#1488 John 8 Part 2 As We Light The Candelabra

 

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your witness is not true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. 16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in your law it has been written that the witness of two men is true. 18 I am He who bears witness about Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” 20 These words He spoke in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. John 8: 12-20 LSB

John 8: 12-20

V. 12 I am the Light of the world - Not just Israel, not just in this moment, but to the whole of a world that is shrouded in darkness. Ever since the fall the darkness has grown, men fall further away from the truth, from the communion that was once enjoyed in the garden. Within one generation of Adam and Eve's sin their son Cain killed his brother Abel. By the time of the flood the world was filled with violence and every form that sin takes, every type of divergence from God's original design. Knowledge was more than a little damaged, understanding was spiraling downward, those made in God's image no longer reflected that. Every generation showed entropy rather than evolution. Religion was tainted within only a couple generations after the flood. God told the people to spread across the earth, but instead they all tried to come under one banner at Babel. They built a tower to show their autonomy. They had a world ruler, Nimrod, and his wife, Semiramis, who early historians referred to as a priestess of this early mystery religion of Babylon. Men were walking in darkness in regards to God, and without His intervening in history, men would only have the idols of their fantasy, the atheist god of self and self enlightenment, the wooden idols, creeping things, great animals and demons, all the things that men will worship when they no longer know or acknowledge the Creator. Whenever Jesus talks to these people there is a light that comes with it, a call back to what they learned in the daily reading, the Scribes studied and wrote about, so look here at Isaiah. This should take them back to here, but remember, men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;

My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.

2 He will not cry out or raise His voice,

Nor make His voice heard in the street.

3 A crushed reed He will not break

And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish;

He will bring forth justice in truth.

4 He will not be faint or crushed

Until He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

5 Thus says the God, Yahweh,

Who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who spread out the earth and its offspring,

Who gives breath to the people on it

And spirit to those who walk in it,

6 “I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness;

I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You,

And I will give You as a covenant to the people,

As a light to the nations,

7 To open blind eyes,

To bring out prisoners from the dungeon

And those who inhabit darkness from the prison.

8 I am Yahweh, that is My name;

I will not give My glory to another,

Nor My praise to graven images.

9 Behold, the former things have come to pass;

Now I declare new things;

Before they spring forth I cause you to hear them.” Isaiah 42: 1-9

V. 13 You are bearing witness about Yourself, Your witness is not true - From this response it appears that they understand what He is referencing and that He is making a Messianic claim. He is saying that He is the Servant or Slave of Yahweh. Look at vs 6 of Is 42 above, the Father, Yahweh, speaking to His Son, Adonai, Jesus, the Messiah, "called You, take hold of You, guard You, give You as a covenant to the people." As what? "A light to the nations." The Scriptures, the Word of God, bear witness about Him, where He would be born, what He would do. He has performed countless miracles before them, but they want some other sort of witness, yet they make a very irrational leap into saying, "Your witness is not true." I can tell you something that is true, but you don't have to believe it, and your unbelief will not change facts.

Ray Stedman - In the verses that follow we discern something of the darkness of the men to whom he was speaking -- darkness that was keeping them from coming to the light. Here we can see why it is that every person in the world needs Jesus Christ -- everyone -- and what it is that holds men and women back from the light and allows them to spend their whole lives, sometimes, in darkness. There are two things that keep people from opening their hearts to Christ: ignorance and pride; ignorance of the facts, and pride that refuses to bow to those facts and adjust to them. - Precept Austin

17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.… Romans 1: 17-19

V. 14 Even if I bear witness about Myself, My witness is true - Truth is reality, whatever actually is, and if Jesus is telling the truth it doesn't matter that He does so by Himself. His works have born witness to His otherliness, and He has fulfilled many of the OT prophecies that they know. They themselves are fulfilling what was written about Him in Isaiah as they despise and reject Him. 

