For many churches today, the issues of sexuality and immorality are the defining issues of our times. And without a doubt, there are some very serious debates going on in the public arena which are having a great impact on our society, which I would say have already influenced our culture for the worse and will have tremendous negative consequences.  So I want to be clear at the outset that what we are going to say today about this particular response of Christ to  immorality does not diminish the tragic effect of these issues on our society.  God can forgive any sin, but that doesn’t mean we disregard or redefine sin.  God, not society, has defined sin, and sin has tragic consequences. 

As we consider the story before us, I think that it illustrates very clearly that in the eyes of God, all sin is damning.  There are not some sins which are more acceptable than others.  We cannot climb upon a pedestal and look down at other people who are caught up in some obvious, grievous sin, and then claim some sort of spiritual superiority because our sins are not so obvious, and in our minds, not so terrible as someone else’s.  

Paul said in 1Timothy 5:24 “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.”  The point he is making is that all sin requires judgment, and the wages of sin, he said in Romans 6:23, is death.  Though some people’s sins are more evident, such as the sin of alcoholism or drug abuse or prostitution, going before them to judgment, yet the sins of others are secret, such as hate or lust or envy,  yet whether obvious or secret they will face judgment.  Either way, both lead to judgment.  

James makes it clear that even if you commit only one sin, it condemns you of all sin. James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”  So all are guilty of sin, all of us are under the penalty of sin, and only through repentance and faith in Christ can we be saved from our sin.

Now let’s look at this story and see how this is illustrated for us here.  There are a few points that I would like to make before we get into the main part of the story though.  First, there is some discussion in theological circles as to the authenticity of this text, or as to to location of this text in the book of John. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on that, but only to address the notes that you may have noticed in your translation, indicating that some ancient manuscripts do not contain this story.  But I would point out that the fact that it is included in practically all translations, indicates that though their may be some uncertainty about the text, yet almost all conservative translators and theologians agree that it should be included in our Bibles as the word of God.  I would  add that John wrote this gospel around 90AD, and by 100 AD or shortly thereafter, this passage was referenced by a couple of early church leaders in ancient writings.  So it has been accepted as part of the gospel since the very beginning.  But some manuscripts do not include it, some put it in another place, some leave a blank area where it should be, and one manuscript includes it in Luke’s gospel.  But most theologians believe that it is consistent with John’s style of writing, it is consistent with scripture as a whole, and it is consistent in it’s portrayal of Christ with the other gospels.  So I believe that it is the inspired word of God and as such we will study it as the Word of God.

Another point not to be overlooked is that in vs.53 of vs.7, it says everyone went to their home, and then in vs.1 of chapter 8, it says that Jesus went to the Mt. of Olives.  While Jesus is in Jerusalem, He is living outdoors, perhaps spending most of the time on the Mount of Olives.  Jesus said in Matt. 8:20 “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  That’s such a poignant statement, and so much can be inferred through this little note that says Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and spent the night out under the stars. This was a daily part of Christ’s life.  The very God Incarnate – while everyone else is at home with family and sleeping in a warm house – the Son of God is outside, sleeping under the stars.  I find it ironic that there are some who teach that Christians are somehow entitled to the luxurious standard of living that we have here in America.  But what about Jesus’ statement that said, a servant is not above his master?  Yet some teach that if you just have enough faith and ask for a 4 bedroom house with all the modern amenities, then God will give it to you.  But yet God let the King of Kings sleep in the cold and damp outdoors.  You know, I have to admit, if God caused me to live without a roof over my head I would have questions about His providence.  But maybe that speaks more to our priorities rather than God’s priorities.

Alright, so to the story; Jesus is in the temple teaching very early in the morning, and the scribes and Pharisees come barging in, dragging a woman who was caught in adultery and they present her to Jesus.   Under Jewish law, adultery was considered a capital offense. Lev. 20:10 says “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” 

Now the interesting thing is that they have only brought the woman.  They said they caught her in the act, but yet there is no man brought forth, only the woman.  That makes the whole situation suspect.  I think it indicates that she was set up, and obviously they are trying to set up Jesus as well.  They say to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 

The fact of the matter is, that though adultery had a serious penalty attached to it, it was a rare thing in Jewish society to actually condemn someone for it because it was so hard to prove.  There had to be at least 2 witnesses to the actual act, not just seeing them go in to a house together or seeing them come out together, but they had to actually catch them in the act.  But irregardless, there is good indication that in most cases it was a law for which the penalty was rarely, if ever,  enacted. 

