Shame: Jesus & The Adulteress

00:00:01 Speaker 1: He who is without sin among you, let him throw the verst stone at her John eight seven. Dear Lord, we come before you to day and recognize you are a God of love and justice. You don't condone our sins, nor do you condemn us for our sins. Although we were sinners, you died for us to set us free. You came to save us from the cycles of sin, shame, and bad habits. We pray that we would show others that same mercy that you have extended to us. We don't want to fall into the trap of self righteousness. None of us are without sin. You alone can judge us. Fill us with tenderness and love toward those who struggle with sin. Teach us to be advocates for people instead of judges. Teach us to lift people up out of their shame. Empower us with your spirit to bring mercy, truth, comfort, and understanding wherever we go. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast. Have you ever struggled with shame or struggle to overcome usin Do you feel like God is judging you for your sins? Stick around to hear this heart wrenching portrayal of a woman caught in adultery. If this podcast has brought value to your faith, we'd love it if you left a review and shared it with a friend. We want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world, because when Jesus' story is told, lives are transformed. Parisa knew she shouldn't have let him stay the night. She pressed her face against the pillow and regret, wondering how she would shew him out before her husband returned. Their reputations were at risk, but Parissa's life was on the line if she were to be caught. The danger was intoxicating at first, but each night of sin left her feeling more and more empty. Although she had a husband and a hidden lover, she felt alone. That loneliness made her seek companionship even more, sending her deep into the cycle of adultery. Sure she had excuses for her actions, but none removed the sting of shame. She knew she was sinning. She knew that none of her made up excuses condoned her actions. Parisa hated herself for it all. She tried to leave the bed, but he beckoned her back. She wanted to say no, but had already made a habit of saying yes. Each yes seared her conscience even more. Although she was free to stop, she felt trapped to keep going. 00:03:27 Speaker 2: You should leave before the sun rises. 00:03:30 Speaker 1: My husband is returning later to day, and your wife should be expecting you soon. He kissed Parissa and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and kissed him back, but inwardly hated herself. How had she let this get this far? She hadn't sought this sin out, but somehow it found her. No little girl grows up with dreams of adultery and lies. She embraced him, falling deeper and deeper into a pit of self loathing. The morning romance was brought to a swift halt when the door broke open and a dozen stormed in. They were adorned in blue fringed robes and looks of contempt. They dragged Parissa out of bed by her ankles and threw her to the floor. The men looked down at her with disgust and contempt. Their faces were a reflection of the judgment she knew she deserved. 00:04:29 Speaker 3: I don't ress. 00:04:30 Speaker 1: The pharisees declared with a venomous tone. Parissa's husband had suspected her infidelity. When the Pharisees caught wind, they pounced on the opportunity. They had a plan for Parissa. 00:04:45 Speaker 4: Your sins have sought you out, and now you will pay the price. The punishment for such a crime against your husband and God is death by stoning. 00:04:58 Speaker 1: They threw a thin garment over her and dragged her by her hair out of the door. The man she was with sat up in shocked, but did not move. For all their poetic refrains of love spoken beside candlelight, he did nothing to help her. The door shut and Parisa was dragged through the gravel and dirt to the temple. A trail of shameful tears followed her. She knew judgment and possibly death awaited her. 00:05:34 Speaker 5: When faced with difficult situations, our human instincts can lead us to fight, flight, or freeze. This is no different when dealing with the ugliness of our failures and our sins. We can either succumb to them, try and run from them, or face them head on and deal with them. Though we may not always know how to respond to our sin, Jesus shows us that the steps to freedom from sin are at hand. Welcome to the Jesus Podcast, a year of story showcasing the depth of Christ's love and the glory of God's truth. I'm Zach, your host from pray dot Com. In today's heart wrenching story, Jesus brings hope to another outcast. Remember to follow the podcast as we continue through these epic stories of Christ's redemption. And if you