John 8

Study Guide 112: John 7-9 LIGHT AND DARKNESS Overview Jesus said it in a dispute recorded in John 7:24. “ Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” In a sense, this is the theme of this important section of John’ s Gospel, which focuses on “ light.” Light and darkness are constant themes in John’ s New Testament writings. Those who live in darkness are confused, unable to see reality. Lost in a world of illusion they make judgments based on mere appearances, and are simply unable to grasp what is important and true. Light, on the other hand, cuts through this darkness to unveil the right and the true. And Jesus is the Cornerstone of the kingdom of light; we begin to “ see” when we acknowledge Him as the eternal Son of God. But “ light” also has a moral dimension. And it is this moral dimension that Jesus affirmed as He not only presented Himself to Israel as God, but also claimed the right to establish a grace morality which is far higher than the legalistic morality of the Jews, for it alone truly reflects the morality of God. THE JEWS. This designation is used often in the Gospel of John. John used it in a technical sense. He did not mean Israel, or the Jewish people as a whole. When John said “ the Jews” he, unlike other Gospel writers, meant the religious leaders of the people who chose to oppose Jesus, and who represented a distortion of historic Old Testament faith.

Commentary I hadn’ t been a Christian very long when I saw a stranger smoking a cigarette in the hall of our little church. I was shocked. I remember the pastor’ s son’ s reaction: “ We don’ t smoke in church,” Bruce announced in a chilly voice. I also remember one of the men of that church, a police detective, who cupped his hand around his cigarette, trying to hide it, when he met some of our youth group on the street. I remember my own condemning attitude when one of the girls in our group said she hoped Jesus wouldn’ t return until she’ d had time to enjoy life. There were so many things that made me and other Christians I knew uncomfortable. There were so many things we considered wrong, in addition to the serious sins the Bible identified. And we felt compelled to judge all the ways in which another person seemed to miss our mark. Of course, if his ways were different enough, we’ d have nothing to do with him. To us, morality was summed up in doing “ right” . . . and in cutting ourselves off from any relationship with those who did not do as we did. We never realized that our attitude might distort true morality. We failed to see the light that Jesus brought into the world.

A World of Misunderstanding: John 7:1-53We saw earlier that light and darkness are moral terms to John. They represent good and bad, righteousness and evil, as well as truth and falsity. Christ, the eternal Word (John 1:1-51) is the One through whom righteousness has always been communicated. Christ planted a moral awareness deep in every person, and revealed the nature of goodness back in the Old Testament. But John tells us that man’ s understanding and interpretation of light is faulty. Thus Paul can insist that the Law is “ holy, righteous, and good,” and still be convinced that Law had been an agent of death, stimulating sin rather than quieting it (Romans 7:7-12). We can see the distorted perception of the people of Jesus’ day by looking at a series of incidents reported in John 7:1-53. Jewish thinking about morality was similar to my own in my early days of faith. Against the background of such attitudes, we will be able to see how Jesus displayed the glory of God, as He revealed a new morality, the morality of grace. Hatred, uncertainty, and fear (John 7:1-13). Jesus’ teachings and miracles had become widely known. His uncompromising presentation of Himself as God, and His offer of life to those who believed in Him, stirred up a number of reactions. Each reaction tells us something about the moral climate in Israel. First, there was hatred (John 7:1, John 7:7). The leaders of the people were charged with teaching God’ s Word to Israel. But they were so unlike God that they actually hated the Son of God who revealed Him. They in fact responded to Jesus with murderous rage. Second, there was ridicule (John 7:3-5). Jesus’ own brothers (in jealousy?) rejected the evidence of His works, and taunted Him. Third, there was conflict. People argued with themselves and with each other. This Jesus. Is He a good Man, or a heretic? (John 7:12-13) Fourth, there was fear. Even those who were convinced that Jesus was a Prophet and a good Man feared to take a stand. They knew they would be attacked, and probably persecuted by their religious leaders (referred to here and in other Johannine passages as “ the Jews” ). Looking at these reactions, we’ re forced to ask a question. What kind of results had Israel’ s interpretation of the divine Law produced? Had God’ s people become a community of love, caring, and closeness? Not at all! The people of God were angry, antagonistic, bitter, and fearful! There must be something wrong with an approach to faith that produces such a lifestyle! There must be a higher and better approach to morality and faith than this!LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Set up the following paired qualities at opposite ends of continuum lines: love/antagonism, supportiveness/ridicule, harmony/conflict, acceptance/fear. Either read the author’ s description of his first church’ s approach to faith and morality. Then ask each group member to mentally mark along each continuum line what kind of relationships this approach is likely to produce in the congregation. Divide the lines into quarters, and poll the group, recording how many mentally checked off each quarter. Then discuss: “ What does the pattern shown here suggest? Why did we expect what is shown here? What would it take to produce different expectations?” Or draw the same continuum lines, but ask each to mentally mark where they feel your own church family falls along the lines. Then discuss: “ What pattern is shown here? What led each person to mark as he or she did? If the pattern does not reveal an ideal situation, what might be done to move your congregation closer to the ideal?” You can then give a minilecture on John 7:1-13, and note that in these chapters your group will explore a grace morality which can produce a truly loving faith community. God’ s authority rejected (John 7:14-24). At heart Israel had rejected God’ s authority. The leaders had made man’ s ideas supreme, and had missed the real meaning of the Law of Moses, which none kept (John 7:19), even as they had rejected the evidence of the miracles that the Father empowered the Son to perform. If any of Jesus’ critics had committed himself to do God’ s will, he would have recognized Jesus’ teachings as the Word of God. This is a critical point for us too. Moral and spiritual blindness are not rooted in our inability to understand. They are rooted in our unwillingness to submit completely to God. If anyone simply determines to do God’ s will, that person will be enlightened, and will first recognize Jesus as God’ s Son, and then acknowledge His teachings as God’ s Word. Moral cowardice (John 7:25-36). When Jesus appeared at the Jerusalem festival, He taught openly. The rulers had determined to murder Christ, but they were afraid to oppose Him publicly! The crowds knew the leaders’ antagonism toward Jesus; why wouldn’ t they act on their convictions? This led to much speculation. If Jesus were really leading the people astray, it was the responsibility of the leaders to arrest Him. Or “ have the authorities really concluded that He is the Christ?” (John 7:26) Finally, stung by the criticism, the chief priests and Pharisees gave orders for Jesus to be arrested. Increasing uncertainty (John 7:37-52). Jesus continued to offer the crowd words of eternal life, inviting them “ to come to Me and drink.” The guards sent to arrest Jesus returned to the leaders (who were conveniently absent when the arrest attempt was made!) and reported, “ No one ever spoke the way this Man does!” Furious, the leaders condemned Jesus, and in that act, broke the very code they claimed to uphold, for by Law no man could be judged without a hearing and examination of his behavior. The authorities’ quick condemnation was much like my reaction to the smoker in that church hallway. I felt anger and fear; I had rejected and condemned him without a hearing. I had had no real concern for him as a person. When our “ morality” produces responses that condemn and antagonize other human beings, then the “ light” in us is darkness indeed! When we fear others and strike out at them, we are out of touch with the heart of God. And we have not understood the morality of grace that Jesus Himself revealed.