So I think it is possible to read between the lines here and suspect that someone had a reason to do away with this particular woman.  It could be that a man wanted to divorce his wife, and didn’t want to go through all the requirements involved in that, including dividing his money with her and so forth, and so he accused her of adultery. We don’t know for sure, we can only speculate.  But we can say unequivocally that there was something fishy about the proceedings, because there was only the woman caught and not a man.  A woman cannot be caught in the very act of adultery alone.  That is an impossibility.  So the whole thing is a set up which shows the corruptness of the scribes and the Pharisees. 

The funny thing about these scribes and Pharisees is they never seem to catch on that Jesus can read their thoughts. It would be humorous if their hatred was not so vile. I think they would have changed their tactics if they realized that He knew their thoughts. But it’s also indicative of the sinfulness of these men.  They have already decided to put Jesus to death.  That was established by John in chapter 7:25.  He says it was widely known that the Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him.  And to do that, they are willing to set up a woman to commit adultery, probably with one of their own leaders, probably having ulterior motives for having her put to death as well, and at the same time they are going to present themselves as being the arbiters of all righteousness.  Their hypocrisy and hard heartedness is appalling.

It’s no wonder that when they come bursting in with all of this that Jesus doesn’t answer them at first.  He seemingly ignores them, kneels down and starts writing in the dirt.  And then they continue to hound Him for an answer, finally He stands up and says “Let him who is without sin be the first to cast a stone” and then squats down and continues writing on the ground. 

Now a lot of speculation has been made concerning what Jesus was writing.  There have been numerous suggestions, from Jesus writing the men’s names to writing various verses of scripture.  You name it, it’s been suggested.  But the fact is that we don’t know, because John through the Holy Spirit does not think it’s necessary to tell us. 

But I have my own theory which I would like to propose to you this morning.  Everyone is quick to point out that Jesus is never recorded as having written anything during HIs life on earth.  He did not write His own gospel, for instance.  And yet John calls Him the Word.  But He never wrote a word that we have record of.  But what we also know from John is that He was in the beginning with God, and was with God, and was God. So I cannot help but think of two instances, the only two that I can find in the Bible when God wrote something.  

The first instance of course was with Moses on Mt. Sinai, when God wrote upon tablets of stone the 10 commandments as recorded for us in Exodus 31:18, which says, “When [God] had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.”  

So what I suggest is that Jesus wrote the 10 commandments on the ground with His finger as the scribes and Pharisees watched and waited. I don’t know, but I imagine that it took a while, and all the while perhaps the Jewish leaders are getting more and more uncomfortable as they read the words of the Law written there upon the temple floor.  And as they read the Law, their guiltiness would have been inflaming their conscience, especially as they watch this poor woman who was undoubtedly sobbing and kneeling on the floor there in front of them. I can imagine that even these hard hearted men  began to feel guilty.

I think the indication of scripture is that Jesus left them on tenterhooks for a while, as He writes the Law upon the ground.  Knowing of course, that these are people who prided themselves on knowing the law, and so they would know that Duet. 27 said that to be guilty in one aspect of the law was to be guilty of all of it. So I suggest that it’s a good possibility that Jesus was writing the law upon the ground, as the religious rulers were shuffling from one foot to another, and it was convicting them of their sin.

And if my suggestion is correct, as each of the commandments convicted their consciences,  they became ever more incensed. After all, the law of adultery is pretty far down on the list, being number 7.  And the law against murder was number 6 by the way. So they are fidgeting, Jesus’ silence is deafening, the Law is condemning them, and so they began urging Jesus to give them an answer.  So Christ’s answer to them fits the situation perfectly; “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  At that point, their conviction must have been at a breaking point.  You know, I get accused sometimes of preaching too much about sin.  But actually I really don’t think that I do. I just preach the Word of God.  God has a lot to say about sin, and the Word of God convicts us of sin.  The Holy Spirit brings conviction through the Word of God.  And as Jesus wrote the Law of God upon the ground, I think it pricked their consciences.