haven't yet left a review, we'd be honor if you did. These reviews encourage our team and give us insight into what parts of these podcasts are making an impact. So maybe when you leave a review, don't just say that you like it, but say what you like about it, what you want to see more of, and what you wish wasn't there. Today's story, we enter a quiet scene of two lovers that quickly change as their secret affair is discovered. With each passing second, tension is going to build as the fate of this adulterous swiftly approaches. The law demands should be stoned, But what does Jesus say? Together, we are going to weave through the minds of this adulterous the Pharisees, and finally Jesus. This scared and terrified woman feels the immense weight of her sin. But she'll soon discover how she might find freedom from her sin, and the answer may be more straightforward than she ever could have imagined. A story of extreme heartache and mighty redemption awaits us. Let's dive in. 00:07:16 Speaker 1: It was early and the golden rays of dawn had yet to peek over the Mount of Olives. Jesus walked through the Olive groves, praying and seeking God's guidance for the day. He knew what awaited him, not just for the day, but for the days ahead. He knew that hatred was brewing among the religious leaders and priests. His message vexed them. They challenged their sense of superiority over others. Jesus prayed often for them. He prayed for people to repent for their sins, whether a parent like islands were subtle by contempt. Jesus strolled through the groves and out the other side to the temple. Everything was still quiet and refreshing. Jesus sat in the temple courtyard and reclined his head against the wall. The first light of dawn crested gently over the mount, spilling hues of orange and pink over the land, with a temple majestic and awe inspiring, bathed in the early morning splendor. Its stones were aglow with a warm amber radiance. The light weaved through the columns and spilled over the intricate carvings, casting long, slender shadows that danced quietly on the hallowed ground. The air was cool and fresh, filled with the scent of olive trees and the distant murmur of awakening people. One by one they noticed Jesus. None passed him without sitting at his feet to hear something. Anything bore forth from his lips. They craved his teaching like a cool drink of water. After waking, Jesus sat happily among the people, content to spend stories about the kingdom, weaving in lessons about righteousness, love and truth. His preaching against the backdrop of the temple was a marvel to behold. There wasn't a soul in Jerusalem that wasn't affected by his words. Somehow, when he spoke, it was like the rain of heaven, refreshing their thirsty souls. However, not all were affected the same way. The religious elite and powerful had grown scornful of Jesus and sought to undermine him at every chance they got. The tranquility of the morning was brought to an abrupt halt when the shrieks of a crying woman echoed through the courtyard. Jesus, one of the phair Sees, shouted as they dragged a woman by her hair through the dirt. The procession of leaders brought Parisa forward and shoved her onto the ground. 00:10:41 Speaker 3: You're a teacher. You've been sitting there in the courtyards talking about God's will. You claim to know and love God. Then tell us what should be done with this adulteress. She's been caught in the act. Do we let her go oh? Or do we execute justice? 00:11:03 Speaker 1: The crowd looked down at Parisa with judgment. She folded her arms over her chest and curled into herself. She wanted to disappear. The Pharisees didn't relent. They pointed at her and declared judgment. 00:11:24 Speaker 4: The law of Moses says, Nay commands us to stone such a woman. 00:11:32 Speaker 3: What do you say? 00:11:34 Speaker 1: The question was a trap. The Pharisees knew jesus merciful nature. If he condoned her sin, he would lose credibility as a rabbi. If he pronounced judgment over her, he would be just as cold as them. Not to mention, Caesar forbade the Jews to execute their judgment without Roman processing. If Jesus partook in stoning, he could be tried by the Romans. The Pharisees waited for Jesus to answer with smug grins. Jesus looked down at Parissa. Dirt and tears were stuck to her face. She refused to look up. Jesus looked at the Pharisees and met their judgmental gaze. They didn't care about her, her heart, or her sin. She was just a tool to prop up their self righteousness. Jesus knelt in the dirt and began writing something with his finger. He scribbled for a while, making the Pharisees more agitated. 00:12:49 Speaker 4: What is your answer, Jesus, Shall we stone this woman or not? 00:12:54 Speaker 3: You claim to be a rabbi? So speak? 