http://bible-truths.com/fools.htmLET HIM WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE
This is the longest one, but maybe the most important, so try to get through it:
"They [the Scribes and Pharisees—RELIGIOUS leaders] say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what do you say? This they said tempting Him that they might have to accuse [Gk: charge with an offense] Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking [interrogating] Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:4-11).
Very few in all of Christendom have a clue as to what is really going on here. Jesus read their contemptible attitudes like a book. They wanted Jesus to give them public permission to execute this woman (by the way, since it takes "two to tango," where was the other half of this affair—the MAN?), which I doubt seriously they believed Jesus would do, seeing that Jesus was very forgiving and even openly dined with "sinners." What these religious hypocrites were hoping is that Jesus would go against the law of Moses, and then they could accuse Him of a crime against their law.
But these religious fools also had not a clue as to Whom they were dealing with. They were so incredibly stupid to think they could "make sport" of the Son of God.
But Jesus, "stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground," pretending to not even notice them. What was Jesus writing on the ground? Jesus wrote something on the ground that implicated every one of those hypocritical and evil religious leaders, beginning with the eldest. As they observed, one by one, starting with the eldest, what Jesus was writing on the ground, they couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Just what did Jesus write on the ground? Just what was it that "convicted their conscience?"
Was Jesus asking them if there was even one among them who had never in his life so much as told a little white lie, that he should be the first to throw a stone and kill this woman? Get real! Nothing that inconsequential would, "CONVICT their conscience!" No, no... Jesus was the Master of sarcasm.
Oh how casually most read this scenario without realizing what is going on. It wasn’t the statement that let him who is without sin cast the first stone that convicted them in their conscience. It was what Jesus was writing on the ground.
What sin did this woman commit that according to the law of Moses deserved execution? Why the sin of adultery, of course. And these Pharisees judged this woman according to the law of Moses—she was found by two or more witnesses in the very act of adultery, the penalty of which was death by stoning. Why did not Jesus allow for the plain and simple law of Moses to be carried out in this case? Did Jesus not OBEY the Laws of Moses?
Every Christian I have ever known, and all that I have ever read, confirm their dogmatic belief that Jesus obeyed and carried out the law of Moses, PERFECTLY. Oh really? And what is it they think they are reading in this scenario? Did Jesus agree with them to carry out what the Law of Moses DEMANDED in this case? Well, did He? He assuredly DID NOT!
When Jesus said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill," they think that it should really read, "…I am not come to destroy, but to OBEY." Jesus clearly did NOT obey the "Law of Moses." "Fulfill" does not mean "OBEY." Christ’s conscience is not guided by carnal commandments of the flesh. Jesus lived by a far, far higher and superior SPIRITUAL law.
Jesus did NOT obey "Thou shalt… swear by His [God’s] Name" (Deut. 6:13), but said, "Swear NOT at all," in direct contradiction and opposition to the Law of Moses. "Swear NOT" is not a slight modification of "Thou SHALT swear," but is rather a complete contradiction of Moses’ law.
Jesus did NOT obey, "Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, SO shall it be done to him again" (Lev. 24:20), but rather contradicted the Law of Moses with "Resist NOT evil: but… turn to him the other [cheek] also" (Matt. 5:39).
Jesus did NOT obey the Law of Moses which stated: "And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword [‘HATE your enemy’ Matt. 5:43]" (Lev. 26:7-8). It was, in fact, a SIN not to hate and kill their enemies, (Num. 32:20-23). But Jesus completely and totally contradicted Moses’ Law by dogmatically stating:
"But I say unto you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS them that curse you, and DO GOOD to them that hate you, and PRAY for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44).
Contrary to all the ridiculous unscriptural theories of theologians, "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES" is not just a slight modification of the law which said to "HATE and kill your enemies."
Jesus did NOT "keep the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:3-8; John 5:8-11), but rather justified doing what was "NOT legal" and which did "profane the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:4-5) by stating that He was "LORD of the Sabbath" (Ver. 8). Jesus taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath; He did not keep, observe, or obey the Sabbath.
Jesus apparently did NOT "go up to the Feast" (John 7:8) at the beginning of the Feast as commanded by Moses, but rather sent His disciples and went up later. Nor is there any indication He took an offering as commanded in the Law (Deut. 16:16).