True Morality Revealed: John 8:1-59We have just seen the moral climate of the community in which Jesus ministered; now we see the morality of Jesus Himself. The woman (John 8:1-11). Unable to arrest Jesus, the Pharisees hoped to destroy His influence by forcing Him into a situation in which He would either directly violate the Law, or would insist on a drastic and unpopular penalty that was seldom enforced. The Pharisees and teachers of the Law brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus, and they challenged Him. “ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?” Jesus did not answer. Bending down, He began to write in the dust. Some have suggested Jesus was jotting down the details of sins committed by the accusers. As they continued to insist on a judgment, Jesus looked up. “ If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one the shamed rulers, condemned by their own consciences, slipped away. Left alone with the woman, Jesus announced, “ Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” As we analyze this incident, we begin to see the nature of a morality which flows from grace — in contrast to a legalistic morality. That legalistic morality is: *Impersonal. The Pharisees were quick to use the woman to strike at Jesus. She had no value in their eyes; they didn’ t care about her as a person. But Jesus did care about her, individually. She was guilty, but in spite of her sin Jesus refused to condemn her. Grace salvages, rather than destroys, the individual. *Selective. The Pharisees brought the woman caught in the act of adultery. But where was the man? Their morality excused some while accusing others (see Romans 2:11). Jesus, however, raised the issue of universal guilt. “ If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” He announced. Every man there was forced to admit that he stood beside the woman, before the bar of justice. The divine morality begins with the affirmation that all have sinned. But the Judge withholds condemnation in order to give life, and to encourage the sinner to “ leave your life of sin.” *Punishment oriented. The Law was a good and holy expression of righteousness. Adultery is wrong, and we are to care about doing right. But the Pharisees were not concerned with encouraging right action in Israel or with the reform of the woman. Their motives were not righteous, but vengeful. On the other hand, everything Jesus did was righteous, and was designed to produce righteousness! Jesus affirmed the Law’ s penalty for sin, but demanded sinlessness from anyone who would execute it! Christ Himself judged the sin wrong, but rather than condemn the sinner, Jesus withheld the penalty so that she might go and sin no more!Immediately after this incident, we are told that Jesus spoke to the people of Israel and said, “ I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). What is the light in which we are to walk? What is the moral pattern of grace we see in Jesus, in whose footsteps we are to walk also? A grace morality cares first and foremost about those involved. A grace morality humbly affirms solidarity with the sinner, not moral superiority. A grace morality seeks not to condemn, but to lead others to a righteous life. In each of these points, the morality of Jesus conflicted with the moral assumptions of the Pharisees, just as it conflicts with my own early self-righteous attitude toward others. The character of grace morality (John 8:12-59). Now in discourses that follow the incident with the woman, Jesus defended and defined His right to serve as Light to the world. Jesus showed that He is the key, for in Jesus we have a: *Divine standard (John 8:13-20). The Pharisees who challenged Jesus were limited by a human perspective which was itself warped by sin. Thus they judged “ by human standards.” Jesus does not judge, for He came to bring life rather than condemnation. But were Jesus to judge (as one day He will!), His evaluation would penetrate to a reality that lies beyond human capacity to perceive. Jesus’ standards are those of the Father Himself, whom the Pharisees did not even know. *Divine origin (John 8:21-30). The moral roots of Jesus’ actions and teachings are from above, reflecting the heart of God. The moral roots of the Pharisees’ approach were in this world, and reflect a sinful attitude. Unless the Pharisees abandon their own understanding and come in faith to Jesus, they would “ indeed die in [their] sins” (John 8:24). *Divine experience (John 8:31-38). True morality is to experience (to put into practice) Jesus’ teachings. To know right but to do wrong (as the Pharisees had done) is to live in slavery to sin. But to practice Jesus’ teachings is to experience a truth that brings total freedom. John 8:31-32 combine several of John’ s key theological words in an illuminating way. To “ know” the truth is not to intellectually comprehend, but to experience. To know the “ truth” is not to focus on a body of knowledge, but to live in touch with reality as God knows reality. To “ hold to” Jesus’ teachings is not a reference to doctrinal purity, but to a commitment to put Jesus’ teachings into daily practice. To be “ free” is not to live selfishly, doing whatever one wants whenever one wants, but to live a disciplined and godly life which releases us from our bondage to sin so that the choices we make lead to what helps us rather than to what hurts. All this can be found if we are only willing to really be the disciples of Jesus. *Divine response (John 8:39-47). True morality loves those whom God loves. The Pharisees showed a family resemblance to Satan rather than to God, for they hated Jesus, who came from God. They also had contemptuously dismissed the adulteress, whom God also loved. *Divine claim (John 8:48-59). The Jewish leaders again attacked. This time they insisted that Jesus’ teachings and miracles were demonic in origin. The power Jesus displayed was evil rather than good; from Satan rather than God. The dispute concluded with Jesus’ affirmation that He existed long before Abraham. In fact, Abraham had believed in Him. In Jesus’ claim, “ Before Abraham was born, I am,” the Jews rightly recognized that Jesus was identifying Himself with the Yahweh of the Old Testament (see Exodus 3:14; for I AM). God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, has revealed His heart. Jesus has shown us the true nature of morality. And the roots of that morality are sunk deep in grace, and have no reflection of the distorted legalism of New Testament Judaism, or in a legalism of our own. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT In a minilecture summarize the “ grace morality” principles found in John 8:1-59. Then (1) ask your group members to work in teams to identify the opposite moral ideas or attitudes. When this is done, each team is to seek illustrations in either John 7:1-53 or John 8:1-59 of these opposition attitudes in action. Or, (2) after identifying both the grace morality principles and their opposites, have teams draw on their own experiences to find situations (like the author’ s original illustration, or like the woman in John 8:1-59) where a moral dilemma existed. Discuss each case, defining how one would respond if he or she operated on grace morality, and how if he or she operated on a legalistic morality.