You do not know (eido) where I come from or where I am going - They are ignorant. Why? To reject the Light leaves only darkness and so they walked in spiritual darkness! Thus Jesus says they do not know He came from Heaven and was going back to Heaven. The word for not (ou/ouk) signifies absolute negation indicating these so-called experts absolutely did not know the truth about Jesus' origin (and His purpose) and departure! Jesus rightly says these unsaved legalists have no ability to know His origin or His destination. They are blind to spiritual truth. They thought (like so many in Israel) that He was from the little podunk town Nazareth in Galilee, not recalling even what the chief priests and scribes knew 33 years earlier (Mt 2:1-5+), that He had been born in Bethlehem of Judea which they had read in the prophet Micah (Mt 2:6+, Micah 5:2+)! Of course, more to Jesus' point, these ignorant religious bigots did not know (and did not want to know) that His real origin was from Heaven and that He had been sent by the Father (Jn 3:16+) to be the Lamb Who would take away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29+). Secondly, they did not know where He was going which was an allusion indirectly to the events that would play out 6 months hence in the Father's grand drama of redemption, which would culminate with His crucifixion, burial, resurrection after three days, and Him going in the ascension to His Father after 50 days (Acts 1:9-11+). - Precept Austin

…2He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.… Isaiah 53: 2-4

V. 15 You judge according to the flesh - He is not of this earth, and has come from the perspective of eternity and perfect community with the Father and Spirit.

MacArthur on according to the flesh - They not only understood nothing of His heavenly origin, but even what they thought they knew about Him was incorrect. Thus, their judgment of Him was limited, superficial, and wrong. Proud, arrogant, and self-righteous, they had failed to heed Jesus' earlier admonition, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (Jn 7:24).

Rodney Whitacre adds "It is as though they are trying to evaluate the straightness of a line and their only tool is a crooked yardstick, or as if they are in an art gallery trying to evaluate the paintings when they have been blind from birth, never having seen shape nor color. Their judgment is limited to the human sphere and "breaks down when applied to anything which puts this sphere in question" (Bultmann 1971:281)." (Jesus Reveals Himself as the Light of the World Jn 8:12-20)

I am not judging (krino) anyone - No, in one sense He did not. His mission on His first coming was to save, not to judge. He will judge in His second coming, including the final judgment of every lost soul at the Great White Throne judgment (Rev 20:11-15). But keep in mind the basic idea of judgment is to make a distinction and thus to separate. And in His first coming (and the church age), Jesus does cause a separation, the net effect of which is a judgment. Jesus made it clear in Mt 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters." - Precept Austin

V. 17 Even in your law it has been written that the witness of two men is true - This law protected people from the singular accusation of someone who could be lying. The disciples will later be sent out to give testimony and care for each other in twos. Even in our courts today we bring in witnesses.

…23Before this faith came, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.… Galatians 3: 23-25

…5you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death. 6On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness. 7The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.… Deuteronomy 17: 5-7

V. 18 And the Father Who sent Me bears witness about Me - Two witnesses, Jesus and His Father, God, and there will be yet a third witness in those who come to believe. 

I am (ego eimi) He who (present tense - continually) testifies (martureo) about Myself - How does Jesus testify about Himself? He testifies by His words (His teachings) and His signs (miracles), and both of which were supernatural. "The Greek words beginning the verse are peculiar, and can hardly be rendered in English. They will almost bear to be translated,—“I, the great I am, am the person witnessing about myself; and the Father,” etc." (Ryle)

J C Ryle - The connection and sense of this verse are as follows: “Admitting that the testimony of two witnesses is trustworthy, I bid you observe that there are two witnesses to My divine nature and mission. I myself, the Eternal Son, am one of these witnesses: I am ever testifying concerning myself. The Father that sent Me into the world is the other witness: He is ever testifying concerning Me. He has testified by the mouth of the Prophets in the Old Testament. He is testifying now by the miraculous works which He is continually doing by My hands.” The reader should compare John 5:31–39. - Precept Austin

…3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. 5For it is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.… Hebrews 2: 3-5

This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

7 For there are three that testify:

8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son.

10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5: 6-12

…16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Matthew 3: 16-17

V. 19 If you knew Me, you would know My Father also - Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him. They don't know the Father because they don't believe Him when He speaks through the prophets or through His Son. 

