Questioning God
This post is not work-related, but something came up in Sunday School this morning, and I wanted to throw it out there for your consideration, and mine. In John chapter 8 there is the story of the woman found in adultery. The Pharisees bring her before Jesus, saying that Moses wrote that persons caught in adultery were to be stoned. Jesus stoops down, starts writing in the sand, and says "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." All those who wanted the woman stoned leave, until the woman and Jesus are left alone, when He tells her she is forgiven and to sin no more.
This is my question: God gave Moses the law, so now why is Jesus not willing to enforce this law? Did God have a change of heart? Was His law flawed to begin with? Did he really want the Israelites to stone people? I'm not sure why the God of Moses and God in the person of Jesus have two different attitudes concerning this incident. Any thoughts?
This is my question: God gave Moses the law, so now why is Jesus not willing to enforce this law? Did God have a change of heart? Was His law flawed to begin with? Did he really want the Israelites to stone people? I'm not sure why the God of Moses and God in the person of Jesus have two different attitudes concerning this incident. Any thoughts?
posted by Granimore | 1:23 PM
3 Comments:
I'm not anywhere near an expert on the bible, but if it were to be something in present day context I would believe the following. While it is easy to cast judgement on someone from afar (God's edict to moses on adultery) it is quite another thing to be present and witness it (Jesus coming across a stoning about to happen). That may also be the whole point of the passage, that forgiveness trumps punishment.
Two other thoughts on that. First, It's men who wrote the book and they may have gotten the wrong message about what God instructed Moses concerning the issue, and the passage with Jesus stopping the stoning is the real message here. Second, Stoning happens today in parts of the muslim world, and I doubt nothing short of God Himself could stop a mob of muslims from stoning that poor woman (even if guilty of adultery)to her bloody death.
That is an interesting view, and I thank you for your input. It is an interesting question, one which I probably won't find the answer to until I see God and ask Him about it myself.
I believe that the most common and accepted answer to your question would be one that involved the concepts of grace and of the emerging dispensation.
In the book of Romans, Paul states that the law now serves as a "schoolmaster" that both makes us aware of our sin, and daily reminds us of our inability to keep it. Like Paul said, without a law, we would never be aware of our transgressions and sin.
In essense, the law is designed not to damn us ( although that is usually the result ), but to convince us of our sinful nature, and lead us to repentance.
As it has been said, we as Christians are no longer "under the law" ( condemned by it ). The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied the blood atonement that once used to be sought regularly by the slaughtering of animals.
As such, we have moved into the modern dispensation of grace, where no longer must blood be shed ( human nor animal ) in order to remit sins.
Similarly, the adultress' blood did not need to be shed in order to satisfy holy justice, because the birth of Jesus Christ ushered in this new dispensation.
I hope I didn't confuse, confound, or agitate anyone with this answer.
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