Ulrike MaiによるPixabayからの画像
イエスを貶めようとする罠
今日の箇所の出来事は、7章10節から続く物語として描かれています。新共同訳聖書では、そこに「仮庵祭でのイエス」という標題がついています。仮庵祭はユダヤ人の重要な祭りであり、７日間続きました。イエスはこの祭りが行われているエルサレムへ上って行きました。始めは人目を避けていましたが、祭りの半ばころから神殿の境内で教え始められ、最終日には大声でこのように言われました。
「渇いている人はだれでも、わたしのところに来て飲みなさい。わたしを信じる者は、聖書に書いてあるとおり、その人の内から生きた水が川となって流れ出るようになる。」（ヨハネによる福音書7章37~38節）
この言葉を聞いて、群衆の間に対立が生じました。イエスこそメシア（救い主）だ、と言う人もいれば、片田舎のガリラヤから救い主は出ない、と言う人もいました。イエスの言動に反発したのは、群衆よりもむしろ律法学者やファリサイ派といった宗教指導者たちでした。
イエスの発言は、ご自分が神様が人々に約束した生ける水だ、と主張するものでした。律法学者たちにとって、それは聞き捨てならないことだったので、彼らはイエスを貶める策略を練りました。彼らは民衆の前でイエスを侮辱し、信頼を失わせようとしたのです。
翌朝、イエスは再び神殿へ上り、民衆に教え始めました。するとそこに律法学者たちがやってきました。彼らはイエスと民衆の間に割って入り、一人の女性を真ん中に立たせました。その女性は姦通の現行犯で捕まっていました。聖書の律法では、姦通を犯した人は石打の刑に処されることとなっています。
律法学者たちはイエスに問いかけました。
「先生、この女は姦通をしているときに捕まりました。こういう女は石で打ち殺せと、モーセは律法の中で命じています。ところで、あなたはどうお考えになりますか。」（ヨハネによる福音書8章5節）
もし、この問いに「その通りだ、石打にしなさい」と答えるならば、イエスは死刑を実行するように勧めたことになります。ローマ帝国の支配下にあった当時のユダヤには、死刑を執行する権利はありませんでしたから、イエスはローマの支配に逆らおうとしたと見なされて、逮捕されるかもしれません。
逆に、律法の規定に背いて「この女性を許そうではないか」と言ったならば、律法学者たちはイエスのことを神に逆らう者だと罵り、民衆の信用を失わせることに成功したでしょう。
どちらの答えをしても、イエスは負け、律法学者たちは勝利する、というのが、彼らの考えた二者択一の問いだったのです。そこにいる誰もが静まり返り、イエスが何と答えるかじっと耳を傾けています。緊迫した空気が張り詰めていました。
過ちを責められる女性
律法学者たちの目的は、イエスを貶めることでしかありません。彼らは姦通の現場で捕らえられた女性を連れてきました。しかし、姦通は一人でできることではありません。その現場には必ず相手の男性もいたはずです。律法では姦通を犯した男女どちらも石打の刑に処せられると定めています。
男性を見逃した律法学者たちにとって本質的に重要なことは、律法を守ることではなかったのです。彼らにとって重要なのは、自分たちの権威を守り、それを脅かすイエスの信用を失墜させることでした。そんな彼らにとって、捕らえられ、引き出されたこの女性は単なる道具です。彼女を助けようとする思いは彼らにはほんの少しもありません。彼女の訴えを聞こうともしませんし、彼女の境遇や抱えている思いを知ろうともしません。
姦通を犯した女性を責め、また利用する者たちにとって、それが誰で、何の罪であるか、ということは重要ではありません。たまたまその日、彼らが利用できたのが、姦通を犯した女性であった、というだけです。
そうであれば、私たちはこの物語を自分に重ねることができるでしょう。私たちが犯した過ち――それは姦通に限らない様々な過ち――を、彼女の過ちと重ねることができます。あるいは、彼女を責める律法学者たちを、私たちを責める人たちと重ねることもできるでしょう。私たちが過ちを犯し、それを厳しく責められ、まさに裁かれようとしているそのときに、イエスは何と答えるのでしょうか。
あなたはどうなのか
律法学者たちの問いに対して、イエスはすぐには答えません。イエスはかがみ込んで、指で地面に何かを書き始められました。何を書いていたのかはわかりません。律法学者たちは自分たちの勝利を確信し、早く答えるようにと、イエスにしつこく問い続けます。するとイエスは身を起こして、彼らに答えました。
「あなたたちの中で罪を犯したことのない者が、まず、この女に石を投げなさい。」（ヨハネによる福音書8章7節）
全く予想外の答えが返ってきました。イエスの答えには、彼らへの問いが含まれていました。過ちを犯した女性を責め、イエスに問い続けていた彼らは、今、自分自身のことを問われています。「この女性は確かに過ちを犯した。ところであなた自身はどうなのか。彼女を激しく責めるあなたは罪を犯したことがないのか。もしそうであるならば、あなたは石を投げるがいい。彼女を責める前に、まず自分自身を問いなおしなさい」。
誰もイエスの問いに答えません。その場にいる人たちは、最年長の長老の応答に注目しました。長老が石を投げれば、他の人たちもそれに続くことができたでしょう。けれども彼には、自分は罪を犯したことがない、などとは言えませんでした。そのように自分を偽る行為は恥ずべきことと見なされ、信用を失うことになるからです。
長老はその場から立ち去りました。それに続いて、年長の者から順に、一人、また一人とその場を立ち去っていきました。民衆も、その場から去っていき、イエスとあの女性だけが残されました。
イエスはその間も、身をかがめて地面に何かを書き続けていました。律法学者たちは策略が失敗し、返り討ちにあったことに屈辱を感じていました。けれどもイエスはその惨めな姿を見ようとはしません。イエスは彼に敵対する者たちが打ちのめすことで快感や優越感を得ようとしたのではありません。イエスの目的は、過ちを犯し、追い詰められた一人の女性を救うこと、ただそれだけです。
新しい生を生きよう
人びとが立ち去っていくとき、あの女性も密かに立ち去ることもできたでしょう。けれども彼女はイエスと共にその場に残りました。それは彼女がイエスによって救われたからでしょう。
イエスはここで律法を捨てたわけではありません。彼女の過ちをなかったことにしたわけでもありません。彼女が犯したことも、その行為が払うべき代償も、イエスは認めています。
律法は神様の願う世界を創り出すためのものです。それに背くような私たちの過ちは、神様からの祝福を失い、感謝と喜びに満ちた関係を損なうものです。彼女にどのような背景があったのかはわかりませんが、石打の刑を逃れても、このようなことを繰り返していれば、平安は得られないでしょう。
イエスは彼女に言いました。
「わたしもあなたを罪に定めない。行きなさい。これからは、もう罪を犯してはならない」。（ヨハネによる福音書8章11節）
イエスは、過ちを犯した女性を罰しませんでした。律法に定められた罰は、厳格に執行することに目的があるのではありません。それに基づいて、私たちが神様の御心を知り、よりよく生きることを学ぶために与えられているのです。