Then it says that Jesus knelt down again and began to write on the ground. Now He could have just continued to write the Law.  We don’t know.  But as I said earlier, there are two times in the Old Testament that God wrote with His finger. The first was the Law, and the second is found in the book of Daniel.  If you remember the story in Daniel 5, Belshazzar the son of Nebuchadnezzar was having a feast.  He brought in the holy utensils from the Jewish Temple and was using them to serve his guests.  He was not like his father Nebuchadnezzar who had repented.  Belshazzar was a wicked man.  And suddenly, in the middle of the feast, a man’s hand appeared and started writing on the wall of the banquet hall.  

Daniel 5:24-28 says, “Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out. Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.’  This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENE’–God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.   ‘TEKEL’–you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.   ‘PERES’–your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”  

Now this is just speculation on my part, of course.  But I can imagine that Jesus wrote on the ground the second time, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.”  These scribes and Pharisees would have instantly recognized this famous line from the story in Daniel.  And they would know that Jesus was directing it towards them.  God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.  This is what Jesus would prophecy later on when He came out of the temple, and said that God would destroy it, leaving not one stone upon another.  And then “you have been weighed in the scales and found wanting.”  These men who wanted to judge this woman according to the law, in spite of breaking the law in order to do it, these men that wanted to murder Jesus, and as such broke the law concerning murder, these men were guilty, they had been weighed in the scales and found wanting.  They were condemned by their own standard.

Romans 2:1 says, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”  Jesus in preaching the Sermon on the Mount said in Matt. 7:1-5, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Well, John tells us that one by one, the Jewish leaders began to go out, beginning with the older ones.  We could speculate on the distinction as to the age difference, but I would just say that it was the elders who left first, followed by the younger members.  Undoubtedly, they were on the one hand convicted of their own sin, and secondly, I think they were undone by the wisdom of Christ.  You see, they had set a trap for Jesus.  Either way He answered, they thought that they had Him. If He said she did not deserve to die, then He was guilty of going against the Law of God.  If He said she should die, then He was guilty of going against Roman law which forbid the Jews to execute anyone.  That is why when they eventually sought to crucify Jesus they took Him to the Roman governor to pronounce death and provide the Roman soldiers to carry it out.  

But Jesus brilliantly evaded their trap, and at the same time provided a means of grace for the woman.  Note that Jesus does not say that the woman did not deserve death, but says, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”  None there could say after that soul searching time when Jesus wrote on the ground, that they were without sin.  Their sin was staring them right in the face. 

I think it’s also evident that the woman was in fact guilty of adultery.  She might have been set up, she might have been left to take the fall all by herself, she may have been duped to think that the man had loved her, but she was still guilty of adultery.  The woman doesn’t deny it, and more importantly, Jesus doesn’t deny it, and He knew the heart of the woman.  And Jesus said He did not come to annul the Law but to fulfill it.  So the woman was guilty and deserved death, and Jesus knew that.

But Jesus also said in John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  See, the Law condemns man.  That was the purpose of the Law, to bring men to conviction so that they would recognize that they needed a Savior.  Galatians 3:24 tells us, “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

Now the Jewish leaders are convicted of their sin, but they are just embarrassed by it, so they leave.  There was no repentance.  There was no faith in Jesus Christ.  If anything, they exhibit by their later actions that they hated Him even more.  So they filed out, and they rejected the only one who could save them from their sins.

The woman, on the other hand, has very little to say.  Or at least, John records only three words of this woman.  Perhaps she was sobbing so hard, there was little else she could say. You know, I can’t help but feel sorry for this woman, and I know Jesus had compassion on her as well.  My reason is that this poor woman was doubly hurt.  She was upset that she had been caught in adultery and publicly marched into the temple in front of everyone and basically sentenced to death by the Pharisees.  But she also must have been crushed to be so deceived and duped by some guy who said that he loved her, but who was only using her. I don’t want to make excuses for the woman’s sin, but I do think that sin does not negate compassion.  