00:12:57 Speaker 1: Jesus looked up at them and picked up a stone from the dirt. Priss's eyes widened when she saw Jesus lift the stone. Is this the end? She thought to herself, heart racing with shame and regret. Jesus took a step toward her and paused. Jesus had every right to stone her. She had sinned against God, her husband, and the sacred covenant of marriage. Would this be the moment Jesus showcased his authority as a righteous judge. Would he make an example of her? Jesus stepped even closer. Pris's heart nearly beat out of her chest. Her body tensed, and she tucked her head under her arms to brace for impact, but nothing happened. Jesus passed her and faced the Pharisees. He held out the stone and dropped it for them. The stone made a loud thud and silenced the clamoring crowd. He pointed to the stone and said. 00:14:10 Speaker 2: Let him without sin be the first to throw a stone. 00:14:15 Speaker 1: There was a long, intense pause. 00:14:18 Speaker 2: He, who is without sin, pick it up. 00:14:21 Speaker 1: When nobody answered, he knelt back into the dirt and continued writing. Everyone leaned forward to see what Jesus was etching into the dirt. When they read it, everyone became embarrassed. Jesus was no fool. He couldn't be trapped with a question, Nor would he allow them to use this woman's shame as an opportunity to feel superior. The Pharisee stirred and murmured to each other. One by one, they left, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest. They wouldn't stay any longer to see what else Jesus would throw at them. Everyone disappeared, either back to their homes or into the temple. The courtyard was empty and silent. Parsa was shivering in the cold dirt, her tears soaked the floor. She was living a nightmare. Her sin had been on display for everyone to see. She was exposed like Eve in the garden of Eden, naked and ashamed. She dared not look up. She couldn't face the judgment glares of priests and onlookers. 00:15:50 Speaker 2: I can't bear it any. 00:15:51 Speaker 1: More, she murmured, desperate prayers, wishing she would blow away with the wind, never to be seen again. The shame of her sin was too great to bear. How could she possibly move on? Parisa was spiraling into darkness. Her soul was in free fall, sinking further into a sea of despair. Then, like a life line, she heard a voice calling out, omen look around you. Parissa shook her head. She couldn't look up. She couldn't face the world. There was no coming back from what she had done. Parissa was folding into herself. She almost wished for stoning, then she wouldn't have to deal with the weight of her disgrace. But then she heard the voice again. 00:16:50 Speaker 2: Look up, your child, Where are your accusers? 00:16:55 Speaker 1: Parisa opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head. She wiped her face and looked around. Every one was gone, the Pharisees, the crowd, every one except him, the rabbi. Everyone claimed to be the Messiah. He knelt to her and looked her in the eyes. 00:17:27 Speaker 2: Woman, where are they? Has any one condemned you? 00:17:31 Speaker 1: Parissa thought for a moment was it a trick? Indeed, if any one had the right to condemn her, it was the man kneeling beside her. But Jesus didn't wear the same scowl as the others. He showed no contempt in his gaze or judgment in his voice. Parissa shook her head. No one has condemned me. Lord, with a smile and respet bonds of stern love, he said, Now go from here, get up, and sin no more. Prissa had been given mercy, but it wasn't a license to continue in her ways. The mercy granted to her came with a calling to be better and rise out of her shame. There was something more remarkable waiting for her on the other side of repentance. Free from the shackles of shame, she could live differently. She no longer had to hide under old habits. She had an advocate, someone to plead her case and to call her to something better. Jesus extended his hand to Parrissa and lifted her up. He took the garment off his shoulders and wrapped it around her. 00:18:54 Speaker 2: Go and sin no more. 00:18:58 Speaker 1: He repeated. Parissa's eyes watered with gratitude. The road ahead would be difficult. She had to face her husband and the scorn of her neighbors. But if she truly took Jesus' words seriously, the path ahead, although difficult, would lead to transformation. She bowed her head, hugged Jesus, and then returned home. Swiftly. Jesus watched her leave, then turned back to the temple. Parissa's story wasn't unlike many others. Many people were caught in a cycle of sin and shame, unable to escape. He hadn't come to curse them, but to free them. 00:19:57 Speaker 