…3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.… 

6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;… 2 Corinthians 4: 3-8 

14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.… Colossians 1: 14-16

MacArthur on where is Your Father? - Were they asking to see Joseph, who likely had died by this time, to prove Jesus had an earthly father? In light of verse 41, were they intending to insult Him as illegitimate? In any case, they rejected Him.

Jesus answered, "You know (eido) neither Me nor My Father; if you knew (eido) Me, you would know (eido) My Father also - Here Jesus bluntly tells religious leaders that they did not know God! This was their root problem! Neither and nor express absolute negation. Jesus uses the verb eido ("know...knew...know") three times saying that these religious frauds are totally ignorant of God and have absolutely have no sure (beyond a shadow of a doubt type knowledge of either Him or His Father. He emphasizes that if one truly knows Jesus, then they truly know His Father, because He and the Father are One (Jn 10:30). In Jn 8:14 Jesus has already declared the Pharisees "do not know where I come from or where I am going." In the reply in Jn 8:19 Jesus is saying in essence that they do not know the true God. The irony is that these men who were supposed to be able to lead others to God and His ways, did not even know God themselves!

MacArthur - Those who reject the Son give incontrovertible proof that they do not know the eternal Father (cf. Jn 1:18; Jn 14:6-9). Although they prided themselves on knowing Him, the Pharisees—blinded by their own hard-heartedness—were actually ignorant of spiritual reality (Mt. 15:14; 23:16, 24). - Precept Austin 

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#1487 John 8 Part 1 Go And What?

 

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 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. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4 they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have evidence to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go, and from now on sin no more.”] John 8: 1-11 LSB

John 8: 1-11

John MacArthur has a lengthy discussion of internal and external evidence regarding the authenticity of John 7:53-8:11.

The passage contains several internal indicators that cast doubt on its authenticity. Its placement here disrupts the flow of thought in this section. In 7:37–52 Jesus referred to one of the rituals associated with the Feast of Tabernacles, the water pouring ceremony (see the exposition of those verses in chapter 26 of this volume). In 8:12 the Lord alluded to the second great ritual associated with the feast, the lamp lighting ceremony (see the exposition of 8:12–21 in chapter 28 of this volume). Jesus’ claim to be the Light of the World in 8:12 follows logically after His claim to be the source of living water in 7:37–52. (The word “again” in verse 12 also implies a continuity between 7:37–52 and 8:12–21.) That claim to be the Light of the World may also be an allusion to Isaiah 9:1–2 (cf. Matt. 4:12–16), and thus an indirect reply to the Pharisees’ contemptuous remark in verse 52 that “no prophet arises out of Galilee.” Interposing the story of the woman taken in adultery obscures the Lord’s rebuttal of the Pharisees’ false claim (cf. Philip Comfort, “The Pericope of the Adulteress,” The Bible Translator 40 [January 1989], 145–47).....(See John Commentary)

The vocabulary and style of the story offer further evidence that John did not write it (BORROW Carson, John, 334; BORROW Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 883 n. 3; B. F. Westcott, The Gospel According to St. John [Reprint; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978], 142). For example, the scribes and Pharisees (Jn 8:3), paired so frequently in the Synoptic Gospels (Mt. 5:20; 12:38; 15:1; 23:2, 13–15, 23, 25, 27, 29; Mk 2:16; 7:1, 5; Lk 5:21, 30; 6:7; 11:53; 15:2) do not appear together anywhere else in John’s gospel. The passage also suggests that Jesus spent the night on the Mount of Olives (Jn 8:1–2). Yet the Synoptic Gospels record that happening only during Passion Week (Luke 21:37; cf. Lk 22:39), which was still about six months away. (It is, of course, possible that Jesus spent nights on the Mount of Olives during earlier visits to Jerusalem and the Synoptic Gospels did not record it.) And though the Synoptic Gospels refer to the Mount of Olives (Mt. 21:1; 24:3; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 13:3; 14:26; Lk 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39), John does not (outside of this passage). (See John Commentary)

EDITORIAL ADDENDUM regarding internal evidence - Kostenberger adds that "fourteen out of eighty-two words used in this pericope (or 17 percent) are unique to John....Moreover, several other words occur only once or twice elsewhere in the Gospel." (Kostenberger offers no commentary on John 7:53-8:11)