People are deceived.  That is why they go into sin.  They believe the devil’s lie, that it will be good, that it’s not so bad, that it will be fun, it won’t hurt you, it’s not addicting.  It’s all a lie. Sin is a cruel master that hopes to enslave you, and ultimately destroy you. Sin is a lie, and it is from the devil, the father of lies.  But Jesus is the truth, and the life, and when you come to know the truth, the truth will set you free. That’s why we need to have compassion on the lost.  They are deceived.  I know that sometimes it’s hard to be compassionate, because sometimes they attack you personally, they hate you because you are destroying their lie, upon which they have built their life, which they have sold their soul to.  But our job is to have compassion on them, and snatch them like a brand from the burning, and compel them, convince them of the truth, because they are being destroyed by the lie of Satan.  This is the battle we have been called to fight.  Not against the sinner, but FOR the sinner.  Against the lie, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places.  But not against the sinner.  We are called to have mercy and compassion and go to them, suffering whatever is necessary in order to bring them the truth.

Now I believe you have to read a little between the lines in this story, and certainly that is the case with this woman.  She was left alone with Jesus there in the court of the temple.  And Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

First of all, I believe this woman knew that she was a sinner.  She had been caught in the act.  She had been duped perhaps, but she knew that she was a sinner.  That is so important.  People must come to understand that they are sinners.  And that is only possible because the Law reveals what sin is.  Don’t misunderstand that.  The Law is necessary, or we would not know what sin is.  That’s the danger with this whole culture war out there about homosexuality or transgenderism or any sexual immorality.  Go back to Leviticus 20 and read it for yourself.  It lists all kinds of sexual sins.  They are all there, and it’s the Law of God, the Word of God.  And it’s still relevant today. The law teaches us that we need a Savior.

So she was repentant, because she recognized her sin, and she knew it carried the penalty of death.  But notice that she called Jesus Lord. Some translators have it as “Sir” but in the KJV kyrios is translated as Lord 667 times, lord 54 times, and sir 12 times.  I think she was calling Him Lord.  It was a title in Jewish culture which was given to God and the Messiah.  It means ruler, master, sovereign.  I like the first definition listed under kyrios, which is “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding.”  This woman was not only recognizing Jesus as Messiah, but recognizing that He had the power of deciding her fate, because she was created by Him.  

So Jesus forgave her of her sins.  He said, “neither do I condemn you.”  Now there are a couple of things to notice in that statement. First, Jesus was the only One there who was innocent of all sin.  So He had the right to condemn her of sin, and He had the right to punish her.  And yet Jesus says, “neither do I condemn you.”  Now how can He say that?  Can He just do away with the Law?  Can He do away with justice just because He feels like it?  Well, no He cannot and still be true to HIs nature as God.  God is just and holy and the righteous Judge over the earth.  And yet God is also a God of love and compassion and mercy.  But how are these two contrasting natures married?  The answer is a principle taught in the Law; the principle of the substitution of the death of the innocent for the guilty. This was the principle taught by the system of sacrifice in Levitical law, the innocent lamb slain for the guilty person. But in the New Covenant, God does not stop counting sin, God counts our sin upon Jesus Christ. He is the innocent One, the Lamb of God who was slain for the guilty.

Jesus could forgive this woman her sins because He would take her sins upon Himself and die on the cross so that she might be forgiven and have eternal life.  2Co 5:21 says, “[God] made [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that is the gospel.  God hasn’t stopped counting sin, but for those who believe in Him, trust in Him, surrender to Him, God counts our sin against Jesus, and so He  crushed Him, bruised Him, whipped Him, nailed Him to a cross and let Him hang there until He was dead, so that He might transfer our sins to Jesus, and transfer Jesus’ righteousness unto us, so that we might be called sons of God, and be given an inheritance with Christ, sharing in His glory in heaven.  What a tremendous thing is this gospel!  

