Updated: 7/19/2026

Sermon Prep

When we first began choosing what series to do next and how we would divvy up each section of our John outline, I chose this sermon first out of any of them. At the time, I had recently worked on a section of one of my books that would deal with errors in the Bible and this is one of those key texts when looking at textual discrepancies. For the book I’m Lord willing going to publish this Fall, it won’t be in there but a future book that takes more time to wrestle through those tough texts. Given my great interest in the textual criticism of it all, I made sure to grab dibs on that section and prepared for weeks.

I think absorbing the text over a long period of time and researching well in advance can sometimes hinder a message because it’s overcooked, but I think here it helped. I finished like I always aim to do the Monday before church and then sit on it before taking one final stab late Saturday night. Finishing the message aead of time I think just respects the process given all the teachers we have now, there’s much less exuse to not have it ready in my opinion. Anyways here’s my sermon notes below and the picture above is from the week prior when my Dad was in town for a brief layover.

Sermon Notes

Intro

• Growing up, I went home when streetlights lit up. No matter what, porchlight was on.

Main Point

• Jesus is the light of the world who exposes and expels darkness in every corner of life.

The Light Exposes Darkness | John 7:53-8:30 (NRSVue)

• Everyone went home, while Jesus went to Mount of Olives (John 7:53-8:1).

“[2] Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. [3] The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and, making her stand before all of them, [4] they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. [5] Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” [6] They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. [7] When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” [8] And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. [9] When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. [10] Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” [11] She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”

• Interrupts John 7-8. → Floating passage =  belongs in Luke, John, or independent story.
  • Oral tradition mid-1st century, 1st/2nd century allusions; Latin Vulgate.
• Mosaic moral impurities include idolatry, sexual immorality, and murder. (John 8:3-4).
  • These make a person impure and the land, requiring exile (Leviticus 18:24-28).
    • For adultery, the death penalty of both parties was the purifying remedy.

“Therefore, exile is not only the dreaded consequence of moral impurity polluting the land, but this time away from the land is also the ultimate purifying agent for not only Israel as a community… but also the land itself. After sufficient time has passed, then Israel will be able to inhabit the land once more… When society is so polluted from moral impurity, the entire “system” of sacrifice is rendered ineffectual and only exile can be expected.”” – Andrew Remington Rillera

• Sacrifice can’t remove moral sins from land and adulterers couldn’t remove their guilt.
• Only Jesus’ shed blood on creation could defeat death and purify the land soaked in sin.
  • Jewish-Roman War and Second Temple destruction sent Jews in an exile.
  • To this day, Jesus’ resurrection power is slowly purifying and redeeming creation.
• The Pharisees misquoted Mosaic Law, in order to set up their trap for Jesus (John 8:5).
  • They only bring the woman and don’t mention that the man should be stoned.
• Some see Jeremiah 17:13 fulfilled here as what Jesus writes on the ground (John 8:6-9).
• Did she previously commit adultery? Was she framed, guilty, or set-up? (John 8:10-11).

“[12] Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” [13] Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” [14] Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. [15] You judge by human standards; I judge no one. [16] Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid, for it is not I alone who judge but I and the Father who sent me. [17] In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. [18] I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” [19] Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” [20] He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. [21] Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” [22] Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” [23] He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are from this world, I am not from this world. [24] I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” [25] They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? [26] I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” [27] They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. [28] So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. [29] And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.””

• Jesus is responding to when Pharisees were talking to each other (John 7:45-52 → 8:12).
  • Lighting of the candelabra in the court of women during the Feast of Tabernacles.
• Two witnesses referenced in Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6, + 19:15-19 (John 8:17).
• Alludes to his eventual ascension to Heaven and that he’s the Messiah (John 8:21-25).
• Jesus foreshadows his crucifixion and the reveal of God’s triune nature (John 8:28-29).
• Educated elite didn’t get it, yet many people still believed what Jesus said (John 8:30).

Why It Matters

• Jesus exposed and expelled darkness in the scribes + Pharisees, along with the woman.
  • If we’re honest with ourselves, even now we still deal with the dark sometimes.
    • Jesus as the light of the world, can expel and expose any kind of darkness.

Power Text

“[8] Do not rejoice over me, my enemies; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. [9] I must bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall see his vindication.”

• Israel is personified as an unfaithful spouse who acknowledges guilt and exile.
  • Jesus not only exposes and expels the darkness of enemies but us as well.
    • No matter how far we’ve drifted into the dark, confession brings us home.

Outro

• “Salvation is about coming home.” – Stephen Dempster. The light is here. We don’t need to be out past dark.
  • Are you going to disobey and stay out past dark or go back home to the light?

Final Thoughts

On this one when it came to delivering the message, I switched up some parts that differs from what’s on the notes. The biggest change was deciding to read John 7:45-52 with John 8:12-30 as one long section like it appears in the original manuscripts. I think it was a bold choice, but a helpful one for everyone following along. With the Pericope Adulterae interrupting the original text, I think it helped to see what it looks like as one large section.

I also decided against one story and chose a different one involving when I lost a nail riding a bike down a steep path in the neighborhood growing up. That was another great change that tied into my sermon better than the other story I had planned. That other story just didn’t seem to tie it altogether like the bike story did.

The Table Talks were decent, but didn’t go very deep. I think my table only became comfortable after 20-25 minutes of talking, which by that point church was pretty much over. I didn’t mention it in my message, but during the small group discussion I mentioned a fringe theory that the scribes and Pharisees had access to the woman caught in adultery because one of them was committing adultery. I don’t subscribe to it, but it’s an interesting theory nonetheless.

My delivery was really solid as well and people afterwards seemed to resonate with it too. Didn’t feel any nerves, so that was nice for a change too. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.