Jesus was sitting teaching in the Court of the Women in the Temple when his adversaries from the scribes and Pharisees brought over a frightened woman.
One of them said, "Master, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commands that she should be stoned. What do you say?"
They had laid a trap for him. If he said that she should be stoned, then not only would he alienate many of the common people but he could be accused of usurping the power of Rome, which gave its provincial governors sole authority to administer the death sentence. If he said that she should be spared, he would be accused of breaking the Mosaic law and stripped by the religious authorities of his rights as a Jew.
But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he didn't hear them.
Still, they continued to badger him. At length, he stood up and said, "Let the man among you with no sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
He then knelt down again and wrote on the ground.
Twinges of conscience struck everyone who had gathered, and they left one by one, starting with the oldest.
Jesus was left with the woman standing before him.
On standing up again and seeing no one but the woman, Jesus said, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, Sir."
Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."
Earlier, when Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the Temple, a man who had been born blind was brought to their attention.
"Teacher," asked his disciples, "who sinned, this man or his parents?"
Jesus replied, "This condition was not caused by either his sin or that of his parents. He was chosen so that the works of God may be shown in him.
"I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work.
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Jesus' next move was to spit on the ground. He used the moistened soil for an ointment, which he placed on the eyes of the blind man.
Jesus instructed the man, "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam."
Siloam means Sent.
The man went to the pool, washed and returned with the ability to see.
People who knew him were startled.
"Isn't that the fellow who always sits and begs?"
But others said, "No, that can't be him. It's just someone who looks like him."
The man put them straight. "You're wrong. I'm the man who sat near here begging."
"What!? How is that you can see now?!"
He told them that a man named Jesus had put spit-moistened dirt in his eyes and told him to wash in Siloam. When he did so, he received his sight, he said.
"Where is this man?" people asked.
But, he didn't know.
So some people brought him to the Pharisee leaders.
All this happened on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees asked him for an account of how he had received his sight, which he gave them.
Some said, "This man Jesus is not of God because he does not keep the Sabbath."
But others disagreed. "How could a sinner do such miracles?"
The argument continued until one asked the formerly blind man, "What do you say about this man who has opened your eyes?"
"He must be a prophet," the man replied.
But a number of his questioners were skeptical, disbelieving that he had really been blind. So they called the man's parents.
"Is this your son who, according to what you claim, was born blind? Explain how it is that he can see."
His parents answered, "Yes, he is our son and yes, it is so that he was born blind. But how he came to be able to see, we have no idea. He's old enough to speak for himself. Let him do so."
The parents responded in this way because they were worried about the religious authorities, who had been warning that anyone who declared Jesus to be the Messiah would be excluded from the synagogues – or, in other words, reduced in status to "sinner," people excluded from respectable Jewish society.
So they called the man back and said, "Give God the praise for your healing – because we know that this man is a sinner."
The man replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I can't say. One thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see."
Again the Pharisees asked, "What did he do to open your eyes?"
"I have told you already, and evidently you didn't hear me," the man said. "Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to be his disciples, too?"
At that, they reviled him.
"You are his disciple! We are Moses' disciples! We know that God spoke to Moses. But as for this fellow, we don't know where he's from."
"Well, that is really amazing!" the man retorted. "You don't know where he's from – even though he opened my eyes!
"Everyone knows that God doesn't heed sinners. But if anyone truly worships God and does his will, that person will be heard!
"Have you ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind? Not since the beginning of time!
"If this man were not of God, he could do nothing!"
His inquisitors were enraged. "You were born completely covered in sins, and you teach us?!"
They threw him out into the street and marked him as unfit for synagogue worship.
On hearing that the religious authorities had excommunicated him, Jesus went to find him.
"Do you believe in the Messiah?" Jesus asked him.
"Who is he, Sir, so that I might do so?" the healed man answered.
"You see him," said Jesus.
The man suddenly realized what Jesus was saying and he said, "Sir! I believe!"
Looking at Jesus in a new light, he took on a worshipful attitude.
Jesus remarked, "I came into this world to bring this judgment: That those who can't see may see and that those who see may be blinded."
A few Pharisees who had trailed after Jesus during his movements in Jerusalem asked the rabbi, "Are you saying we're blind, too?"
Jesus replied, "Had you been blind, you would have no sin. But, because you say we see, your sin remains."
One of them said, "Master, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commands that she should be stoned. What do you say?"
They had laid a trap for him. If he said that she should be stoned, then not only would he alienate many of the common people but he could be accused of usurping the power of Rome, which gave its provincial governors sole authority to administer the death sentence. If he said that she should be spared, he would be accused of breaking the Mosaic law and stripped by the religious authorities of his rights as a Jew.
But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he didn't hear them.
Still, they continued to badger him. At length, he stood up and said, "Let the man among you with no sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
He then knelt down again and wrote on the ground.
Twinges of conscience struck everyone who had gathered, and they left one by one, starting with the oldest.
Jesus was left with the woman standing before him.
On standing up again and seeing no one but the woman, Jesus said, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, Sir."
Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."
Many have wondered what it was that Jesus was writing. Though that is an interesting question, the real point is the way Jesus handled this challenge.