Don’t forget the last phrase that Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.”  We that have been saved are declared righteous in the sight of God, but sin is still sin.  Sin still has consequences.  Jesus has paid the penalty of our eternal punishment; death.  But sin is still sin, and there are consequences to sin.  Paul said sin shall not have dominion over you now in your new nature.  And we now have the Holy Spirit in us to convict us of sin, to teach us and lead us into righteousness. He has written the Law of God upon our hearts as Paul says in 2 Cor. 3:3, “you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  That is the third time God has written, He has written upon our hearts.  We have the law of God written upon our hearts so that we might walk according to His will. 

If you have trusted in Jesus this morning for the forgiveness of your sins, then go, and sin no more. You are a letter of God written to the world, His law is written in your heart, that you might walk in His statues and keep His commandments, so that the world might know from your life the compassion and love of God and be saved. John said in 1John 2:1,  “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  

I have said previously that Jesus has entered into a transitionary stage in His ministry, in which His focus is more on teaching His disciples rather than ministering to the multitudes. And that reveals a principle that should be paramount in the church, which is that once a person is saved it is essential for them to be discipled, for them to grow in maturity, to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. It is essential for the person who is saved to grow in sanctification. Hebrews 12:14 tells us that without sanctification no one will see the Lord.

So Jesus is focusing for the remainder of His time before the cross in teaching His disciples the principles that will produce sanctification in their lives. And probably the most fundamental of those principles is humility. If we are to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, then the most fundamental character trait that we must learn is that of humility. And not just to mimic humility, or pretend humbleness, but to actually become humble.

These apostles are going to be God’s specially appointed ministers to the church. They will be the spiritual leaders in the new church at Jerusalem after Pentecost, and they will establish churches throughout the world. And Jesus knows that the supreme character trait of the kind of pastor or apostle that He desires is that such a one be humble.

That’s quite the contrary to what we might actually see manifested in most churches today though, I’m afraid. I think that most pastor search committees when seeking out pastor candidates, do not see humbleness as being of paramount importance. And by the way, I will go on record as saying that I think pastor search committees are an abomination for the most part. There is no Biblical precedent for them. They are not the way the apostles were chosen, nor the way the pastors of the early church were chosen. And I don’t think that they are the method that the Lord chooses pastors. I’m sure that statement doesn’t sit well with some of you, but that’s my opinion.

However, I will emphasize that humility should be the characteristic of a leader in the church and yet it is sorely missing in most pulpits today. But it is also the fundamental characteristic of any mature Christian. And yet it is not something that we seem to put any value upon in either the church, or in our society in general.

I will say that in my own personal experience, as I was being matured as a Christian, as the Lord was preparing me to accept a call to be a preacher, I went through a trial by fire that lasted for well over three years which God used to teach me humility. In fact, it’s still an ongoing lesson. I guess I’m a slow learner, because God seems to see fit to humble me again and again. But I’ve learned through it that humility is important to God. Paul experienced something similar, saying in 2Cor. 12:7-9 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Now the opposite of humility is pride. And pride is a sin. Pride is a sin but no one really considers it as sinful. In fact, pride is encouraged. Pride is actually a virtue in our society. But it’s rarely identified as just plain old stuck up pride. It’s often repackaged as a feeling of self worth. As loving yourself. As having goals. As having a positive self image. As taking pride in your accomplishments or being proud of your work. Those are the positive spins that we like to use to characterize pride.

But Jesus doesn’t teach pride. Jesus condemns pride. Instead, Jesus teaches the virtue of humility. In fact, Jesus is a living example of humility. Jesus came the first time, not to be served, but to serve. And we should follow His example.

Paul says of Jesus in Phl 2:5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Now you will remember that last week we looked at the previous passage in which the disciples were taught a lesson in humility. The disciples who had been waiting behind when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain encountered a situation that they were not able to handle. A man had brought his son who was demon possessed to them, and they had been unable to deliver the boy from the power of the demon. Earlier they had raved about how the demons had been subject to them when the Lord had sent them out two by two. But this time they couldn’t do it, and there was a crowd watching them and the scribes began to deride them and jeer at their incompetence. And even Jesus, when He came in to rescue the situation, rebuked them for their lack of faith. Whether they had learned humility in that situation is open for debate, but they were certainly humbled by it.