Jesus did NOT even pay the "temple tax" which was commanded by Moses for all males twenty and over to pay (Matt. 17:24 & 26).
And as already noted, Jesus did NOT keep the law of Moses with respect "the adulteress shall surely be put to DEATH" by stoning, but rather totally contradicted it by forgiving the sin of this adulteress.
NO one will be saved by keeping the ten commandments and the Law of Moses. The rich young ruler kept the Ten Commandments (Mark 10:20). The Scribes and Pharisees kept the Law of Moses (Acts 15:5). But none of them will be saved by obeying that inferior law only:
"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall EXCEED the righteousness [keeping the Ten Commandments, and the whole Law of Moses] of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20).
Under Christ’s New Covenant, we cannot "break one of these least commands" which Jesus instituted high above the carnal elements of the Law of Moses, (Matt. 5:19). Under Christ’s New Covenant, one must be spiritually converted before he will ever be saved or see the Kingdom of God.
And so, Jesus could have stated the following: "He that is without the sin of adultery in his own life, let HIM cast the first stone!" Jesus clearly outlined their own sins of adultery by writing it on the ground. Paul clearly states that, "…wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the SAME things" (Rom. 2:1). These Pharisees were guilty of "adultery" themselves.
Jesus said "without sin," but then he wrote their gross sins on the ground out of sight from the crowd, but so each of them could see it as they filed by one by one, and then got out of there as fast as they could. What man, but the SON of man could ever come up with something this profound and "in your face" on the spur of the moment, as Jesus did with these Scribes and Pharisees? Absolutely amazing.
Before we leave this episode of our Lord’s ministry, let’s consider something that one or two might have missed.
Let me reset the scene once more for you:
The Religious (church) Leaders catch a woman in the act of adultery (gee, I wonder how they accomplished that?).
They bring the sinner before Jesus and ask Him to assist them in the carrying out of the Law of Moses, which law, virtually all Christians in the world will tell you, Jesus "fulfilled" by keeping it perfectly.
And so in this scenario these Religious Leaders of the Church are once more asking Jesus to "keep the Law of Moses perfectly," by telling them they should indeed, carry out the law of Moses perfectly with the woman caught in the very act of adultery, which carried a penalty of death by stoning. Are you all with me so far?
Now here’s one of God’s commandments regarding this sin:
"And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, THE ADULTERER AND THE ADULTERESS shall surely BE PUT TO DEATH [by stoning]" (Lev. 20:10).
An aside: Just who were the "two witnesses" (remember it took two witnesses in Israel in all capital offenses in order for them to be carried out), and who was the "adulterer?" Think about it. I believe I know, but I’ll keep that to myself for now.
Did Jesus do what the Law demanded or did Jesus break the Law of Moses because He was instituting a NEW and DIFFERENT Covenant based on much higher SPIRITUAL laws? Here’s what Jesus actually did, and you can read it in your Bibles, but I doubt that but a few will actually believe what Jesus did.
First, Jesus REBUKED the religious leaders of the church who were trying to uphold and carry out the Law of Moses.
Second, Jesus EXONERATED the adulteress for her sin and from the punishment according to the Law of Moses.
And as my detractors will insist that I can’t possibly know what Jesus wrote on the ground, they will totally miss the implications of this New Teaching of Jesus and His sarcastic, in their face, reprimand toward these hypocrites who loved blood and violence.
Just as with His sermon on the mount to His disciples, Jesus contradicted the Law of Moses. The Law said one thing, but Jesus said another. The Law of Moses said, "Don’t COMMIT adultery," whereas the Law of Jesus said, "DON’T EVEN THINK IT!" Giant improvement over the carnal Law of Moses.
The only ones who will be saved are those who obey EVERYTHING that Jesus taught and commanded:
"And why call ye Me, Lord Lord, and do not THE THINGS [ALL the things] WHICH I SAY?" (Luke 6:46).
And how, pray tell, does that fit into the theology of mainstream Christendom? Well of course it doesn’t. Don't try to tell a Christian theologian that Christ brought a New Covenant based on a SPIRITUAL LAW (with better promises) which are "NOT in accord" with the inferior, carnal Law of Moses.
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Topic: Ten Commandments (Read 9999 times)