The external evidence also casts doubt on the authenticity of these verses. The earliest and most reliable manuscripts, from a variety of textual traditions, omit it. Others that do include it mark it to indicate that there were questions regarding its authenticity. Many of the most significant early versions (translations of the Scriptures into other languages) also omit this section. None of the early Greek church fathers—even those who dealt with the text of John verse by verse—commented on this passage. The first to do so was Euthymius Zigabenus in the twelfth century, and even he acknowledged that the accurate manuscripts did not contain it. (See John Commentary)

Here is MacArthur's conclusion -

This passage, then, was most likely not part of the original text of John’s gospel. Yet it “is beyond doubt an authentic fragment of apostolic tradition” (Westcott, John, 125) that describes an actual historical event from Christ’s life. It contains no teaching that contradicts the rest of Scripture. The picture it paints of the wise, loving, forgiving Savior is consistent with the Bible’s portrait of Jesus Christ. Nor is it the kind of story the early church would have made up about Him. “No ascetically minded monk [most of the scribes who copied the early manuscripts were monks] would have invented a narrative which closes with what seems to be only a mild rebuke on Jesus’ part” (BORROW Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament [New York: Oxford, 1982], 223). (See John Commentary) - Precept Austin

V. 3 The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery - Jesus' enemies, those who have been trying to discredit Him. Who is the woman, where did she come from, how did they catch her in adultery?

…13You shall not murder. 14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal.… Exodus 20: 13-15

…22If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. 23If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her, 24you must take both of them out to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. So you must purge the evil from among you.… Deuteronomy 22: 22-24

V. 4 In the very act - So it was witnessed, they saw her with another man who was not her husband. 

V. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do you say - He actually commanded you to stone the man and the woman to purge the evil from among you, so where is the dude? This is a sin of two people, and you are saying caught in the act, so where is the man that was with her?

Steven Cole -We tend to look on the woman in this story as the great sinner, while overlooking the fact that the scribes and Pharisees were just as evil, if not more so, in God’s sight. They were callously sinning against this woman. We can’t say for certain, but probably she was a young girl. In the Law of Moses, the penalty for adultery was death for both partners, without stipulating the means of death. But if the girl was engaged to be married, the penalty was specifically stoning to death (Deut. 22:22–24). Since Jewish girls were often engaged as young as 13 or 14, this girl may have been a frightened teenager. Clearly, they didn’t care about her at all. If they had cared about her, they could have held her in private custody until they brought formal charges against her. But they didn’t care about her feelings or about humiliating her in public. She was just a pawn for them to use and discard in their attempt to trap Jesus. But, even more seriously than sinning against this woman, these religious leaders were also sinning against the sinless Son of God. Their aim was to destroy Jesus and they were using both this woman and the Scriptures to do it! They weren’t concerned about God’s honor or about holiness among God’s people. It just so happened that the Law gave them ammunition to use against this woman and against Jesus. They were using Scripture to judge others, but not to judge themselves. - Precept Austin

V. 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so they might have evidence to accuse Him - He has claimed to be from God the Father, that He only does what He sees the Father doing, so they think themselves slick. If He says stone her then He is in defiance of Roman law, because Rome has the power of life and death. As Jesus will say, "the government does not bear the sword in vein", so capital cases, capital punishment, must go through the state, which is the Roman Empire. So now, these well intentioned Pharisees, think they have Him caught either way. He will either be at odds with Rome for breaking their law by having this woman stoned, or He will be breaking His Father's law by telling them to let her go. 

V. 6b But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground - How tranquil, and this is where most debaters would have pulled out their portable soap box, but He doesn't sound off on these things. 

1. As I said before, "where is the man", we can speculate about him, but all I am willing to propose here is the question of the double standard. She is a pawn to these men, I hardly think this sin causes any stench in their nostrils. Like their religion, it is all for show.

2. If they stone her then they will put themselves against Rome whether it was at Christ's words or not. For some this may be their hope, that they somehow start the fight that ushers in the Kingdom.

