Download SERMON TITLE: “God Rocks: God Protects Us from Stones

SERMON TITLE:
SERMON TEXT:
PREACHER:
OCCASION:
“God Rocks: God Protects Us from Stones”
John 8:2-11
Rev. Kim James
April 12, 2015 (UMW Sunday) at First UMC
INTRODUCTION
Last year, on United Methodist Women’s Sunday, I preached about the Canaanite mother,
whom Jesus commended for her “great faith.” At that time, I wanted to uphold a positive biblical
example and associate her with the wonderful and faithful United Methodist women I know.
This year, I thought I’d approach United Methodist Women’s Sunday from a different angle.
Instead of focusing only on the already-great faith of those who participate in our denominational
women’s ministry, how about recognizing the gracious potential of Christ to redeem and rescue women
who are still having troubles in their lives? I think it’s safe to say that—whether we have hardly any faith
or we’ve been a Christian for a long time—every one of us has some aspects of our behaving, talking,
and thinking that could use some sprucing up. We have some places or pockets of weakness,
temptation, and sin that make us vulnerable.
Last Sunday, as we read the Easter story, everyone received a river rock to remind us that the
God who rolled away the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb also rolls away the stones of fear,
weakness, and doubt that we face. Today, we continue this “God Rocks” series with the story of the
woman caught in adultery. I invite you to dig into John chapter 8 with me to see how God protects us
from stones.
1—BY STOPPING THE STONES FROM HITTING US
The first and most obvious point of this story is that God protects us from stones by stopping the
stones from hitting us. Everything else that happened to the woman in the story paled in comparison to
this one crucial fact. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were poised to stone her to death, and
Jesus stopped them. No stones hit her because Jesus, the Son of God, protected her.
2
Probably every one of us can think of a time or two when we were on the verge of trouble—
maybe even disaster—but God kept us safe. Even though we were falling asleep at the wheel, somehow
the car crash was avoided. Even though we were extremely sick, somehow the disease didn’t cause
death. Even though we opened our mouth and inserted our foot, somehow the embarrassing and
possibly devastating social situation was averted. Even though we were tempted to do what was wrong,
our movement toward the dark side was interrupted. Through no credit to ourselves, tragedy almost
occurred, but miraculously didn’t. We were absolutely guilty or accidentally in the wrong place at the
wrong time, but for some reason beyond us, we never suffered the consequences. Like the woman
caught in adultery, we were protected because God stopped the stones from hitting us.
2—BY HELPING US ALL BE MORE CAUTIOUS IN JUDGMENT
Sometimes that protection from God seems like mysterious and miraculous good luck. But,
other times, we can explain it a little differently. Maybe God stopped the stones from hitting us because
God’s protection involves another factor. God protects us individually by helping us all be more cautious
in judgment.
In the John 8 story, Jesus stopped the accusers from throwing the stones by getting them to
slow down and think about what they were doing. Ever since this story was first written, Biblical readers
and scholars have wondered and speculated about what Jesus wrote in the dirt. Was it profound
words? Was it nonsensical scribble? Whatever it was, Jesus bought the process some valuable time, so
the hot heads could cool down. The words Jesus spoke were definitely words of caution. Who among
them was sinless enough to cast the first stone? None being able to claim perfection, the accusers all
finally walked away.
Today, God still calls us to be cautious in our judgment. Before we condemn someone to death
or judge someone harshly, we should stop and think about what we’re doing. As a group, as a society,
as human beings, and as Christians, we should be more sympathetic, more grace-filled, and less inclined
3
to rush to judgment. We should try to see things from the perspective of others. We should inform
ourselves of extenuating circumstances. We should presume innocence until guilt is proven. And even
when we think we’ve proven guilt, we should be mindful of how easily our systems of justice can be
biased and flawed. While we can rightfully be proud of how well we do, we should also be mindful of
how often we fail to get things right.
