## Jesus: The Sympathetic Savior

## John 8:1-11

I praise the Lord this morning that there is a Savior who loves sinners and understands us like we are. God never condones sin. But He knows what we are made of and He knows what we face in our lives day by day. As we look at the 8th chapter of John we find that here Jesus is portrayed as the sympathetic Savior. Read: John 8:1-11

I. The Sinful Woman v3

A. We See Her Sin.

1. According to the charges, she was caught in the very act of adultery.

2. There seems to be no question of her guilt…she offers no defense at all.

3. Now, adultery is a vile sin, but it is no worse than any other.

(James 2:10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

4. The Word of God reminds us that we are all sinners…there is none righteous, no not one.

B. We See Her Shame

1. In their haste to bring this woman to Jesus, her accusers probably didn't give her sufficient time to get properly dressed before they brought her into public.

2. However that may have been, she was certainly humiliated by the public accusation and disclosure of her sin.

3. Sin is a shameful thing!

4. No matter how skillfully it is hidden from the eyes of men, Jesus knows all about it and one day it will be revealed before all.

(Luke 12:3) Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

C. We See Her Sentence.

1. Her accusers were absolutely correct!

2. According to the Law, she deserved to die.

3. There was one small problem here: Where was her partner?

(Lev 20:10) And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

(Deu 22:22) If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

4. Both were supposed to die for this sin!

5. Nevertheless, this woman was guilty and she deserved to die.

6. Nobody gets away with sin!

(Rom 6:23a) For the wages of sin is death…

(Ezek 18:4b) …The soul that sinneth, it shall die.

7. In there effort to humiliate this woman and to discredit the Lord, they brought her to the best possible place.

8. They brought her to the very man who could deal with her past and her problems and who could make it all right.

9. Never think that Jesus doesn't care for you. He is the sinner's Friend!

II. The Scheming Critics v3-9a

A. Their Plan.

1. These men had it in their heads to put Jesus in a no win situation.

2. If Jesus simply let the woman go, then He was in trouble with the Jews because He would be seen as being easy on sin.

3. If He gave permission for the woman to be killed, then He was in trouble with the Roman law.

4. These religious men are just like legalists in our day.

5. They couldn't have cared less about this woman, her sin, her soul, or her eternal destiny.

6. All they cared about was their own warped sense of righteousness.

7. Thing haven't changed that much! All Pharisees are the same!

B. Their Problems.

- Their plan might have succeeded with an ordinary man, but they were dealing with Jesus Christ, and He simply refused to play by their rules!
- When they tried to stump Jesus, They discovered that they had met their match.
- Notice how He responded to their arguments.

1. They Were Ignored v6

a. While they were talking to the Lord, He just knelt down and began to write on the ground.

b. He had no use for their pettiness and lack of love for sinners.

c. What did Jesus write? No one knows!

1) Maybe the 10 Commandments.

2) Maybe He wrote down a list of their sins they thought no one else knew about.

3) Whatever the Lord wrote on the ground, it surely got their attention.

2. They Were Exposed v7-9a

a. When Jesus did speak, He said, "He that is without sin among, let him first cast a stone at her."

b. At this point, all the shouting came to a stop and all that could be heard was the dropping of their rocks and the shuffle of their sandals as they walked quietly away.

c. Let's at least give them credit for the fact that when they saw themselves as they really were, they stopped calling for the death of this woman.

III. The Sympathetic Savior

A. He Faced Her v9b-10

1. When the last rock had hit the ground, Jesus stood up and faced this sinful woman.

2. When she faced Jesus, she was facing the ultimate judge!

3. She had reached a place in her life where it was just she and Jesus.

4. It always comes down to that!

5. Eventually, somewhere, someday we are going to have to face Jesus.

6. What we do with Him will determine where and how we spend eternity!

B. He Forgave Her v11

1. The only One qualified to throw a stone refused to do so! '…Neither do I condemn thee…"

2. Jesus dealt with her on the basis of compassion. '…Go and sin no more.'

3. Forgiveness requires faith in Christ, and true faith always involves genuine repentance…turning away from sin.

4. Jesus is our sympathetic Savior; He is hard on sin, but gracious to the sinner.

(Heb 4:15-16) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. {16} Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus knows what you are feeling today. He knows your struggles, your failures, and He loves you. So much so that He went to Calvary to die in our place. Will you come to the Savior today and find forgiveness of sin? One day we will all come face to face with Jesus…why not come today?