Now we know that the religious leaders who brought this woman to Jesus were not really concerned about righteousness or justice because if they were, they would have brought the man along as well. According to the Law of Moses, a man caught in adultery was just as guilty as the woman, so he should have been there too. What’s sad is that these leaders didn’t care about the man, or the woman, or the law, or the community, they only cared about trying to trap Jesus in a no win situation where he would say or do something to undermine his following.
The leaders thought they had Jesus this time because if Jesus condemned the woman and had her stoned, He would no longer be seen as the compassionate rabbi who always seems to be on the side of the people. If Jesus didn’t openly condemn her, however, then He would not be faithful to the Law of Moses, and that would undermine His standing as a man of God. It seems like the religious leaders had Jesus trapped, so He doesn’t say anything. John 8:6b. Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
For over 2,000 years people have asked just one question, what did Jesus write? While we don’t know, the prevailing idea is that what Jesus wrote on the ground were either the sins of the people gathered around him or maybe more of the laws of Moses. One reason we think this is because of the word we find here for write.
Graphein is the Greek word which simply means to write, but that is not the word used in John. John used the word katagraphein. Kata means to be against something, so kata-graphein means to write down something against someone or something.
What Jesus wrote down is not specifically shared, but we do know He wrote something which could be held against someone. Maybe He was writing down other laws of Moses, like some of the 10 Commandments. You shall not lie, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother. Or maybe He was writing down the specific sins He knew laid in the actions and attitudes of those standing around him. Greed. Lust. Anger. Lying. Cheating. Stealing. Pride.
Whatever Jesus wrote connected to the lives of the people there because after writing Jesus stood up and said, if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. John 8:7
Then Jesus bent down and started writing again, and it was after He started writing the second time that the men started walking away. I wonder what Jesus wrote the second time that finally caused people to leave. I like to think Jesus started writing down people’s names, as if He was going to start matching the name with the sin. We don’t know that, but something happened to start the exodus.
Finally Jesus was left alone with the woman. No one was there to condemn her, and Jesus didn’t condemn her. And this is what Jesus never said.
● YOLO - Go now and do what makes you happy.
● Go now and follow your heart
● As long as you don’t hurt someone else - go now and do what you want to do.
This is what Jesus did say, Go now and leave your life of sin. John 8:11b.
For many people today, the standard on how to live our lives is to go and do what makes us happy. After all, you only live once, so as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone; believe what you want, do what you want, it’s all ok. But Jesus never told the woman to go and be happy, He invites her to go and be holy.
We often see happiness and holiness as being mutually exclusive. We think that if we go out and do what makes us happy it certainly isn’t going to be holy, and we seldom picture a holy life as making us happy. We associate holiness with sad looking people who only talk about sacrifice and self-denial. But happiness and holiness can go hand in hand because God created us to be happy and holy.
God loves us and God’s greatest desire for us is to experience all the joy and beauty of this world and the relationships God gives us. God wants us to know the freedom and fullness that can be experienced in life and God gave us all things for our good and our enjoyment. This kind of happiness can be ours but it is not found by running headlong into the world to do what we want, it is found when we live according to God’s purpose and plan. Happiness can be ours but it comes when we are willing to look to God first and that is the first step in holiness.
But why do so often turn away from holiness and just look for what we think will make us happy? Why do we give in to the temptation to look only at the things around us to make us happy? One answer is that many times we want to experience the thrill now, and that is what the world offers us - a quick fix. That late night pizza is great in the moment but not so great when the heartburn sets in at 3 AM. That extra drink helps us forget some of our problems at happy hour, but the next morning all the problems are still there, along with a headache and some disappointment in ourselves. We love the excitement of seeing that amazon box on our doorstep - it literally smiles at us - but when the credit card bill comes and we go deeper into debt, the hopelessness sets in. We find it exciting to test the boundaries of relationships, and it seems like everyone understands us better than our spouse, but that excitement can often end in shame and broken marriages and failing families.
The world can make us happy, but the feeling and thrill just lasts a moment. Real happiness or joy, contentment, and fulfillment comes when we turn away from the things of this world and start turning to and trusting in God. The philosopher Blaise Pascal has said, there is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.
If we trust in the things of this world to satisfy us, we will always come up empty. As Pascal said, it’s not just a hole in our heart that only God can fill, it’s a vacuum. It’s a black hole that will keep sucking in more and more and never be satisfied. More money, more food, more drugs, more alcohol, more power, more sex, and more things will never satisfy. Only God satisfies. God not only fills us up, but God fills us to overflowing. Jesus said He is the living water which will never run dry. The more we turn to God for all we long for in life, the more satisfied we will be and the happier, more content, more fulfilled, and more peaceful we will be.
Jesus never said go and do what makes you happy, he said, go and be holy. This doesn’t mean go and be perfect, and it doesn’t mean we deny ourselves of everything in this world, but it does mean that we stop turning to and trusting in the things of this world and pursue God first. In his sermon on the mount Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Happiness isn’t found in the pursuit of all the things we find in this world, it is found in the pursuit of God.
The first step in pursuing God and walking in a life of holiness comes when we finally turn away from the world. Jesus told the woman, leave your life of sin - turn away from trying to find happiness in the temporary things of this world. Turn away from that dead end life you are living and find holiness in the things of God. Turn toward something greater, better, and higher than what you have been trusting. We call this turn - repentance.
Repentance is not the same thing as remorse. Remorse means we feel bad for what we have done, or maybe for being caught, but repentance isn’t about how we feel it is about how we live. Repentance means turning away from that old way of life to live a better life. It means turning away from the immediate gratification we can find in this world and turning toward the one who created us and knows how to make us truly happy. Repentance is getting up and leaving our lives of sin behind by fixing our minds and hearts on the things of God. Every temptation to do what makes us happy is an invitation for us to lean into the grace and strength God gives us and to be holy.
Some of us today need to stop trying to be happy and consider what it means to be holy. We need to realize that the things of this world will always leave us empty, but the things of God and the pursuit of a deeper relationship with God can not only save us but fill us up and yes, make us happy. If you are tired of never feeling satisfied, if you are tired of always feeling empty, if you want to experience the lasting happiness that only God can provide, don’t give into temptation and look at the things of this world to fill you up, accept the invitation to trust God more. Walk with God in a new way this week and deepen your relationship with Him.
Jesus never said, go and do what makes you happy, He did say, go and leave your life of sin. He did say, go and be holy because it is the pursuit of a holy life that will ultimately set us free and make us happy.
Next Steps
Things Jesus Never Said: “Go do what makes you happy.”
What makes phrases like YOLO (you only live once) and follow your heart so popular?
When have you searched for happiness in the things of this world? How did that search end?
What makes us think happiness and holiness are at odds with each other? How would you define holiness?
How might you now redefine holiness after hearing this week’s message?
Read John 8:1-11
Why is it easier to see the sins of others and not our own? If you had been standing there, what might Jesus have written on the ground that would have convicted you?
Take time to evaluate your own attitudes and actions this week. Where do you give in to temptation? What might help you lean into God’s grace and strength more often?
How is Jesus' message to the woman an invitation to holiness? Holiness is not perfection but the pursuit of God. What might holiness look like in your life this week?
Where is repentance (turning away from sin and toward God) needed in your life today? Make that turn.
How can you take what you’ve learned about temptation, happiness, holiness, and repentance and help others who might be struggling? How are our relationships with one another essential for repentance and holiness?