5: Everyone can relate to the feeling and the weight of guilt, whether big or small, it's never a good feeling. But the Gospel tells us that despite our wrongs, we can experience transformation through the redeeming work of Jesus, and it starts by realizing two foundational things. First, know that you are unconditionally loved by the God of the universe. No matter what you've done. God loves you with a perfect love, and he doesn't hold any of it back. No part of you needs to earn his love, and there's nothing you can do to lose his love either. As Paul writes in Romans eight thirty nine, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. But the second thing we also need to understand is that we're not all that we can be. You see, our culture right now wants to tell you that you're perfect just the way you are. You don't need to change. You are perfect, and within you is this divine person. And if you're just true to yourself, that's all you need to do. But that's actually not true. The Gospel tells you that you're unconditionally loved, but there's untapped potential in you. You could be better, You could be more like Jesus. You could be more effective, you can live a more purposeful life. To tell you that you're perfect just the way you are, it's not just a lie. In unbiblical it's actually pretty sad. Do you want to be just the way you are forever? Or do you want to grow? Do you want to experience new things? Do you want to experience new heights in your character? In your potential? Every believer is going through a process called sanctification. Now that's a big Christianese word. In simple terms, sanctification simply means that the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts and our lives to make us more like Jesus. Regardless of where you've been or where you are now, there's more potential out there for you. You could be and do more than you ever thought possible. Through Christ. These are two truths. The woman caught in adultery had long forgotten or perhaps never even knew, but that's all going to change when she encounters Jesus. Through her story, we learn a great deal about how Jesus comes to fight against sin. So today let's focus on four key takeaways that teach us how to respond to sin. When we're caught in our sin like this adulterous, how should we respond? First, we need to face our sins instead of hiding from them. Sin can only be dealt with in the light. First, John says, but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus' son purifies us from all sin. Sin can't be dealt with if it's in darkness. When faced with our sin, the worst thing we can do is deny it. Denying our sin doesn't make it go away or magically disappear. Sin will grow in the secret depths of our hearts until it slowly consumes us. There was a leak in my wife and i's house, and this leak went through the ceiling but into the wall, and so it went unnoticed by us for years since it wasn't exposed to the light. There was mold, and there was rot that slowly started to erode our wall. It wasn't until we took out the wall and exposed it to the light that we can actually deal with the issue. Sin can't be dealt with if it's hidden. John goes further to say in First John one that if we deny our sins, we actually make God a liar. To deny that there is sin is to contradict what God has declared to be true about humanity, that we're all sinners in need of a savior. Sometimes it's painful to be confronted with our sin, and of course it's painful to be confronted with your sin in the way that this adulteress was caught in her sin. She was drug out into the streets near the synagogue in front of this famous rabbi and preacher. It feels painful when our sins are exposed. Sin wants to stay hidden. It doesn't want to be discovered. Like a virus. It wants to feed on us and take over our entire being. Confessing our sins brings us into the light. It's out in the open, and now we can be dealt with because we can deal with what is acknowledged. We see an example of this in the life of King David. After David takes Bathsheba and has her husband killed, he's blinded by his sin. He's buried deep. He's ignored the egregious acts that he's committed, not just against Bathsheba and Uriah, but also against God. David was in denial and he left his sins unprocessed and unattended to. So God seeks to bring his sins to the light. He sends Nathan to confront David about his sin. Nathan confronts him, and at first it's brutal. There's a long, week long process of mourning that David goes through. But once David admits his wrongdoing, God begins a beautiful work in his heart. The same is true for us. We have to confess our sins to God and repent. Repent simply means to turn from and so when we