Scripture to Read: John 8:3–4
Jesus was sitting with the crowd of people, and He was teaching them. We don’t know how large the crowd was and neither do we know what Jesus taught them. What we do know is that they willingly came to Him and wanted to learn from Him. But then we read in John 8:3–4, The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4 they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. To get a good picture of what happened, imagine sitting in a Bible class or at a biblical seminar and while everyone is listening to what is being taught, a group of men walk in and disrupt the teacher to publicly shame someone in front of the people who had chosen to attend the Bible class or biblical seminar. It’s hard to imagine the embarrassment of the woman, the shock of those who had been sitting there listening to Jesus, or the absolute hardness of the hearts of those Pharisees to do such a thing. God tells us in Galatians 6:1–2, Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. The Pharisees had no plan to gently restore this woman, nor were they willing to bear her burden. We must always guard against acting like these men.
Challenge & Application
• What attitude did the Pharisees display, and why was their attitude not godly?
• How does God want us to respond to those who have sinned against Him, and why?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!