Such Were Some of You
April 30, 2023
Preached by Ben Bechtel
Scripture Reading
John 7:53-8:11
[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]
7:53 [[They went each to his own house, 8:1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]]
What about the Bible makes you struggle to believe that it is reliable and divinely inspired? Talk and wrestle through those things together.
How, practically, can the church today be a safe place that draws near and advocates for the most vulnerable in society?
Think about your own testimony. What “such were some of you” reality in your own life can help stir you up to respond with love to sinners around you? Remember the love of Jesus in your own story.
