• Download Video
• Download Audio
• Print
• Email
• Save As PDF

Finding time for solitude

Text: John 8 : 1 - 11

FINDING TIME FOR SOLITUDE

All the Gospel writers took note that Jesus would often withdraw into the mountains to find solitude and for prayer. John noted this habit of Jesus too.

“And everyone went to his own house.
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives”
John 7:53; 8:1

We are indebted to Luke who added this note with special reference to the Mount of Olives.

“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives,
as He was accustomed, and His disciples also
followed Him. When He came to the place,
He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter
into temptation.'”
Luke 22:39-40 (Matthew 26:36)

The Garden of Gethsemane was situated in the Mount of Olives. John’s reference to Jesus going up to the Mount of Olives was most likely his way of quietly stating that Jesus withdrew for the night to commune with His Father in prayer.

This must have been the pattern that Jesus adopted so regularly that John did not do anything more than to state that “Jesus went to the Mount of Olives”. There was no need even to state that He had spent the night in close communion with His Father in prayer. Refreshed, Jesus went down the mountain to teach the people in the Temple.

A DISPUTED PASSAGE

The episode that we will be studying (John 8:1-11) is disputed by some scholars. The dispute concerns the fact that this passage was missing in some of the ancient manuscripts. This fact caused some to question whether this passage should be included in the Scriptures at all. How should we understand this dispute?

Let us consider the following thoughts:-

1. Though this episode is not found in all manuscripts, nevertheless it is found in some manuscripts.

2. As we study this portion of Scripture we do not find anything amiss with reference to its theology. There is not a thought or word out of place.

3. We would miss a great deal if we were to excise this passage from our reading of John’s Gospel.

4. There is much in this passage that helps us appreciate the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us not be alarmed by some who would quarrel over what constitutes the sacred Scriptures. Let us continue to give serious attention to the passage in question, and we will see how our hearts could be blessed as we read it thoughtfully.

A TERRIFYING CHALLENGE

By and large, the Jews knew that they were no match for Jesus when it came down to the question of the interpretation of the Scriptures. “No man ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46) was the exasperated answer of those who were bested by Jesus in verbal debate.

The envious Jews observed Jesus as He went about His teaching ministry.

“Now early in the morning He came again into
the Temple, and all the people came to Him,
and He sat down and taught them.”
John 8:2

The Jews desperately wanted to embarrass and humiliate Jesus. They came up with a scheme that was as wicked as it was cunning.

“Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him
a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her
in the midst, they said to Him,
‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should
be stoned. But what do You say?'”
John 8:3-5

The Jews had been defeated again and again by Jesus. He always seemed to know how to interpret the Scriptures in a way that The Jews could not. He also spoke with such personal authority that many were convinced by the authority that His voice conveyed.

How would Jesus get out of this terrifying trap? John knew just what The Jews were trying to do.

“This they said, testing Him, that they might have something
of which to accuse Him.”
John 8:6

The Jews must have felt that they had trapped Jesus. How would He be able to get out of this situation?

1. If Jesus did not condemn the woman, then He would have not honoured and upheld the law of Moses. He could be charged with abetting a lawbreaker.

2. If He did condemn the woman and bade the crowds to stone her, then He could be hauled up before the Roman court of law for inciting a riot. That would have resulted in Jesus being implicated in the worst possible way.

Either way, it would seem as if Jesus was on the losing end. Jesus couldn’t just dismiss this serious charge. There were witnesses who would testify that they had caught the woman in the very act of committing adultery! It seemed an airtight case!

Jesus did a puzzling thing. John noted this.

“But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground
With His finger, as though He did not hear.”
John 8:6