John 7:53 – 8:5
53 They went each to his own house, 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?”
John 8:6 – 8:9
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.
John 8:10 – 11
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.”
Jesus: Prepared
Pharisees: Problematic
Crowd: Perturbed
What are Jesus’ options in dealing with this mob?
○ Remove his Presence (Flight)
○ Intensify his Presence (Fight)
○ Something Else?
Jesus chooses a different approach: he maintains his presence, without intensifying it
Principles for Evangelizing to the Antagonistic
- Reject the Spirit of Fear
a. Fighting is as much as a response to fear as running away is.
b. We should not let fear of man be the driving force of our witness
i. What are you afraid of when it comes to evangelism?
c. We have not have a spirit of fear, but the Spirit of Love and Power and Self-Control
d. 2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 41:10, John 16:33
Principles for Evangelizing to the Antagonistic
- Reject the Spirit of Fear
- Trust the Spirit to Convict and Jesus to Judge
a. John 16 – It is the Holy Spirit’s Job to convict
b. We should defend the truth in the public square, but we must
be careful to ensure we are not trying to make sure people feel
convicted.
i. Matthew 7:1-2
c. The Father has entrust all judgement to Jesus… not you
i. John 5:22
Principles for Evangelizing to the Antagonistic
- Reject the Spirit of Fear
- Trust the Spirit to Convict and Jesus to Judge
- Let Their Standard Convict Them
a. Gentiles are a “law unto themselves”
i. Romans 2:14-16
b. Everyone has a position, a moral standard, a place where they
stand. If those things are not based on the truth of God, they will be
full of hole and contradictions.
i. Ask Questions
ii. Identify a Crack
iii. Let the Light in
The Woman: Forgiven