Now according to Mark, in vs 30, we read that they left that town, and began to travel through Galilee towards Capernaum. And Jesus uses this time with them alone to continue to disciple them. Vs 30, From there they went out and [began] to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know [about it.] For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” But they did not understand [this] statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

Jesus wanted some time alone with just the disciples as they traveled in order that He might teach them. This is the transitionary phase of His ministry, where He prepares them to be able to continue His ministry when He is no longer with them in person. And so Jesus doesn’t want to broadcast where He is going, or the way that He is traveling so that He might be able to spend time with just the disciples.

So during their journey, Jesus uses the opportunity to teach the disciples further about His ministry, that He came to serve and not be served. He will say that explicitly later on, in chapter 10 vs 45, saying “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

But for now, He states His servanthood by describing His betrayal, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. The Son of Man is to be delivered (or betrayed) into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” But the disciples did not understand this, and they were afraid to ask Him what it meant.

See, the disciples were convinced in their minds, as were the rest of the Jews, that the Messiah was going to rule and reign over the world on the throne of David in Jerusalem. He would destroy their enemies, and make Israel once again a place of preeminence in the world. They were looking for Jesus to be that King who would overthrow the yoke of Roman oppression, and usher in a kingdom of peace and prosperity in which Israel would enjoy all the privileges of the royal family. So this statement that Jesus makes just doesn’t make sense.

Jesus had made a similar statement about this just a short time previously, as you will remember, and Peter had the audacity to take Jesus aside and say, “Not so Lord. I will never let this happen to you.” And Jesus had rebuked Peter saying “Get behind Me Satan. For you are not setting your mind of God’s interests but on man’s.” So no wonder the disciples are afraid to ask Him about it.

You know, there is a humiliation of the cross that I think we have a hard time comprehending. First of all, Deut. 21:23 says that “cursed is he that hangs on a tree.” The disciples as well as all Jews would have known that. So there is an incomprehension of how the Messiah who is the Holy One of God could be accursed of God. How the Messiah who they expected to be exalted could be humiliated by such a death. But there is also the humiliation that being stripped naked and beaten with a whip and having a crown of thorns pressed into your head, and being hung there for all the world to see, for your family and loved ones to see, to be hung as a criminal, as One worthy of death. What a humiliation that Jesus embraced for our sakes.

Isaiah 53:10 says, But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting [Him] to grief; If He would render Himself [as] a guilt offering, He will see [His] offspring, He will prolong [His] days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. Vs 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [fell] upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

The Lord Jesus knew that this humiliation was the way to glory, not only for Himself, but also for us. Only by His stripes are we healed. Only through His death on the cross is our sin taken away. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

But for now, the disciples hear what Jesus is saying but they cannot comprehend it, and they are afraid to ask Him any questions about it.

So Jesus continues to teach them as they travel. But as they were traveling, the disciples were undoubtedly trying to understand among themselves what it all meant, how the kingdom of God was going to be manifested in the reign of the Messiah, and how they would fit into that kingdom. But their lack of understanding about the kingdom revealed their lack of humility.

Vs 33 They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He [began] to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which [of them was] the greatest.

What the disciples were guilty of, is just the way everyone thinks, isn’t it? I mean, we have goals in life, and that’s considered a good thing. We admire people who climb the corporate ladder, or if we don’t admire them, we envy them. Everyone is looking out for number one. And that’s considered appropriate. That’s considered healthy. You know, the famous question that everyone is asked in a job interview. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” The answer they want to hear is I want to advance my career, advance my responsibilities.

The disciples aren’t being particularly nefarious. They are just being human. No body wants to be last. Everyone wants to be first. It’s natural. And if Jesus is the King, then they will obviously take the choice positions in His court. Isn’t that the way politics work? Doesn’t the key supporters of the President get the choice positions in his administration? Why shouldn’t the same apply in the spiritual realm?

