John 8:1

John 8:1 says, Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.  Jesus had been up on the Mount of Olives overnight but had returned to the Temple to teach.  Jesus often withdrew from the crowds to renew His spirit, and we may need to as well.  Verse two adds, And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.  It says all the people came to Him.  He was not hard to find.  Again, when we seek Jesus, He is always easy to find and ready to teach us.  Verse three continues, And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,  Verse four concludes, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.  The Pharisees came also, not to take Jesus but to get His judgment on a woman caught in adultery, evidently by herself, since no man was brought with her.  We have to wonder why they didn’t think it was important to bring the man as well.  Our judgment, if we do judge, should be the same for all people.  They were attempting to trick Jesus into making a false claim, but the world is never going to trick God.  People have been attempting to prove Him wrong since the Garden of Eden, but it will never occur.  Verse five states, Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?  The Pharisees referred to the law of Moses, and they were big on the Law.  The Pharisees really weren't concerned with the woman, but with trapping Jesus into making the wrong decision.  They knew what the Law of Moses said but wanted to hear what Jesus said.  Verse six adds. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. If we bring any decision before Jesus, we need to make sure that it is to seek His will, not to justify ourselves or to seek punishment for others.  Jesus stooped down and wrote in the ground. Verse seven continues, So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.  Jesus said that he who was without sin among them should cast a stone at her.  Unless we are without sin, we should never judge others.  Verse eight says, And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. Then, He continued to write in the ground.  People today speculate about what He wrote, but whatever it was combined with His words sent all her accusers away.  We today must never be guilty of casting the first stone at anyone else's sin.  Instead of seeking their punishment from God we need to seek their forgiveness from Him.  Our own sins convict us, but He forgives us, and we should seek the same for others.  Verse nine adds, And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus looked up, the woman was alone.  When it comes to judging others, Jesus should always be left alone to do it.  It doesn’t matter how old or young we are.  We are never qualified to judge other people.  Verse ten continues, When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?   He asked her where her accusers were and had no man condemned her.  If He looked up today in a similar situation, would He find us there still ready to accuse someone of sin?  Too often we would be I’m afraid.  Verse eleven states, She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. She answered, "No man, Lord." They had brought her to trick Jesus but had to slip away in defeat.  We can rest assured that God will always be victorious over those who would attempt to discredit Him.  The last part of verse eleven was the good news for the woman and for any who come to Jesus for forgiveness.  He said “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more." There was a call for a change in her life.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior, it calls for a change in our life.  We are no longer to allow sin to rule our life. We will never be perfect in this, but we are to recognize when we have sinned and remove it from our life.  We, like the woman, are guilty but forgiven. 

John 7:47

John 7:47 says, Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 

In the last few verses of John 7, there is a continuing debate about Jesus's claim that He was the Messiah. The leaders of Pharisees and the chief priests asked those that they had sent out if they were so easily deceived.  We have to remember that these were not only God's chosen people, but those that considered themselves to be the best of His people.  They were proud of their own standing.  Today, there may be some who are more concerned with their status as a Christian than they are of their service to Christ.  They were more concerned with religious policy than they were with worship. While Christ was continuing to teach during the feast, they were attempting to stop Him. When religious leaders become more concerned about their position than the presenting of the gospel, it is not the gospel that deceives.  Verse forty-eight adds, Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? Verse forty-nine continues, But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.  Then, the Pharisees and chief priests, after stating that none of them believed in Jesus as the Messiah, called those who did the same as the Gentiles. Guess what?  They were correct, but not for the reason they thought.  We have to realize that we are no better than any other Christian because of who we are.  Verse fifty says, Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,)  Then Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus by night, was now willing to openly question the Pharisees.  We need to openly profess Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. Verse fifty-one adds, Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?  Nicodemus asked if their law judged a man before they heard him and knew what he did.  We should always get the facts before we judge, but those who oppose Christ will never acknowledge the truth of His salvation.  Verse fifty-two continues, They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. They did not answer his question, but simply dismissed him as being from Galilee.  They contended no prophet could come out of Galilee.  When we dismiss people, or even try to discredit them because of where they were born, we are not following the example of Christ.  They were also attempting to limit God by deciding where prophets could or could not come from.  We need to be careful that we never attempt to dictate what God can or cannot do.  Verse fifty-three concludes, And every man went unto his own house. Then, they all went to their own homes, some believing, some questioning, and some completely rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.  Today, after encountering Christ, the same thing occurs.  It is always an individual decision about what to do with Christ. 

John 7:40

John 7:40 says, Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.  There was once again a division among the people over Who Jesus was. Many said that of a truth, this was the Prophet. They were looking at Jesus as a prophet like Moses or a forerunner to Christ. We as His followers have to have no doubt that He was and is more than just another prophet of God.  Verse forty-one adds, Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?  Others recognized Him as the Christ, which we must do also.  There is no other.  Then, others disputed this because Jesus was from Galilee, and the Scriptures said the Messiah would be from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, where David was from.  We cannot use the Scripture to support our view when we don't have all the facts.  Verse forty-two continues, Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?  They were accurate in what the Scriptures said, but they did not have all the facts of the birth of Jesus.  We must have all the facts of a situation before we decide if it is Scriptural or not.  Verse forty-three says, So there was a division among the people because of him.  Verse forty-four adds, And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.  In the division among the people, some would have taken Him.  The world that opposes Christ today may attempt to limit or stop the spread of the gospel, but they cannot as long as we as His followers put our faith in Him. Verse forty-five says, Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?  When the men sent to seize Jesus returned empty handed, the Pharisees asked why.  The answer was that God had prevented it.  Verse forty-six adds, The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.  The Pharisees wanted to know why those they sent to seize Jesus returned without Him.  Since He came into the world, those who oppose Jesus have wondered how they could stop Him.  Those sent by the Pharisees said that no man had ever talked like Jesus.  They at least recognized that there was something different about Jesus.  The Pharisees asked them if they were also deceived.  Many people today are going to attempt to claim that Christians are just deceived by believing in Christ, but we must stand firm on the truth.  Jesus was and is and always will be the Messiah.  There has never been anyone like Jesus. 

John 7:37

John 7:37 says, In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. Jesus said to the people that if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.  He was not speaking of a physical thirst, but a spiritual one.  If we are a follower of Christ, we have the Living Water available to quench our spiritual thirst.  Verse thirty-eight adds, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  Jesus said that those who believe on Him would have rivers of Living Water flowing out of their belly as the scriptures had promised.  If we are thirsty for hope as His followers, there is only one place to go, and that is to God through Jesus, the Messiah.  If a lost person is looking for salvation, there is only one place to go, and that is to Jesus.  The answer to the problems of life cannot be found in religion, philosophy, materialism, or any other place.  On this issue, we have no choice but to be close minded.  The only way to salvation is Jesus.  Jesus said those who believed on Him would have rivers of living water flowing out of him. We go to Jesus for Living Water, but once we do, we have that Living Water flowing out of us. We, as His representatives here on earth, must let the gospel flow out of us like living water. Verse thirty-nine continues, (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.  Jesus spoke in the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive, but was not yet come because Jesus was not yet glorified. Jesus said when He went away, the Comforter would come.  That is the way we encounter Jesus today, through the Holy Spirit.  I find nothing in the Bible that says Jesus is going to appear on earth again until He comes back to claim the church, His people.  Once He ascended, and the Holy Spirit came, it is the Holy Spirit we must look to for leadership.  He will indwell us, and we will have that Living Water flowing in us.