The Final Illustration: John 9:1-41Why hadn’ t the people of Israel responded now that the Light of the world, Jesus, had come and so clearly illumined God’ s grace? John reported an event that clearly illustrated the reasons, and pointed out a danger that we each face in our own spiritual lives. Who sinned? (John 9:1-12) The Jewish people knew God was a moral Person. But “ morality” was translated into a simple formula: Those who do right will be rewarded; those who do wrong will be punished. It followed, from this formula, that any personal disasters were evidence of sin. Conversely, prosperity was a sign of God’ s approval. This formula underlies the disciples’ question about a man on the street who had been blind from birth. “ Who sinned, this man or his parents?” That is, was the man’ s blindness a punishment from God for the future sins he would commit, or was his blindness a punishment for ancestral evil? Jesus’ answer was, “ Neither.” The blind man did not serve as a demonstration of the impact of sin, but rather as a demonstration of the power and love of God. His tragedy was a backdrop for blessing! How often this is true for us. Sue experienced a painful divorce, deserted by her husband when she was three months pregnant and with a two-and-a-half-year-old son. The struggles of the next years were brutal. Yet out of them grew an understanding and sympathy for the needs of the divorced, an active personal ministry, and a book on how Christians individually and as congregations can minister to the suddenly single. The tragedy was a backdrop. It need not be explained by sin, but can be seen as God’ s avenue to blessing for her and for others. Jesus healed the blind man. The neighbors were stunned. They brought the man to the Pharisees to see how they would interpret this latest spectacular work of Jesus. He is a sinner (John 9:13-25). The Pharisees struggled against this new evidence of God’ s presence with Jesus. The healing had been performed on the Sabbath; here was an excuse to condemn it. Yet some of them hesitated. “ How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” (John 9:16) Twice they questioned the man and interrogated his parents. Finally they pronounced their judgment: “ Give glory to God. We know this Man is a sinner” (John 9:24). God listens to Him (John 9:26-34). The man who had been blind cut through the hypocrisy. When he was told the Pharisees “ did not know where” Jesus came from (e.g., did not know His origins or the source of His powers), the man replied, “ Now that is remarkable! . . . [God] listens to the godly man who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” Furious, the Pharisees threw the man out on the streets. “ You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” Your sin remains (John 9:35-41). Jesus found the man whose sight He had restored, and identified Himself as the Son of man (an Old Testament name of the Messiah). The man believed what Jesus said, and worshiped Him. This blind man’ s inner vision, as well as his physical vision, had been restored. He recognized Jesus as the Light of the world. The judgment that comes on the world was not a judgment Jesus made, but one the world brought on itself. The blind saw . . . and those who claimed to see were shown to be blind. Overhearing this remark, the Pharisees snarled, “ What? Are we blind too?” Jesus answered, “ If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” The religious leaders of Jesus’ day insisted that their moral ideas were right, and so they rejected Jesus and His teachings in spite of all the evidence. If only they would have admitted their moral blindness and turned to Jesus. He would have opened their eyes, even as He restored sight to the man born blind. The people who cannot see the light are usually the ones who insist their moral concepts are right, and the ones who refuse to submit themselves to God’ s morality as revealed in Jesus. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Ask each group member to read through John 9:1-41 privately, and to underline specific words or phrases that strike him or her as important. Then ask each to select three of his or her underlined portions and make a summary statement from each about “ A lesson I learn from John 9:1-41 is. . . .” Reassemble as a group and go around the circle and ask each to share the one lesson he or she thinks is most important for him or her right now.