…12Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long. 13But like a deaf man, I do not hear; and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth. 14I am like a man who cannot hear, whose mouth offers no reply.… Psalm 38: 12-14

But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground - But highlights the contrast with the nefarious intentions of these religious scoundrels. Note that He does not respond verbally but physically. The finger of God was writing on the ground He had created. We speculate in vain (in my opinion) as to what He wrote, except to say it radically impacted all who read it as their subsequent actions demonstrate. Stooped down (kupto) is same word John Baptist used saying he was "not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals." (Mk 1:7+) And yet here we see the King of Glory stoop low to teach men about grace and forgiveness.

Steven Cole - “What did He write?” Here’s the answer: Nobody knows! Some have said that He was stalling for time so that He could think of what to say, but that demeans our all-wise Lord. Some say that He was writing the Pharisees’ sins in the dust, like people today write, “Wash me” in the dust of a dirty car. Others say that He was writing the Ten Commandments, which God wrote with His finger on the tablets of stone. Calvin suggested that He was shaming His enemies by ignoring them, showing that they were unworthy to be heard. But, the bottom line is, the text doesn’t tell us and so everyone is just guessing. - Precept Austin

V. 7 Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her - So now Jesus speaks and addresses the hypocrisy. This is not new at all; God addresses such things in the OT prophets as well. In Hosea in particular, now there all of Israel was in violation of adultery towards God. Theirs was the infidelity of idols, and they went about whoring after other gods. After God punished them by sending them to Babylon they entered the time of the gentiles. They lost their theocracy, lost their Judaic dynasty, self rule. Like I said before, the laws of corporal punishment now lay in the lap of their Roman occupiers. One thing Israel did do was give up the idols made with hands, they loathed them now, that suffering taught them that much, but they had also added many of their own traditions to the Mosaic law, pure silliness, and they viewed their traditions as a means to holiness. Also in Hosea's time they were adulteresses in the most common way as well, some of this interwoven with the worship of other gods. They had temple prostitutes and the like, and while they did give up their token idols, clearly they did not give up their lust, for it was widely known of them that they divorce their wives and took others for slightest of reasons. One I read was for something like burning toast, making a bad meal, and others were more honest, that your wife didn't please you anymore and you found someone else. This was all sanctioned by their Scribes, the ones who "interpret" God's law. Interestingly, if these men had the knowledge they claim to have, they would realize that Jesus has all the precedence for letting her go. I don't know what He wrote there, but look at this from Hosea. 

…13They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery. 14I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without understanding will come to ruin. 15Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’… Hosea 4: 13-15

More on Hosea

V. 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground - So calm, their behavior doesn't dictate His. Here they are with stones in their hands, pure drama, shouting, demanding that He make a decision, arrogantly thinking they are saying anything at all, and I can just see Him yawn and scribble something in the sand. Their air is too charged so He stoops down to where it's cool. They can't make Him do anything.

V. 9 They began to go out one by one - Seeing the level of their hypocrisy it would not be surprising if the one who lay with her stood with them or nearby. Maybe he was related to one of them, but why not bring the man out here? Is his life more valuable than hers? Is this only deemed a sin of women in your eyes; is it okay for you and your sons but not for girls, though you lay with them? 

V. 11 I do not condemn you either - He was the only One that met His prerequisite for stoning her, and He chooses no to. 

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. 18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.… john 3: 16-18

V. 11b Go, and from now on sin no more - This is the call to repentance, we are not as some who fall into the error of antinomianism to go and "continue in sin that grace may abound", which I have heard often in the evangelical groups who preach the doctrine of the carnal Christian. My own Father, after Columbia Bible College and Moody Bible Institute, where he had professors who certainly taught much better than this, refers to himself now as a Corinthian Christian, and as long as it is heterosexual sex he thinks it fine, whether porn or hook ups, whatever the 80 plus years old kids are calling it these days. God has spoken against all these things, so should we if we are His children. Man's defiance in this always leads to the sacrifice of someone else, that's why we have abortion, that's why the divorce rate is sometimes higher in the church than in the world. Please, don't miss the call to repent, don't look for a Jesus who can only save you from hell, but is powerless to save you from sin. He died for those very things. 

