesson 23

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 7:45-8:11 New International Version (NIV)

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

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[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]

⁵³ Then they all went home, 8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 7:45-8:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴⁵ When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.

⁴⁷ “Have you been led astray, too?”  the Pharisees mocked. ⁴⁸ “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? ⁴⁹ This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”

⁵⁰ Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up.⁵¹ “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”

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[The most ancient Greek manuscripts do not include John 7:53–8:11.]

⁵³ Then the meeting broke up, and everybody went home.

A Woman Caught in Adultery

8 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, ² but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. ³ As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

⁴ “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

⁶ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. ⁷ They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”⁸ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

⁹ When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

¹¹ “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·    The Temple guards did not arrest Jesus due to the power of Jesus’ teaching to keep them at bay

·        The Pharisees mocked the Temple guards and said that they had been led astray after the guards said that Jesus had spoken like no other man.

·        The Pharisees were quite upset that Jesus was winning the people over.

·     In fact, the Pharisees called those who followed Jesus foolish, ignorant of the  law, and under God’s curse.

·        Nicodemus speaks on behalf of Jesus and points out that Jesus should not be      convicted without a hearing.

·    The Pharisees rebuke Nicodemus and point to the scriptures that no prophet  could come from Galilee.

·        Jesus returns to the temple to teach and while there was confronted by the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees who brought a woman accused of adultery for Jesus to judge.

·        The Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law were trying to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him.

·     Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her

·        When the woman’s accusers heard Jesus say this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman

·        Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”  “No, Lord,” she said.

          And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·          Jesus’ teaching had a great impact on everyone who heard Him speak; some believed, others like the Pharisees rejected Him.

·          The Pharisees used their power to try to control the people and to discredit and arrest Jesus.

·           Even today, we see people using their power and status to lord over others. Also, there is a level of self-righteousness in everyone who chooses to put others down. The Pharisees called the believers foolish, ignorant of the law, and under God’s curse. The Pharisees also mocked their own guards.

·           Nicodemus spoke up on behalf of Jesus. Nicodemus had earlier come to Jesus seeking to understand more in depth about who He was and what He was teaching about the kingdom of God. This encounter with Jesus earlier had impacted His life and spiritual awareness.  We too will be impacted by Jesus’ teaching when seek Him, embrace His teaching, and apply what we have learned to our lives. (Read below the importance of God’s Word in the Christian life)

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

·        The Pharisees state that no prophet has ever come from Galilee. Jesus was born in Bethlehem as the prophet Micah foretold, but He also lived in Galilee.

Micah 5:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

A Ruler from Bethlehem

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.

·        Jesus points out that a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. This statement by Jesus’ helps us understand an aspect of sinful Human nature. Prophets are messengers from God and many people dislike to hear the truth about their sinful nature, rejection of God’s truth and call to obedience.

Luke 4:24 New International Version (NIV)

 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

Did Any Prophets Come Out of Galilee?

Answer:

Yes, the prophets Jonah, Nahum, Hosea, Elijah, and Elisha were known to have come from Galilee.

The Pharisees change the facts:

Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, which is in Galilee. The Pharisees knew the Scriptures had prophesied the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (John 7:42, Micah 5:2) yet they did not connect Jesus’ birth to Bethlehem, they connected his birth to Galilee. The Pharisees were adamant that no prophet ever came out of Galilee which revealed they twisted the facts, had contempt for Galilee and used any method they could to discredit Jesus as the Messiah.  So the Pharisees were wrong on two points—that no prophet had come from Galilee and that Jesus could not be the Messiah based on their contention that He was born in Galilee.

·        The Pharisees look for any opportunity to discredit Jesus and arrest Him.

·        They brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus so they could trap Jesus into giving a judgement about her punishment that they could use to accuse Him of breaking Jewish law.

·        Jesus gave an answer only the true Messiah/God could give: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

·        With this declaration from Jesus the Pharisees and accusers left leaving only the woman with Jesus.

·        Jesus points out that her accusers had left because not one of her accusers was without sin.

·        Jesus tells the woman that He would not condemn her to punishment but that she should go and leave her life of sin.

·        We are called to repent from sin:

Acts 3:19 New International Version (NIV)

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

·        Here is how we can live our lives set apart to God:

Romans 12:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

A Living Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Hebrews 12:1-3 New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

·        We need to be careful about how we judge others:

Matthew 7:1-5 New International Version (NIV)

Judging Others

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ 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? ⁵ 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.

·        Jesus is not saying we can never judge but He is saying that when we do make judgments they should never include condemnation but filled with mercy and with the understanding that no one is righteous and we are all sinners in need of a Savior:

James 2:12-13 New International Version (NIV)

¹² Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, ¹³ because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Romans 3:23-24 The Message (MSG)

God Has Set Things Right

^21-24 But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

·        Only God can judge rightly when it comes to the law and salvation:

James 4:11-12 Living Bible (TLB)

¹¹ Don’t criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against God’s law of loving one another, declaring it is wrong. But your job is not to decide whether this law is right or wrong, but to obey it. ¹² Only he who made the law can rightly judge among us. He alone decides to save us or destroy. So what right do you have to judge or criticize others?

·        In any situation where we make judgements, we need Godly perspective. We should ask God to help us understand how to judge with mercy, grace, love, and eternal perspective:

Matthew 7:7-8 New International Version (NIV)

Ask, Seek, Knock

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Daily search the scripture for God’s truth

·        Expect to be persecuted for your faith in God and as a follower of Jesus

·        Apply mercy in the way you judge others

·        Daily seek God for eternal perspective

·        Sin will inhibit the way you see God and others, so make every effort to turn away from those things that cause damaged relationships

·        Remember Jesus had mercy on those who were not aware of their transgressions. On the Cross Jesus said “Father forgive them for they not know what they do”

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·        When you critically judge others, are you aware of the things that God will judge you on?

·        Is there sin in your life you need to repent from?

·        Do you convict people before you hear the whole story?

·        What are you doing in your life to prove Jesus is your Lord and Savior?

·        Do you realize we are all sinners in need of a Savior?

Have a great week…………….Dave