But there is another element in their discussions. They aren’t just looking out for number one, which is their own position in the kingdom, but there is a discussion about who is the greatest. Maybe they thought that Peter was on the black list now that he had been called Satan by Jesus. Maybe they thought that left the door open for another de facto leader of the 12. Maybe that was another element of what was gong on.

So Jesus sits down, which was the position of the rabbi, the teacher, and He gives them the lesson that they need to learn. Vs 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

The obvious answer to their discussions over who was the greatest was that Jesus was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He was the One given all authority in heaven and earth. He is the One to whose name EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But that is not what Jesus says to them. He simply says the way to glorification is by way of subordination.

Putting the needs of others before your own is what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus isn’t suggesting here that the way to heaven is to go work for Greenpeace for a couple of years, or to serve lunch at the soup kitchen twice a week. He is speaking of having a heart for others, to see them brought into the kingdom of God, to see them discipled and grow in their faith, to serve others by your support, both in serving their spiritual needs and their physical needs. Of being more concerned about other’s spiritual well being than your own physical well being. Serving the Lord’s interests, rather than serving man’s interests. And that requires humility. Not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought.

You know, humility is not weakness. I’m afraid a lot of people see it that way. We’re afraid that if you serve others, they might take advantage of you. They might use you. We’re afraid that if you really love others the way Christ loved us, they might enrich themselves, and make you the poorer for it. But humility isn’t weakness. It’s not being a doormat for others to wipe their feet on. But it’s deliberately putting yourself in second place. Actually, Jesus says we should take last place. It’s subordinating your priorities to the Lord’s priorities. And by extension, subordinating your needs to another’s needs. Having the heart of a servant is the way humility is expressed.

Jesus liked to use living illustrations in His teaching. And so He turns the attention of these disciples, who were jockeying to see who was the greatest, He turns their attention to someone in the room who was the least among them. Vs36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

This child, who is small enough that Jesus can pick him up in His arms, is an object lesson, an illustration of this principle of humility. A child has no power, no achievement, no accomplishment, no greatness, a child is weak, dependent, ignored, vulnerable, has nothing to offer in exchange. This is a perfect illustration for a believer. “Whoever receives one child like this in my name” – He’s not talking about an actual child, but metaphorically talking about a spiritual child of God, a child like this – “in my name, receives me.” What is He saying? When a believer comes to you, Christ comes to you. How you treat another believer is how you treat Christ. As believers are the church, and the church is the body of Christ, so how you love one another is a measure of how you love Christ, how you serve the body of Christ is how you serve Christ.

So not only is the child a picture of humility, but Jesus says the one who receives such a one as this child is receiving Him. You can substitute the word serves for receives. So whoever serves a child of God is serving the Lord. The Greek word translated as receive is dechomai, which has a broad definition to include to receive or grant access to, a visitor, not to refuse friendship, to receive hospitality, to receive into one’s family to bring up or educate of the thing offered in speaking, teaching, instructing, to receive favourably, give ear to, embrace, make one’s own, approve, not to reject, to receive. i.e. to take upon one’s self, sustain, bear, endure. So all those ideas are included in the word receive.

Paul says in Galatians 6: 2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. … vs 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Matthew has this same incident recorded in his gospel. And I want to just read it for you, as he gives us some additional insight into all that Jesus was teaching. Matthew 18:1-6 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

I need to wrap this up, but I want to make sure that you see that Jesus has more to say about salvation than was apparent in Mark’s account. Unless you are converted and become like children…. In other words, you must be born again. Born of the Spirit, changed, given new life, that’s what converted means. God has to remake you, change you. And as a child is wholly dependent upon his parents to feed him and nurture him, to train him and raise him, in fact his DNA is established from his parents, his nature is from his parents, even so when we are born of God, converted, changed, we are given a new spiritual nature, a new spiritual DNA, that enables us to be like Jesus, to be conformed to His image as we walk with Him and serve Him and grow with Him in our faith.

And Jesus said, unless you are converted, you will not enter the kingdom of God. I hope and trust that you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, that you have been converted, born again by the Spirit of God into a child of God. And then growing up unto the Lord, that you serve the Lord by serving your brothers and sisters in the faith. Putting God first, denying yourself, for the sake of the ultimate good of others.