…12When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. 13He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. 14Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.… Proverbs 28: 12-14

…16Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! 17Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.” 18“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.… Isaiah 1: 16-18

…3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 5But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.… Romans 2: 3-5

…20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. 22Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.… Revelation 2: 20-22

John MacArthur agrees with Pastor Cole that Jesus did forgive the woman (and I also agree with this interpretation) - With her accusers gone, there was no one left to condemn her. Exercising His divine prerogative to forgive sin (Matt. 9:6; cf. John 3:17; 12:47), Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” Forgiveness does not imply license to sin. Jesus did not condemn her, but He did command her to abandon her sinful lifestyle....This story is far more than a battleground for textual critics. It paints a marvelous picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose gracious humility, infinite wisdom, convicting speech, and tender forgiveness are its central themes. All Christians should be grateful to God for sovereignly preserving it. (See John Commentary)

Gerald L. Borchert adds "Jesus’ verdict, “neither do I condemn,” however, was not rendered as a simple acquittal or a non-condemnation. The verdict was in fact a strict charge for her to live from this point on (apo tou nun) very differently—to sin no more (mēketi hamartane). The liberating work of Jesus did not mean the excusing of sin. Encountering Jesus always has demanded the transformation of life, the turning away from sin.… Sin was not treated lightly by Jesus, but sinners were offered the opportunity to start life anew. (See John 1-11: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition) - Precept Austin

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#1486 John 7 Part 4 Are You That Stupid

 

40 Some of the crowd therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is the Prophet.” 41 Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “No, for is the Christ going to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. 44 Some of them were wanting to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken like this!” 47 The Pharisees then answered them, “Have you also been led astray? 48 Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus (he who came to Him before), being one of them, *said to them, 51 “Does our Law judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?” 52 They answered him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” 53 [Everyone went to his home.  John 7: 40-53 LSB

John 7: 40-53

V. 40 This is truly the Prophet - This is "some" of the crowd, but there is also "others" and "still others", with various takes on Who Jesus is. When they say the prophet they are referring back to the words of Moses. God's Word is where they should be looking and it is the story of God's redemption through Christ, but they are kind of circular in their approach, and ultimately if one is not willing to believe, they won't. Hmm, so how does one become willing to believe, to see and comprehend the evidence that stands before them in Christ?

15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. 16This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”… Deuteronomy 18: 15-16

Prophet (4396) prophetes from próphemi = literally to tell beforehand in turn from pró = before, in front of, forth, on behalf of + phemí = speak, tell) is primarily a forth-teller or one who speaks out God’s message, primarily to their own generation, usually always calling the people to God's truth for them at that moment, often using the phrase "Thus saith the Lord." The prophet is one who speaks before in the sense of proclaim, or the one who speaks for, i.e., in the Name of (God). "As distinct from the sacral figures of pagan antiquity the biblical prophet is not a magician. He does not force God. On the contrary, he is under divine constraint. It is God Who invites, summons, and impels him--e.g., Jer 20:7" (Lamorte and Hawthorne) Although we commonly think of the prophet as predicting future events (foretelling) generally this was secondary to his work of forth-telling. When they functioned as predictors or prognosticators, the Biblical prophets foretold the future with 100 percent accuracy. And so if they were correct on the first coming of Messiah, they will be correct on His second coming and on the coming of the antichrist. In sum, forth-telling dealt with current events and fore-telling with future events, but in both the goal is the same -- to call us to trust the Lord and submit to His will for our lives, living in conformity with His Word. Lexham Bible - Prophetes is someone who is specially endowed or enabled to receive and deliver direct revelation of God's will. See also Dictionary of Biblical Imagery discussion of imagery associated with PROPHET. The prophetes (prophet) is the outspeaker; he who speaks out the counsel of God with the clearness, energy and authority which spring from the consciousness of speaking in God’s name, and having received a direct message from Him to deliver - Precept Austin

V. 41 This is the Christ - He was both the Prophet and the Christ, proclaiming the truth and being the truth. He is the Messiah, another word for Christ, the One to take the throne of David. In Christ He is also the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, a conqueror who destroys both sin and death by way of the cross. To what extent they are professing this it does not say, so to the question, are they the remnant? I do not know, only God can see their hearts. We are relegated to judging fruit, and the profession is in the positive, but many believed in John 2 as well, yet it turned out to be superficial, not born of the Spirit. 

