Page 53 - Livin Light Issue 81

Monday July 31 - Woman caught in adultery
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group... John 8:3
When Jesus returned to the temple the following day, the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman whom they had caught in adultery. They cunningly asked Jesus to give a judgment; not because they desired to know God’s will, but because they intended to create a trap and ensure that an allegation would be brought against him.
The scribes and Pharisees’ plan was to ‘corner’ Jesus, no matter what he said. If he did not condemn the woman to death, they could report him to the Sanhedrin for defying the law. On the other hand, if he did condemn her to death, they had the right to charge him before the government for usurping Rome’s authority. They placed him in what most of us would feel is a ‘no-win’ situation. When have you encountered a ‘no- win’ situation in your life and experienced that incredibly uncomfortable feeling?
The Pharisees had only one intention: to destroy Jesus. However, in the process they had no regard to the outcome for the woman. They used her for their own benefit and through so doing they cruelly brought upon her terrible humiliation and exposed her deep shame. Have you ever had an experience where someone simply wanted to expose a negative aspect of yourself? Let’s see tomorrow how Jesus deals with the situation and in what way it speaks to us.
Lord, when I face painful or difficult situations I pray that you will show me how best to respond. Amen.
Tuesday August 1 - Pharisees set a trap
“In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you
say?” They were using this question as a trap... John 8:5-6
The scribes and Pharisees thought that they could inevitably catch Jesus out by quoting the Torah (the Law of Moses), which they knew Jesus obeyed. Jesus instantly picked up on how cunning they were being. Hence, he refused to give an opinion expressing judgement. Instead he challenged the men who were accusing the woman to exercise moral judgement on themselves, which we will talk more about tomorrow. Suffice to say their attempts backfired, because not one of them had the courage to follow this route. Jesus was not going to condemn the woman but rather chose to exercise grace. He was, and is, the Saviour of sinners.
As well as reading this week’s verses from John 8:1-11, I encourage you to read Psalm 10. Psalm 10:2 aptly describes the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees: ‘In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.’ The adulterous woman would have been seen as weak by the scribes and Pharisees and they would have had evil intent towards Jesus. The psalmist’s words sum up well the Pharisees’ intention: ‘His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue’ (Psalm 10:7). Jesus could see right into their hearts and anticipate their malicious words. Tomorrow we’ll see how he responds and then how the leaders react.
Jesus, Saviour of sinners, I bring before you all my wrongdoing; I repent, and receive your awesome forgiveness. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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