repent from our sins, we turn away from our old way of life and turn to Jesus, seeing that his ways are better than ours. After we repent, it's essential that we spend time with Jesus. We need to sit at his feet and listen to his words. In our story today, we saw that after the Pharisees and the crowds leave, Parisa is left alone with Jesus. Parisa is right now reeling in her shame. She's hiding her face, but as Jesus reminds her that there's no one there to condemn her, she's able to look up. If you're feeling trapped by your sin today, take some time to just be with Jesus. Spend time in the Bible, spend time praying with him, Go on a walk and process with him what you've done and what you're currently doing. What you'll find is Christ's open arms of forgiveness. There's a promise in Ephesians one seven. It says in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance to the riches of God's grace that he has lavished upon us. Forgiveness isn't just something that God reluctantly gives you. Forgiveness is something that He lavishes upon you. It's something that he's joyful to offer you. It's not something you have to beg for. It's not something you have to beg for. It's not something you have to grovel for. It's something that you ask with humility and tenderness, and Jesus freely and abundantly gives it to you. For goodness is freely given to anyone who turns to Jesus as savior, who puts their sins to death and wants to be raised up to new life with Christ. A fascinating foreshadowing of this can be found in the Book of Numbers, chapter twenty one. As the Israelites are complaining in the wilderness, God sends venomous snakes to bite people. It seems harsh, but God's communicating something special here. The people realize their wrongdoing and they repent to Moses, who then goes to God. God tells Moses to graft a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole, and anyone who simply looks upon the serpent would immediately be healed. This is the reality of the cross. If we repent and gaze upon Jesus and the work he's accomplished, we are then forgiven and healed from our sins. But there's also something deeper in the margins there. 00:26:49 Speaker 2: You see. 00:26:49 Speaker 5: Healing can only come when we've truly acknowledged our sin, when we've truly gazed upon it and seen it in light of who Jesus is. But it's also incredibly simple on our heart. But maybe that's an obstacle for you. Maybe you feel like you have to make up for your sin somehow, that you can't just ask God for forgiveness. Sometimes the biggest obstacle to receiving forgiveness is getting to the point where you actually are able to receive it. But God did the hard work so that we can enjoy the benefits of true freedom. Freedom to go and sin no more, freedom to walk in the newness of life. Take a moment right now while listening to think about the sin you're struggling with, that sin that just feels like it won't let go. Think about Christ's words that he hasn't come to condemn you, but as compassion for you. He isn't here to send you into a pit of shame, but he accepts you. He wants to draw the best out in you. A term my wife and I like to use is calling each other up instead of calling each other out. When you call someone out, you're trying to expose them. When you're calling someone up, you're wanting them to reach their potential. That's the difference between the Pharisees and Jesus. The Pharisees called Parisa out. They wanted her to feel ashamed and exposed, but Jesus called her up. He didn't condemn her to her shame, but he lifted her up. He said, go and sin no more. How beautiful is it to live and forgiveness? It changes everything for us. And what's even better is how we can help others find that same forgiveness by leading them to Christ. When we are forgiven, it should soften our hearts towards others. It should make us see sin in others a little bit differently. Freedom from our sin empowers us to point others to freedom as well. This is so important to Jesus that when he teaches us how to pray, he instructs us to ask the Lord for forgiveness and then immediately follows it with a call to forgive others. Stop and take a moment today to ask God to search your heart, as hard as it may be, Ask Him to reveal the sins of your life and to give you the boldness to confess them. Pray to God for the strength to not just turn from your sins, but also step into your potential and go and sin no more. Receive His forgiveness and feel His spirit empowering you to live in freedom. You have endless potential when you submit your life to Jesus. Just as a sculpture looks at a block of marble and sees the masterpiece within it, Jesus wants to chip away at your exterior and create something