…43Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says: 44‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’ 45So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”… Matthew 22: 43-45

20On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 21A remnant will return— a remnant of Jacob— to the Mighty God. 22Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.… Isaiah 10: 20-22

…9They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. 10 On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. 11On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.… Isaiah 11: 9-11

V. 41b No, for is the Christ going to come from Galilee - Now they will argue geographically, and in verse 42 we see that they have enough study, more than most today, of the Scriptures to know that He is of the line of David, born in Bethlehem. Here is where the Jewish leaders could step in and help, and I am sure some of them went so far as to look into this, but they hate Jesus. They could have pulled the records, found where Jesus was born and laid this much to rest, but the ignorance is working in their favor, so they are silent on the matter. This is the most important question of their time and all time, Who is Jesus?

…4I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD. 5Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 6In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.… Jeremiah 23: 4-6

1Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel. 2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel— One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. 3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.… Micah 5: 1-3

V. 43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him - This goes on today, Who is Jesus? When people knock on my door wanting to share their religion with me, mostly Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, that is what I want them to answer, Who is Jesus? This is a good and right place to divide if he is just a man, just a moral teacher, just a prophet like Mohammad or Gautama. The answers to this question are worth dividing over, which Jesus did you believe in?

33But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. 34Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.…

36A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.… Matthew 10: 33-38

…3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily. 5I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”… 2 Corinthians 11: 3-5

V. 46 Never has a man spoken like this - Again, it was not His time, but there is also something truly special about Him. 

Steven Cole - The temple guards, who were Levites, came back from their mission to arrest Jesus (Jn 7:32) empty-handed, so the chief priests and Pharisees asked them (Jn 7:45), “Why did you not bring Him?” The guards easily could have said, “Because the crowd would have been upset with us!” But instead, they candidly admitted (Jn 7:46), “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” Although the guards did not intend this meaning, John probably wants his readers to think, “Precisely! Jesus is not merely a man! He speaks as He does because He is the eternal Word of God made flesh!” But the impression is that these temple guards were too fearful of the chief priests and Pharisees to take a bold stand with Jesus. That would have meant their jobs! So they fade from view. In the same way, there are many in our day who are impressed with Jesus’ eloquence or His wisdom. They think He was a great man and a brilliant religious teacher. But they don’t see Him as the eternal Word of God in human flesh and so they don’t believe in Him as their Savior and Lord. Out of fear of what others may think, they don’t take a bold public stand of faith in Christ. - Precept Austin

V. 47 Have you also been led astray - It's like the serpent, "hath God said", you don't want to identify as one of the foolish, do you? This is all posturing, they have no great argument, but they say it with confidence. This is why no one can come unless the Father draws; they can't handle being social outcast, looked down on, made fun of. "Do you really believe those Bible stories about an ark? You are not one of those young earth Christians are you? Don't you know that Darwin proved macro evolution years ago, that we all come from monkeys, it's not entropy, we are not witnessing a downward spiral, it's all going up, we are evolving into something better all the time. Trust the Science." The guy with the megaphone and the haughty laugh is sometimes just spewing the propaganda that is fueled by his own hatred of God and a desire to believe something that he finds appealing, that sits him at the table of the so called intellectuals. Will these soldiers have the courage to stand up to the religious elite, the Scribes and Pharisees? When the cock crows will they be found amongst the deniers?

The Pharisees then answered them, "You have not also been led astray (planao), have you - This question calls for a response of "No" but Robertson suggests that "they really believed it." The Pharisees were indignant and incensed giving rise to their rhetorical question of whether the officers were led astray by Jesus. Notice that the assessment of the Pharisees is that Jesus was a deceiver and misled people with His teachings. The Pharisees use the perfect tense for led astray, suggesting He began to lead them astray in the past and that deception continued to the present. How tragic that those men who should have been the teachers of the truth were in fact (ironically) the very ones who were leading the masses astray! They needed to look carefully in the mirror (but mirrors in that day were not as good as they are today)!

