The Legalists thought they had Jesus pinned in a corner the day they brought the woman who was caught in the act of adultery to Him. According to the Law, she had to be stoned.John 8:3-11: The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 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. When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
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. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
There is only One Who has never sinned and He is the only One Who can condemn us. But He does not, rather He came to save us. "For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him." (John 3:17)
And here is an awesome truth . . . "Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son" (John 5:22) The only One the Father has judged was His Son while He took our place on the cross. Therefore, Jesus is the only One who can condemn us . . . yet according to Romans 8:1 -- "there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
The legalists thought they had trapped Jesus. They didn't know that He was the Second Adam, the One who fulfilled all righteous requirements of the Law on our behalf. As God's Son, He had the authority to negate the letter of the Law in order to expose the Heart of God.
I believe the interpretation of all Scripture needs to pass through Jesus. He told the Legalists that they search for eternal life in them, but they really speak of Him! John 5:39 . . . "You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me!" In Christianity today, there is sometimes a tendency to view Scripture as God and ultimate Truth, rather than something pointing to God and ultimate Truth (Jesus). In other words, we start to worship, idolize Scripture... and that is precisely what Jesus was critical of.
Legalism is a TRAP! Legalists want to trap everyone. They want to keep you from entering into the rest of Christ. Matthew 23:13 -- "For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either."
Another time the Law of God went through a "revision," was when Peter was hungry (in a trance) on his roof and had a vision of defiled animals and was told by the Lord to "eat." Acts 10:11-15 -- He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
14) “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” And basically God said, “What I call holy is holy." Mark 2:27, Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. . . He's the Lord of the Law. He "broke" the law continually and frustrated the legalists. He wanted them to see, but they were blind.
I don't know which way I'm going here. I seem to be trying to convey two things at once:
1) the Law was meant to serve man, not man to serve the Law. This applies to the Scriptures, as well. They were meant to serve us, to point us to God's plan of Salvation through His Son. . .they were not meant for us to serve them. We serve Christ.
2) Jesus is the only One Who can condemn or judge us and He's the One Who came to save us. That, to me, is such a relief.
I've been on the end of a stone throwing and I can relate with the woman's experience of Jesus' heart of compassion. Stones were thrown and landed hard. Would they have been able to throw them if they heard the Master say, "You without sin, cast the first one?" Absolutely not. After they left . . . after they all walked away . . . One was still standing with me. I asked Jesus, "Your still here?" And He told me, "I will NEVER leave you NOR FORSAKE YOU. You are Mine." I am so grateful to have found my True Friend. I would go through it all again, just to have what I have in Christ so solidly now. I am fully convinced . . . .Thank you Jesus. I love you!
2/14/09 -- Adding this complementary and recently found video:
I have a small smooth rock I bought at His Place years ago that has the words: "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone. Jesus Christ." printed right on it. It's such a good reminder.
ReplyDeleteCharles Spurgeon said, "Come, my soul, think thou of this. Believing in Jesus, thou art actually and effectually cleared from guilt; thou art led out of thy prison. Thou art no more in fetters as a bond-slave; thou art delivered now from the bondage of the law; thou art freed from sin, and canst walk at large as a freeman, they Saviour's blood has procured thy full discharge. Thou hast a right now to approach thy Father's throne. No flames of vengeance are there to scare thee now; no fiery sword; justice cannot smite the innocent. Thy disabilities are taken away: thou wast once unable to see thy Father's face: thou canst see it now. Thou couldst not speak with Him: but now thou hast access with boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon thee; but thou hast no fear of it now, for how can there be punishment for the guiltless? He who believeth is not condemned, and cannot be punished. And more than all, the privileges thou mightst have enjoyed, if thou hadst never sinned, are thine now thou art justified. All the blessings which thou wouldst have had if thou hadst kept the law, and more, are thine, because Christ has kept it for thee. All the love and the acceptance which perfect obedience could have obtained of God, belong to thee, because Christ was perfectly obedient on thy behalf, and hath imputed all His merits to thy account, that thou mightst be exceeding rich through Him, who for thy sake became exceeding poor. Oh! How great the debt of love and gratitude thou owest to thy Saviour!
ReplyDelete'A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear with Thy righteousness on,
My person and offerings to bring:
The terrors of law and of God,
With me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour's obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view."