Did you hear or read the news about the 58-year old Alabama prisoner who was released this
week after being on death row for 30 years? Most of that time, Anthony Ray Hinton was confined to a
5’x8’ solitary cell, while awaiting his execution. After fighting for justice all these years, finally, a new
ballistics test proved that the charges against him weren’t valid. We’d like to think that such a horrible
mistake was a rare occurrence. But my internet search for the details of this one story brought up many
others where “race, poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial” zeal had similarly secured a
wrongful conviction in spite of a lack of evidence.1
We usually think of self-confidence as a good thing to have. But if we are so convinced we’re
right that we fail to question ourselves, we can become downright dangerous. That’s the reason why
those police video cameras are becoming so popular all of a sudden. With a camera watching, maybe
officers will think more carefully before they shoot—like the carpenter’s adage to “measure twice, cut
once.” There are some actions that just can’t be undone. God protects each of us individually from
stones by helping all of us collectively to be more thoughtful, less self-righteous, and less self-assured.
Whether we’re the would-be victim or the would-be perpetrator, God protects us from stones by
helping us all be more cautious in judgment.
3—BY FORGIVING US
Whether our sin is jumping to judgments too quickly or some other moral failing, we’re
fortunate that there’s a third way that God protects us from stones—by forgiving us. In John 8, after all
the woman’s accusers had left, Jesus told her, “Neither do I condemn you.”
4
That statement reminds me of what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans. There,
Paul asks, “Who is to condemn?” Then, rhetorically, he answers his own question, saying, “It is Christ
Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.” 2
Jesus isn’t in the business of condemnation or stone throwing. The son of God in the business of
protecting us from stones by forgiving us.
4—BY RE-DIRECTING US
That doesn’t mean that God just forgives and protects us so we can keep on sinning, though.
No, that’s not the point. Sure, God loves us enough to put up with a lot of nonsense. But God’s desire is
to protect us from stones by re-directing us. When Jesus told the woman that he didn’t condemn her,
he didn’t stop there. He also told her to leave her life of sin. Jesus didn’t intend to rescue her this once
just so she could get herself into harm’s way again next week or next month. If she got caught again,
Jesus might not be there to stop the stones. Next time, she could really get hurt. Next time, she could
die. Jesus wanted her to make better choices. Clean up her act. Stay out of trouble. Do the right
things. The best way to protect her from getting stoned was to guide her into a new and better way of
life.
That’s why God gave Old Testament commandments and laws, instructions and wisdom. That’s
why, in the New Testament, God’s word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus came to show us how
we can live in a more holy and godly manner. Jesus provided us an example of the way, the truth, and
the life that, most of the time, will protect us from being stoned. Yes, bad things do happen to good
people sometimes. But worse things usually happen to people who live on the edge, doing things they
shouldn’t be doing.
God protects us from stones by shining a guiding light on the path, so we don’t stub our toes so
often, and so we don’t trip so much and get hurt so badly. God protects us from stones by re-directing
us to a more wholesome, healthy, and Christ-like way of life.
5
CONCLUSION
When my kids were in elementary school, one of the children’s books we read was called Minnie
and Moo and the Seven Wonders of the World.3 Minnie and Moo were cows, and the book was about
how they and the other farm animals remembered and then went looking for some of the amazing
phenomena located in and around their farm. One of the natural wonders they remembered and went
looking for was “The Rock that Never Moves.” But when the cows, sheep, pig, and rooster arrived at the
place on the road where “The Rock that Never Moves” was supposed to be, it wasn’t there. In its place
was a hole and bunch of small pebbles.
The farm animals then considered this surprising mystery. How could “The Rock that Never
Moves” move? This seemed to be a greater natural wonder than they had previously thought. And
then, one of the animals came to an answer. Elvis the rooster suggested that “The Rock that Never
Moves” had gotten run over by a steamroller, and the pebbles were the crushed remains of the larger
rock. The rest of the animals didn’t like Elvis’s explanation, however, so they came up with an alternate
idea that “The Rock that Never Moves” was a mother who, after sitting on her nest for a very long time,
had finally given birth to pebbles.
On this United Methodist Women’s Sunday, I’m hoping no one here has been crushed by a
steam roller or given birth to pebbles. But maybe some of us feel like we’ve been pelted by rocks.
Maybe we’ve been stoned nearly to death. So hear this message today. Sometimes God protects us by
stopping the stones. Sometimes God protects us by helping us all be more cautious in judgment.
Sometimes God protects us by forgiving us. And sometimes God protects us by redirecting us to a
better life. One way or another, God protects us from stones.
___________
1
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/03/how-the-case-againstanthony-hinton-on-death-row-for-30-years-unraveled/
2
Romans 8:34.
3
by Denys Cazet, published 2003.