In Summary As the Light of the world, Jesus reveals the morality of God. In Him we see beyond all previous revelations of goodness. In His every action, Jesus gives a clear and unmistakable picture of grace. He shakes our old ideas of morality, and helps us to understand God’ s righteousness. Jesus did not in any way condone sin. He even upheld the rightness of sin’ s ultimate penalty (John 8:7). But Jesus did demonstrate that God reacts to sinners in a far different way than we tend to. Man’ s legalistic interpretation of morality involves hatred and rejection of the sinner. It leads to judging others, and to the fear of being judged. It also leads to injustice, as some are excused for their failures while others are never accused. A legalistic morality blinds us to our own condition as sinners, and puts us beside those we have been so quick to condemn. But God’ s morality, shown in Jesus, is a morality rooted in grace. It never compromises with sin, but it never rejects the sinner. It accords the sinner love and respect; it says that a person is of worth and value. The goal of grace’ s treatment is to rescue the individual from slavery to sin, and to free him to sin no more. The person who lives in the light shed by Jesus is ever aware that he approaches others not as one who is exalted above them to judge, but as one who shares with them a common infirmity that prohibits anyone from casting the first stone. How can we learn to live this new morality of grace? We are to learn from Jesus, by following Him out of the darkness and into His light (John 8:12).

Teaching Guide Prepare Jot down two or three moral dilemma situations in which a Christian might respond from either a legalistic morality or a grace morality.

Explore

1. Write on the chalkboard James 4:11-12. As group begins, ask: “ How is this to be applied in our personal relationships?”
2. Construct continuum lines that contrast features of the Jewish community of faith revealed in John 7:1-53 with their opposites. Use these to evaluate either the author’ s opening illustration, or the interpersonal climate in your own church family. The “ link-to-life” idea above shows how to use this activity to unlock the teaching of John 7:1-53.

Expand

1. Examine the basic elements in the grace morality that guided Jesus. Then divide your group into teams to see how a grace and legalistic morality contrast in practice. Your groups can apply them to the author’ s opening illustration, to data in John 7:1-53 and John 9:1-41, to moral dilemmas they have had to deal with in their own experiences. See “ link-to-life” above.
2. Or involve your group in direct Bible study of John 9:1-41, underlining key phrases and then sharing with the group, “ A lesson I have learned. . . .” See above.

Apply Ask each of your members to write out a summary contrasting the results in the believing community of practicing a grace morality in contrast to the results of practicing a legalistic morality. Then compare with the author’ s summary (above).