イエスは裁かれる側に立たされた女性に、これまでの生から立ち返り、新しい道を歩くように呼びかけます。それと共に、イエスは裁く側に立った人たちにも、自分の生を悔い改め、新たな生を生きるように呼びかけました。
そのような呼びかけには、大きな代償が伴いました。彼女に向けられていた敵意を、イエスはご自身へと向けさせたのです。立ち去った敵対者たちは、より大きな敵意をもって、イエスのもとに戻ってくることになります。
イエスは私たちを滅ぼすためにではなく、生かすためにこの世に来られました。それこそが神様の御心です。イエスは私たちの罪も過ちも知りながら、私たちを責めません。むしろ私たちに向けられていた敵意をご自身で引き受けながら、新しい生を生きるように、呼び掛けてくださるのです。
牧師 杉山望
November, 7th 2021 Sunday Service
" Neither Do I Condemn You "
Scripture reading is taken from John 7:53~8:11
A Trap to Discredit Jesus
Today's incident is depicted as a story that begins in John 7:10. In the Japanese New Inter-Confessional Translation, this passage is titled “Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles.” The Feast of Tabernacles is an important Jewish festival, lasting seven days. Jesus went up to Jerusalem where this festival was being held. At first, he avoided the public eye, but about halfway through the festival, he began to teach in the temple grounds, and on the last day, he loudly declared the following words.
“…“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38 / New International Version (NIV))
Upon hearing these words, a division arose among the crowd. Some said that Jesus was the Messiah (Saviour), while others said that there could be no Saviour from Galilee, the countryside. The ones who opposed Jesus’ words were the religious leaders, such as the chief priests and Pharisees, rather than the crowds.
Jesus' words claimed that he was the living water that God had promised the people. To the chief priests and Pharisees, this was unacceptable, so they devised a plot to discredit Jesus. They planned to insult Jesus in front of the people and tried to destroy his credibility.
The next morning, Jesus went up to the temple courts again and began to teach the people. Then the teachers of the law and the Pharisees came. They interrupted Jesus’ interaction with the people and put a woman in front of him. The woman had been caught in the act of adultery. According to the Law, a person who commits adultery is to be stoned to death. They questioned Jesus with the following words.
“…“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (John 8:4-5/ NIV)
If Jesus’ answer to this question was "Exactly, let her be stoned," then he would have been encouraging them to conduct the death penalty. Since the Jews under the Roman Empire did not have the right to conduct the death penalty, Jesus would have been arrested for trying to disobey Roman rule.
On the other hand, if Jesus had disobeyed the Law and said, "Let us forgive this woman," the teachers of the law and the Pharisees would have cursed him as a man who disobeys God, and they would have succeeded in making him lose the trust of the people.
Whichever the answer, Jesus would lose, and the teachers of the law and Pharisees would win. This was their plot and reason for asking a two-way question. Everyone at the temple courts was quiet, listening intently to see what Jesus would say. There was a tense feeling in the air.