As Paul Apple says the Pharisees are "Marshalling the Troops – making sure no one was breaking rank and casting his lot with Christ." - Precept Austin

…29This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you from my hand. 30Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,…

…32until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ 33Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?… 2 Kings 18: 29-34

V. 48 Have any of the rulers or Pharisees - I believe there to be at least one on his way at the moment, two if you count Joseph of Arimathea. This would be quite scandalous to have such a rift in the leadership.

38Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.…

…41Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there. John 19: 38-42

This crowd which does not know the law is accursed - For all their learning they couldn't recognize the Messiah, yet we see they are major respecters of persons. Those who believe are simply uneducated idiots to them. The Pharisees want you to believe what they tell you to believe, for men to follow them, not God.

This crowd which does not know (ginosko) the Law is accursed - The derogatory remark by the Pharisees indicates they consider the crowd as nothing but rabble (the lower classes - Learned rabbis despised those who were not concerned with the Law)! Know means to know in the sense of being intimately acquainted with or trained by the Law. Many in the crowd had in fact believed in Him (Jn 7:31). It seems others thought He was the expected Messiah (Jn 7:41). As usual the "default" mode of the Pharisees was to throw out the Law (and throw them under the bus called Law), declaring these commoners did not know the Law of Moses and they justly deserved the verdict of "accursed." What hypocrisy! In fact those who knew (or thought they knew) the Law of Moses, were the very ones who that Law would ultimately condemn and curse! Accursed (eparatos - only here in NT) is a verbal adjective from eparaomai which means to call down curses upon. - Precept Austin

V. 51 Does our law judge a man unless it first hears from him - This is Nicodemus from John 3, a ruler of the Jews, the teacher of Israel, a very distinguished scholar, well studied, so they can't say of him what they said of the crowd. They hold a master's degree, he holds a doctorate. It's a good question, shouldn't they hear Him out, let Him make His case? What are they scared of?

Deuteronomy 19:15-19 “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. 16 “If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, 17 then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. 18 “The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.

V. 52 Are you also from Galilee - Are you one of those ignorant, red neck, fishermen as well? They all know Nicodemus, but they don't like being called out on matters of the law in which they have considered their own selves to be experts. 

V. 52b Search and see that no prophet comes out of Galilee - Let's make the argument about something else, isn't that always the way, let's make a straw man. They haven't really answered Nicodemus. Why not actually turn to the Scriptures and meet with the Man, aren't we bound to those more than your traditions? 

Steven Cole - Nicodemus' statement of truth in Jn 7:51 "led to their put-down, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” A few commentators argue that we can never be sure that Nicodemus came to genuine faith in Christ, but most hold that his courageous act of helping Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus (Jn 19:38-40) indicates that he did finally believe. But here we cannot be sure where he’s at in the process. He was at least sympathetic towards Jesus and concerned about the irrational hostility that he saw the Jewish leaders taking towards Him. So he registers this mild objection to their murderous intent. But when they vilify him as being a Galilean, he says no more. He could see that they weren’t in the mood for a rational discussion. But his point was valid: In contradiction of the law that they purported to uphold, they were judging a man without hearing his case (Dt. 1:16-17). Also, their put-down (Jn 7:52), “Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee,” was incorrect. Jonah, Nahum, and perhaps other prophets had arisen out of Galilee. But they were so upset with the direction that they saw things going that they were not using sound reason, but just illogical ridicule. I still remember an incident from when I was in college (back in the Dark Ages!). An agnostic philosophy professor told our class that Jesus never claimed to be God. I raised my hand and said, “What about when He said, ‘I and the Father are one’? Or what about when He told His disciples, ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father’?” But rather than deal honestly with my objection, she ridiculed me by asking, “Which Bible are you reading—the Catholic Bible or the Protestant Bible?” The class laughed and my point was brushed aside. Even though this professor taught us the logical fallacy of ad hominem arguments, she used one against me to dodge the uncomfortable truth that Jesus did in fact claim to be God. - Precept Austin

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