Pints With Aquinas - The Woman Caught in Adultery | Bible Study w/ Aquinas

Episode Date: August 13, 2020

Today we'll begin a three part series on John 8:1-11 (The woman caught in adultery). 🔴 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattfradd 📖 Here is the text from the ESV: but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning, he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

G'day, g'day, g'day. Welcome to another Bible study with Aquinas. My name is Matt Fradd. I'm glad that you're here. I've been doing these Bible studies once a week now for a couple of months, I think. I'm not sure if you're enjoying them or getting anything out of them. I am, as I read through Thomas Aquinas' commentary on the different Gospels. Let me know below if you're getting something out of this, if this is something you would like me to continue. let me know below if you're getting something out of this if this is something you would like me to continue obviously i'm trying to invest my time and energy into things that are beneficial for people that help bring them into a closer relationship and walk with jesus christ if that's not doing it if you're like yeah it's fine but i don't really watch all of it it's you know

that's fine um i could also do something else uh So let me know below in the comment section. Feel free to be very critical. If you just think, you know, this isn't good or honest, honestly, I'm not being self-deprecating, but I don't want to be, you know, spending a lot of time doing things that aren't helpful. That's it. That's it. Okay. So here's what I want to do today. I want to look at one of my favorite verses, my favorite stories in Scripture, and we'll see how many episodes it takes to get us through this one, because as you've discovered in these previous Bible studies with Aquinas, we'll often focus just on one verse, because he has so much to say. show you what I want to look at today. I want to look at this fantastic story from John chapter eight, and this has to do with a woman caught in adultery. So what I might do is read it. This is the English standard version, which is my kind of preferred, what do you say, translation. And then we'll see what Aquinas has to say. And this might take us three or so episodes to get through,

three or so Bible studies to get through, I should say. Why don't we begin with a prayer? Now, you do whatever you want to do. I'm not telling you what to do, but here's a suggestion that if you would like to kind of do this Bible study prayerfully with me, then you might just sort of silence your phone. You might turn off the other YouTube tabs that you've got going on. This is really something that like, the more we put into it, the more we get out of it. And I know what it's like, you know, often the internet and YouTube in particular

is not conducive to a prayerful situation, but it could be. And so maybe we can pray and just really ask our blessed Lord to help us, ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten our mind as we read the Word of God together. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives early in the morning. He came again to the temple.

All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst, they said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones. And Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one, Lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on sin no more. This is the Word of God. This is the Gospel. This is just so beautiful.

You know, maybe you've been involved in a sin that you're deeply ashamed of recently. You know, maybe pornography. involved in a sin that you're deeply ashamed of recently, you know, maybe pornography. You know, there are certain sins that we don't feel shame for in the way that we perhaps should feel it, you know, like such as gossip and slander and things like this. But the idea that, suppose, let's just use masturbation and pornography. You know, I think we have this idea that if Jesus could see me, like he would condemn me. But I mean, you could just sort of replace the figures in this story and see how Jesus would respond to you. Suppose somebody caught you in the very act of,

you know, masturbating to pornography, a very shameful thing, and dragged you before him. And notice what, I mean, forgive me, we're going to look at what Thomas Aquinas has to say, but I can't help but comment on this. But notice that the woman hasn't even repented yet before Christ shows her mercy. Isn't that interesting? Maybe she wasn't even sorry. Maybe the thing that led her to be repentant was Christ's mercy. In other words, it wasn't her repenting that led to Christ's mercy, but Christ's mercy that led to her repentance.

But either way, if you've been struggling with any sort of sin that you're deeply ashamed of, maybe as you read this gospel, place yourself in the sandals of this woman and see how our blessed Lord who loves you, how he sees you in that. I think sometimes when we fall into sin, we run to confession, which is a good thing, of course, but the reason we run to confession may not be. That is, I need to get myself pure so God will love me again. But here she's caught in the very act of adultery and dragged before the Lord. Imagine the incredible shame. Imagine if the thing that you were doing, that you were most ashamed about, became public. I mean, people have had this happen to them.

