Chapter Thirteen "The Sayings of Jesus"

CHAPTER 13

THE SAYINGS OF JESUS

We beginning with something Jesus claimed in John 8:51 “Verily, verily, I “SAY” unto you, If a man keep my “SAYING”, he shall never see death.”  In this opening text one of his sayings is, “he will never see death.”  So, as we get into these many sayings of Jesus, and learn to keep them, the result with be as He said, “NEVER SEE DEATH.”  Keeping this text in context, Jesus had “SAID” things before verse 51.  Let’s take a look at what he had said before this verse.

In John 8: 2 we see that He “taught them and us.”  What did He teach them, what can we learn?

1. There will be those that will test and tempt you, trying to trip you up.  What do you do in those moments? 8:6 “This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him.  But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.”  (here is what we learn):

a.        In those moments appear to have ignored them buying time.  They will continue to ask you as they did Jesus.  Under your breath, “Ask” God for an answer.  Don’t be forced into a quick reply.  Learn from another saying of Jesus, John 12:49-50 “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, He gave me commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting; whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”

b.      You heard their question yet are not distracted by it.  Look away, stoop down as Jesus did if it is feasible; wait for the Spirit’s words, then look up or stand up as Jesus did:  8: 7 “So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself, and said unto them, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her.” 

Up to this point, what can we draw from this?  They all were about to “JUDGE” this woman caught in adultery.  If they had starting throwing stones at her she would have died, correct?  They had done it in the past, this stoning of someone caught in adultery I’m sure, yet now when Jesus SPEAKS one of his sayings they don’t.  Thus she lives and now catch this,” they live.”  How so?  Listen to this other saying of Jesus, “Oh man that judges another, you condemn yourself, you do the same thing.”  Yet you might think, “Not everyone in the crowd had committed this particular sin of adultery that day.”  But notice this, God the Father through Jesus that day was not addressing a “single sin;” He was addressing the nature of us all.  For the first time in their self-righteous life, they saw something they had not seen before, “The Condition of us all.”  So, in light of our keeping the sayings of Jesus and living, if we would not judge we would live longer lives; we and the ones we judge.  Remember, love covers a multitude of sin.

One more thing must be brought out; the circumstances of that particular day.  The Jewish nation was under bondage to the Roman Empire and rules.  If Jesus had said to the crowd stone her, they would have done so, yet would have called the Romans to judge him for getting the crowd to stone the woman to death.  The Jews, under Roman rule, could not enforce their religious rules without first consulting Roman courts.  You see where the Pharisees were setting Jesus up; what is meant by their tripping him up in his words.  Also notice that if Jesus had simply said to let her go, they knew the crowd would stone him to death for breaking the laws of Moses.  He was damned if he did and damn if he didn’t.   Know this also, under the laws of Rome, the woman was in a legal profession, a prostitute. 

The crowd that day, by not throwing stones, were admitting their condition, they were not without the sin nature of Adam, and thus had some form of the by-product of that nature, acts of sin in their lives; maybe not this particular sin of adultery, yet they sinned.

From the least to the greatest, they saw this and the crowd that day lived along with the woman.  You hear it in some more of Jesus sayings, “Woman, where are your accusers?  She replied, “there are NONE.”  Then Jesus said, “Go, and sin no more.”

 So, where are your accusers?  Someone free of the sin nature of Adam; only that person would have the right to judge us.  Jesus was such a person, yet He doesn’t judge her or us.  With that understanding, go and sin no more.

Yet we go and sin again.  Why?  Could it be that we aren’t keeping in mind this one saying of Jesus, “you who are without sin, throw the first stone.”  Quit throwing stones (judging) and you will not sin anymore.  Remember the strength of sin is the law.  The more you judge the more you will sin.  When we see the true condition of all of us, then and then only will we cease to sin;  love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Keep His sayings and you will not see death in any form, physical, mental or spiritual.  The death process may have taken its toll in your life, but by ceasing to judge you put it on hold. (Don’t confuse decision making with judging.  We are all called to make decisions in life; judging others is a different matter all together.  That day they were trying to get Jesus to make a judgment; his “decision was to ask the Father, one we should all do. Note this also, this doesn’t mean finding a dead letter text and using it again one another.  The Jews that day were doing this; Jesus didn’t go with the dead letter, He sought the LIVING WORD.)