NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 40
J ohn 8
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page 1814
“But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42For the Scriptures clearly state
that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where
King David was born.”* 43So the crowd was divided about him. 44Some even wanted him
arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.
45When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests
and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46“We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded.
47“Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked. 48“Is there a single one of
us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him? 49This foolish crowd follows him, but they
are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”
50Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with J
esus earlier, spoke up. 51“Is it legal
to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
52They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—
no prophet ever comes* from Galilee!”
[The most ancient Greek manuscripts do not include John 7:53–8:11.]
53Then
7:42
2 Sam 7:12
Mic 5:2
Matt 1:1; 2:5-10
Luke 2:4
7:44
John 7:30
7:46
Matt 7:28
7:48
John 12:42
7:50
John 3:1-2; 19:39
7:51
Deut 1:16
7:52
Isa 9:1-2
Matt 4:14-16
John 1:46
the meeting broke up, and everybody went home.
Jesus Forgives an Adulterous Woman (125)
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2but early the next morning he was back again
at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3As he
was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had
been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
4“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5The
law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
6They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but
Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7They kept demanding an
answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned
throw the first stone!” 8Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
8
8:2
Matt 26:55
8:5
Lev 20:10
Deut 22:22-24
Job 31:11
8:6
Matt 22:15
8:7
Deut 17:7
7:42 See Mic 5:2. 7:52 Some manuscripts read the prophet does not come.
would not have jumped to the wrong conclusions. When you search
for God’s truth, make sure you look carefully and thoughtfully at the
Bible with an open heart and mind. Don’t jump to conclusions before
thoroughly investigating what the Bible says.
7:44-46 Although the Romans ruled Palestine, they gave the Jewish
religious leaders authority over minor civil and religious disputes and
other affairs. The religious leaders supervised their own Temple guards
and gave the officers power to arrest anyone causing a disturbance or
breaking any of their ceremonial laws. Because these leaders had developed hundreds of trivial laws, it was almost impossible for anyone, even
the leaders themselves, not to break, neglect, or ignore at least a few of
them some of the time. But these Temple guards couldn’t find one reason
to arrest Jesus. And as they listened to Jesus to try to find evidence, they
couldn’t help hearing the wonderful words he said.
7:46-49 The Jewish leaders saw themselves as an elite group who alone
had the truth, and they resisted the truth about Jesus because it wasn’t
theirs. It is easy to think that we have the truth and that those who disagree
with us do not have any truth at all. But God makes his truth available to
everyone. Don’t copy the Pharisees’ self-centered and narrow attitude.
7:50-52 This passage offers additional insight into Nicodemus, the
Pharisee who visited Jesus at night (John 3). Apparently Nicodemus had
become a secret believer. Since most of the Pharisees hated Jesus and
wanted to kill him, Nicodemus risked his reputation and high position
even though he only spoke up indirectly for Jesus. His statement was
bold, and the Pharisees immediately became suspicious. After Jesus’
death, Nicodemus brought spices for his body (19:39). That is the last
time he is mentioned in Scripture.
7:51 Nicodemus confronted the Pharisees with their failure to keep
their own laws. The Pharisees were losing g round—the Temple guards
came back impressed by Jesus (7:46), and one of the Pharisees’ own,
Nicodemus, was defending him. With their hypocritical motives being
exposed and their prestige slowly eroding, they began to move to protect
themselves. Pride would interfere with their ability to reason, and soon
they would become obsessed with getting rid of Jesus just to save face.
What was good and right no longer mattered.
8:3-11 Imagine the complete humiliation of being in this woman’s place.
She stood alone in public, surrounded by angry accusers. They laid bare
her terrible sin for all to see. The man caught with her was nowhere to
be seen. Jesus rescued her from sin, shame, indignity, and death. Jesus
knows your worst sins, yet he offers you compassion and mercy. Let his
mercy give you courage to face your guilt. His love will overcome your
shame. Don’t deny it or despair. Be sorry for your sins, seek the Lord, and
receive his forgiveness.
8:3-6 The Jewish leaders had already disregarded the law by arresting
the woman without the man. The law required that both parties to adultery
be stoned (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). The leaders were using
the woman as a trap so they could trick Jesus. If Jesus said the woman
should not be stoned, they would accuse him of violating Moses’ law.
If he urged them to execute her, they would report him to the Romans,
who did not permit the Jews to carry out their own executions (John
18:31). We don’t know what Jesus wrote in the dust, but some interpreters
have speculated that it could have been a list of sins committed by the
accusers, or perhaps the Ten Commandments.
8:7 This is a significant statement about compassion and judging others.
Because Jesus upheld the legal penalty for adultery, stoning, he could
not be accused of being against the law. But by saying that only a sinless person could throw the first stone, he highlighted the importance
of mercy and forgiveness. When others are caught in sin, are you quick
to pass judgment? To do so is to act as though you have never sinned.
It is God’s role to judge, not ours. Our role is to first show forgiveness
and compassion.