You know, like different comedians and actors. Hopefully they're ashamed of these things. I mean, how tragic that would be. Caught in adultery. Now, I'm not sure exactly, but it doesn't seem like this woman's a prostitute, right? Now, I'm not sure exactly, but it doesn't seem like this woman's a prostitute, right? Like, if she was a prostitute, then I suppose we could say, well, you know, she was living a life of sort of public sin anyway. But if she wasn't a prostitute and was just committing adultery, presumably this was a secret sin that was then brought into the light. And I think we have this fear, God, if there's so much about me that I don't understand,

that I hate, that I don't know how to reconcile. I'm quite convinced nobody else is going through this. I don't know what to do with this. It's confusing. I don't seem to see any good in it, any logic in it, you know, just this muck. And if that was brought to the light, what would Jesus think about me? What would he say to me? Well, this is what he would think about you, and this is what he would say to you.

Glory to Jesus Christ, huh? Okay. Let's have a look here. Man, let's see. Man, let's see. Where to begin is what I'm thinking. Early in the morning, he came again into the temple. All right, what does Aquinas have to say?

Again, we're going to go through this slowly because it's such a powerful, powerful passage. I cannot wait to see what Aquinas has to say about the writing in the sand. I actually don't know what he had to say. I'm reading it with you and learning with you as we go along. So that'll be exciting too. Anyway, and early in the morning, he came again into the temple. Here's what Aquinas says. This signifies that he was about to impart knowledge and manifest his grace in his temple. That is in his believers. The fact that he returned early in the morning signifies

the rising light of new grace that's pretty cool you never thought of that i never thought of that either early in the morning he comes to his temple like the sun rises in the morning bringing grace there you are okay those who listened to his teaching were the sincere among the people. Thus, he says, all the people came to him. Their teacher is presented as seated, right? Because it says, and sitting down. What does this mean? Aquinas says, going down to their level so that his teaching would be more easily understood. His sitting down signifies the humility of his incarnation, because it was through the human nature that our Lord assumed that he became visible.

We began to be instructed in the divine matters more easily. So he says, sitting down he taught them, that is the simple, and those who respected his teaching. Then we read, And the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery. Our Lord wards off his opponents. First, we see him tested, so that he can then be accused, and second, he checks his accusers at, but Jesus bending down wrote with his finger on the ground. As to the first, the evangelist does three things. First, he mentions the occasion for the test. Second, he describes the test itself. Where does he do that? At, and said to him, master, this woman was just now caught in adultery.

And third, the purpose of those who were testing our Lord at, and they said this, tempting him. The occasion for the test is a woman's adultery. And so first, her accusers detail the crime and also exhibit the sinner. As to the first, the evangelist says, then the scribes, oh come Lord Jesus, if there's anybody who's watching this right now who has had an abortion, or if you're a man who has driven your girlfriend or wife or fiancé to an abortion clinic, I just want to invite you right now to say, Come Holy Spirit, give me the gift of repentance. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. Okay.

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. All right. As Augustine says, three things were noteworthy about Christ. His truth, his gentleness, and his justice. Lovely. His truth, his gentleness, and his justice. Indeed, it was predicted about him, Go forth and reign because of truth, gentleness, and justice.

Psalm 44, 5. For he set forth the truth as a teacher, and the Pharisees and scribes noticed this while he was teaching. If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe me? John 8, 46. Since they could find nothing false in his words or his teachings, they had ceased their accusations on that score. He showed his gentleness as a liberator or savior,

and they saw this when he could not be provoked against his enemies and persecutors. When he was reviled, he did not revile, 1 Peter 2.23. Thus, they did not accuse him on this point. As he exercised justice as its advocate, he did this because it was not yet known among the Jews, especially in legal proceedings. It was on this point that they wanted to test him to see if he would abandon justice for the This is really, really great stuff here and really quite interesting. You know, what's he going to do? Is he going to abandon the law for the sake of mercy? Is he going to abandon mercy for the sake of justice?

What we're going to see, of course, is that he's not going to abandon either, but he's going to bring the two together. The evangelist says, What does this mean? Well, it shows them proceeding with their test. First, they point out the woman's fault. Second, they state the justice of the case according to the law. Third, they ask him for his verdict.

They point out the woman's fault when they say, This woman was just now caught in adultery. They detail her fault in three ways, calculated to deflect Christ from his gentle manner. First, they mention the freshness of her fault, saying just now. That is really an interesting point. I wonder what the ESV has to say about this. is really an interesting point. I wonder what the ESV has to say about this.

Brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. I'm not sure how many of you kind of like, how much if that struck you, but yeah, this idea, it's not like, hey, we heard

she committed adultery and we have evidence of it. Rather, she was caught in the very act of it. Which kind of makes you wonder, is this something they stumbled across? Is this something that they kind of plotted? You know, was she just sort of like a casualty in... Yeah, that's a bloody... Must have been a scary thing for this woman, you know? All right. So they say just now, right?

She's caught just now. Why? Well, for an old fault does not affect us so much because the person might have made amends. fault does not affect us so much because the person might have made amends. Second, they note its certainty saying court so that she could not excuse herself. This is characteristic of women. She wipes her mouth and says, I have done no evil. All right, so that may have been a little sexist, but there you go. Third, they point out that her fault is great in adultery, which is a serious crime, and the cause of many evils. And first of all, against the law of God. They appeal to the justice contained in the law when they remark, in the law, that is in Leviticus and in Deuteronomy, Moses commanded us to stone such

a woman. So they ask Jesus for his verdict when they say, but what do you say? Their question is a trap. For they are saying, in effect, if he decides that she should be let go, he will not be acting according to justice. Yet he cannot condemn her because he came to seek and save those who are lost. because he came to seek and save those who are lost. And Aquinas adds from John 3, 17, For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

That is interesting, isn't it? Like, to read the gospel as a whole, right? So that came, like, several chapters earlier, that Christ made this statement. And so that is interesting. If you're like, here's this Jesus guy performing miracles, he's a terrible nuisance. He's also saying he hasn't come to judge the world. But at the same time, if we can prove

that he doesn't obey the law of Moses, you know, we can do something about him. And so they're putting this, they're setting up this trap. Now the law could not command anything unjust. Thus Jesus does not say, let her go, lest he seem to be acting in violation of the law. The evangelist reveals the malicious intention behind those who were questioning Jesus when he says, they said this tempting him, that they might accuse him. For they thought that Christ would say that she should be let go, so as not to be acting contrary to his gentle manner.

And then they would accuse him of acting in violation of the law. Let us not test Christ as they did, 1 Corinthians 10.9. By the way, I'm not always reading these little kind of... It's like every point he makes, he brings in a scripture to sort of solidify it. I'm not always reading those because sometimes I think it throws us away off of the text. It's a lot easier to kind of, if you're reading it, it would make sense. It's almost like a footnote. But to say it out loud, I think sometimes might confuse you.

So that's why I'm not doing that. Okay. I want to stop there. And then next week, I want to pick up with, but Jesus bending down, wrote his finger on the ground, see what Aquinas has to say there. And then maybe we can get through the rest of this chapter. But yeah, look, I just, you know, look,

it's been said that evangelization is merely one beggar telling another beggar where the bread is. And so, you know, for what it's worth, I'm a beggar. I'm a stupid, knuckle-headed, hard-hearted sinner who's, by God's grace, growing in holiness. I just want to say, you know, if you have been engaged in some serious sin that you're terribly ashamed of, like this woman, maybe it's come to light recently. God, God, God, God. We can be so terrible too with people's sins that have come to light, you know, we just sort of become so judgmental. And obviously we can judge whether or not a thing is evil, right? I can judge that abortion is evil and at the same time tell you to

beg the Holy Spirit for repentance and to invite you to go to confession so that you can receive this mercy that Christ wants for you. This mercy that we're going to see exemplified in the rest of this chapter. Thank you very much for being here. If you, as I say, if you like these Bible studies, let me know below. Please hit subscribe and the bell button if you want to support the channel. And if you want to become a patron, you could do that at patreon.com slash Matt Fradd. We have a bunch of free things that we give people in return, like signed copies of books, beer steins sent to your door and all sorts of things. We're trying to do a lot of work, like this Pints with Aquinas Español channel. We've got another video that just came out recently.

These trips that we're planning to Africa next year are for free, so we can teach them apologetics in these different countries. There's just a lot going on. Not going to get into all here. You don't have to support on Patreon, of course, but if you like the work that we're doing and want to see it grow, you could. Patreon.com slash Matt Fradd.

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