He realized that he must not focus on the clamoring men, but must make time to focus on God. While writing on the ground, he could focus utterly on what God would have him do. He would only say what he heard from God. When he wanted to revive a dead girl, he was able to shut out the doubters physically. Now he must shut out the devil's doubt mongers by looking down and praying in solitude to God.
So when he spoke, he spoke what he had clearly heard. He did not then look at the men and their captive, which might have let doubt enter his mind. Instead, he looked down at the ground again so that his belief in his right-doing would be unhindered.
We don't know what he wrote in the dirt the first or second time. But if the accusers connected the first writing with what came out of Jesus' mouth, they may have feared what might come out of Jesus' mouth after the second writing.
He realized that he must not focus on the clamoring men, but must make time to focus on God. While writing on the ground, he could focus utterly on what God would have him do. He would only say what he heard from God. When he wanted to revive a dead girl, he was able to shut out the doubters physically. Now he must shut out the devil's doubt mongers by looking down and praying in solitude to God.
So when he spoke, he spoke what he had clearly heard. He did not then look at the men and their captive, which might have let doubt enter his mind. Instead, he looked down at the ground again so that his belief in his right-doing would be unhindered.
We don't know what he wrote in the dirt the first or second time. But if the accusers connected the first writing with what came out of Jesus' mouth, they may have feared what might come out of Jesus' mouth after the second writing.
Earlier, when Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the Temple, a man who had been born blind was brought to their attention.
"Teacher," asked his disciples, "who sinned, this man or his parents?"
They were influenced by the traditional idea that parental sin can result in unfortunate problems for children. But, if sin is passed from parent to child, then perhaps a baby could sin at birth. In any case, the ideas about this subject were confused. The Pharisees taught that children born of parental sexual immorality were cursed and would have no place in their imagined paradise.
Jesus replied, "This condition was not caused by either his sin or that of his parents. He was chosen so that the works of God may be shown in him.
"I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work.
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Jesus' next move was to spit on the ground. He used the moistened soil for an ointment, which he placed on the eyes of the blind man.
Jesus instructed the man, "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam."
Siloam means Sent.
The man went to the pool, washed and returned with the ability to see.
People who knew him were startled.
"Isn't that the fellow who always sits and begs?"
But others said, "No, that can't be him. It's just someone who looks like him."
The man put them straight. "You're wrong. I'm the man who sat near here begging."
"What!? How is that you can see now?!"
He told them that a man named Jesus had put spit-moistened dirt in his eyes and told him to wash in Siloam. When he did so, he received his sight, he said.
"Where is this man?" people asked.
But, he didn't know.
So some people brought him to the Pharisee leaders.
All this happened on the Sabbath.
The Pharisees asked him for an account of how he had received his sight, which he gave them.
Some said, "This man Jesus is not of God because he does not keep the Sabbath."
But others disagreed. "How could a sinner do such miracles?"
The argument continued until one asked the formerly blind man, "What do you say about this man who has opened your eyes?"
"He must be a prophet," the man replied.
But a number of his questioners were skeptical, disbelieving that he had really been blind. So they called the man's parents.
"Is this your son who, according to what you claim, was born blind? Explain how it is that he can see."
His parents answered, "Yes, he is our son and yes, it is so that he was born blind. But how he came to be able to see, we have no idea. He's old enough to speak for himself. Let him do so."
The parents responded in this way because they were worried about the religious authorities, who had been warning that anyone who declared Jesus to be the Messiah would be excluded from the synagogues – or, in other words, reduced in status to "sinner," people excluded from respectable Jewish society.
So they called the man back and said, "Give God the praise for your healing – because we know that this man is a sinner."
The man replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I can't say. One thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see."
Again the Pharisees asked, "What did he do to open your eyes?"
"I have told you already, and evidently you didn't hear me," the man said. "Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to be his disciples, too?"
At that, they reviled him.
"You are his disciple! We are Moses' disciples! We know that God spoke to Moses. But as for this fellow, we don't know where he's from."
"Well, that is really amazing!" the man retorted. "You don't know where he's from – even though he opened my eyes!
"Everyone knows that God doesn't heed sinners. But if anyone truly worships God and does his will, that person will be heard!
"Have you ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind? Not since the beginning of time!
"If this man were not of God, he could do nothing!"
His inquisitors were enraged. "You were born completely covered in sins, and you teach us?!"
They threw him out into the street and marked him as unfit for synagogue worship.
On hearing that the religious authorities had excommunicated him, Jesus went to find him.
"Do you believe in the Messiah?" Jesus asked him.
"Who is he, Sir, so that I might do so?" the healed man answered.
"You see him," said Jesus.
The man suddenly realized what Jesus was saying and he said, "Sir! I believe!"
Looking at Jesus in a new light, he took on a worshipful attitude.
Jesus remarked, "I came into this world to bring this judgment: That those who can't see may see and that those who see may be blinded."
A few Pharisees who had trailed after Jesus during his movements in Jerusalem asked the rabbi, "Are you saying we're blind, too?"
Jesus replied, "Had you been blind, you would have no sin. But, because you say we see, your sin remains."
Next Page: Section 49
https://secretpath108.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-good-shepherd-people-sat-around.html
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