A Woman Accused of Her Offense
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees only wanted to discredit Jesus. So, they brought a woman caught in the act of adultery. But adultery is not something that could be done alone. A man would have been there, as well. The Law states that both the man and woman who committed adultery should be stoned to death.
For the teachers of the law and Pharisees who overlooked the man, it was not the observance of the law that was inherently important. For them, it was about protecting their authority and discrediting Jesus who threatened it. To them, this woman who had been captured and brought out was a mere instrument. They did not have the slightest desire to help her. They did not listen to her plea, nor did they know her situation or what she was going through.
For those who accuse and take advantage of the woman who committed adultery, it does not matter who or what the offense is. It just so happened that the woman who was accessible to them that day was the one who had committed adultery.
If this is the case, then we can relate this story to ourselves. We can compare our offenses - not just adultery, but many other offenses - with hers. Or we could compare those who condemn us with the teachers of the law and Pharisees who condemn her. What would Jesus say when we commit an offense, are being accused of it, and are about to be severely condemned for it?
What About You?
Jesus does not immediately answer the question of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. He bends down and begins to write something on the ground with his finger. We do not know what he was writing. Convinced of their victory, they pestered Jesus for a quick answer. Then Jesus stood up and answered them.
“…“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7/NIV)
Jesus’ response was completely unexpected. His answer contained a challenge to them. They, who had been accusing the women of an offense and questioning Jesus about it, were now being questioned themselves. "This woman has certainly made an offense, but what about you? You, who fiercely condemn her, have you never sinned? If so, then throw a stone at her. Before you accuse and condemn her, you should first question yourself.”
No one answers Jesus' question. The people present paid attention to the response of the eldest of the religious leaders. If the older teacher had thrown a stone, the others could have followed him. But he could not say that he had never sinned, for such an act of self-deception was considered shameful and would be discredited.
Instead, the older leaders walked away, followed by the others, one by one. The people also left, leaving Jesus and the woman alone.
Throughout this whole time, Jesus was bending down and writing something on the ground. The teachers of the law and Pharisees felt humiliated that their plan had failed, and they had been defeated. However, Jesus does not try to look at their miserable state. Jesus was not trying to gain pleasure or superiority over his opponents by defeating them. His only purpose was to save the woman who had made an offense and was trapped. Simple as that.
Live a New Life
As the people left, the woman could have left in secret too. But she stayed there with Jesus. It was because Jesus saved her.
Now, Jesus did not abandon the Law here. He neither pretended that her offenses did not exist. He acknowledged what she did and the cost of her actions.
The Law is intended to create the world that God desires. Our offenses that go against God’s will lead to the loss of God’s blessings and damage to our relationships that could be filled with thanksgiving and joy. We do not know much about the woman in the story, but even if she escaped being stoned, she would not find peace in her life if she continued to repeat her offenses.
In John 8:11, Jesus declares the following: “…neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin” (NIV).
Jesus did not punish the woman for her offenses. The purpose of the punishments written in the Law is not to be strictly enforced. Rather, it is given to us so that we can learn to know God’s will and live better accordingly.
Jesus is calling the woman who is being condemned to turn from her way of living and walk a new path. At the same time, Jesus calls those who condemn to repent of their lives and to live a new life, as well.
Such a call came at a great cost. Jesus turned the hostility directed at the women to himself. Those opponents who walked away from the scene of today’s story eventually come back to Jesus with greater hostility.
Jesus did not come into the world so that we may perish, but he came to give us life. This is the will of God. Jesus knows our sins and offenses, but he does not accuse or condemn us of them. Rather, while taking on the hostility that has been directed at us, Jesus calls us to live a new life.
Pastor Nozomu Sugiyama
Lord's Supper
1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 (establishment of the Lord's Supper)
"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. "
The Lord's Supper is our response to what the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded and invited us to do. This bread and this wine poured into the cup symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sake. We are not saved by having the bread and wine, but we receive it to express our gratitude as those who have been saved.
The Lord's Supper also represents our participation in the fellowship of the church. We remember that Christ, who died on the cross and rose on the third day, continues to suffer with us and unites us as a church. The church is the body of Christ, and a community of those who have been united in the Lord Jesus, the Head of the church.
The Lord's Supper invites us to make a new decision. The Risen Lord will come again to the world. On that day, the love of the Lord will reach all people, and we will share the joy expressed at this table. To prepare for that day, we who receive the bread and cup will work with the Lord in dedication.
To prevent the spread of the COVID-19, we will not be taking the bread and cup together. However, let us renew our gratitude for what the Lord has done for us, our participation in the fellowship of the church, and our dedication to the Lord's ministry. And let us joyfully embrace the source of it all, God’s free and unconditional love. Let us follow and walk in the example of the Lord Jesus, who loves the Lord and his neighbors as himself. And finally, as we pray that the blessings and works of the Lord will be more and more revealed in the world, let us have hope in the Lord's divine plan.
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