LIGHT, Camera, Action! | John 8:1-12

Have you ever gotten home late and you forgot to leave the porch light on? You didn’t leave a lamp on in the house, so you kind of stumble into your home and find the first light switch, and all of a sudden the room is flooded with light and you can see everything and you’re not tripping anymore. Well, today on the Bible for Busy People, I want you to meet a woman who is in the middle of a very dark season in her life. She was stumbling around not knowing what to do and caught in the worst situation possible. She probably didn’t think it could get any darker, and that’s when the light of the world showed up. Jesus himself walked right into that situation.

I am just loving this series on light. You and I are exploring what it means to be the light of the world as Jesus said we are, and to follow the light of the world who Jesus says he is. So, won’t you join me right now in the gospel of John chapter eight. Beginning in verse one?

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Transcription:

Hi, I’m Erica and I am just loving this series on light. You and I are exploring what it means to be the light of the world as Jesus said we are, and to follow the light of the world who Jesus says he is. So, won’t you join me right now in the gospel of John chapter eight. Beginning in verse one.

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning, he was back again at the temple. A crowd soon gathered and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. Teacher, They said to Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her, what do you say?

Can you hear the accusation? It’s like acidic, isn’t it? You can hear it.

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.

What do you think he was writing? I heard someone say once, and this is not in the Bible. This is just speculation. But somebody once said, perhaps Jesus was writing down the sins of the woman’s accusers. I don’t know. We just don’t know what he was writing in the dust’ so we’ll pick it back up in verse seven.

They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, alright, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.

Some of the most powerful words a human being has ever spoken, don’t you think?

Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest…

And little note here, I always think that’s pretty significant. The oldest got it first. They got the message. It was loud and clear.

Until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman,

This always touches my heart.

Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you? No, Lord. She said,

I’m sure through her tears, right?

And Jesus said, neither do I go and sin no more.

This is such a beautiful side of Jesus. It makes me think of something. Pastor Greg Laurie once said. So many people think that God is always watching you, waiting for you to mess up, waiting to shake his finger at you in disappointment, when actually God is always watching you. He always has his eye on you because he loves you that much. He doesn’t want to take his eyes off of you. I remember when my children were little and we would be at the mall or somewhere in a crowd, and I always had my eyes peeled on them because I love them that much. I want to make sure they’re okay.

That’s how Jesus loves. So, I think that he is teaching us here how to be the light of the world. The message today is grace. I’m a hot mess. You’re a hot mess. We all fumble the ball in life for me. I feel like that happens on the daily. We all mess up, but we are loved. So, if somebody is in our path and they need grace, one of the ways you and I can shine and be the light of the world is to show grace. And you and I know how it feels to receive grace. It’s like Niagara fall style pouring on us, and sometimes when you and I are tapped to give grace, we just want a little trickle to come out. But my prayer today is, Lord, may we take the Niagara Falls style grace that you give us, and give it away in equal measure. I want to read the last verse of our story today from John chapter eight, verse 12.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.

Now remember, at the beginning of this story, Jesus was teaching when the religious rulers interrupted him again. An interruption again, an opportunity again. You and I see an example of how to be the light of the world, and so as Jesus showed grace and shown light into the darkness of that woman’s life, things changed. He was teaching a lesson to that whole crowd. He already had their attention. They witnessed the incident. They saw the grace. I believe they had to be just as changed as that woman. I mean, think of what that must have been like to witness. Doesn’t it make you want to be a grace giver? All things are possible, right? We just have to stay close to the light of the world. Until next time, remember how precious you are to God and shine. You are so loved.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.

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