8.4 - The Power of “Neither Do I”
"Hey, is something bothering you,” I heard myself ask.
"What? No, I'm fine,” I heard myself answer.
"Are you sure?"
"It's just... I don't know; maybe something's bothering me, but I can't figure out what it is."
"Sometimes it helps to talk it out, even if you’re not sure what's wrong. Want to try?"
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I just feel... off. Like, everything is fine, but I still feel uneasy."
"That sounds tough. Maybe it's just stress or something small that's been building up."
"Maybe. I guess I just need to sort through it all. Thanks for asking, though. It helps."
"Anytime. I'm here if you need to talk more. We'll figure it out."
And then, it hit me!
Backtracking: Ensuring We Haven’t Missed Anything
It's time to go into the linchpin verses of John’s story (8:31-32), and I'm just not ready. These verses are as crucial as John 3:16, and I must be prepared. It seems like I've left something important in the previous segments and verses, and I need to find out what it is. Do you know that feeling you get on a trip and think you might've left something important at home? And you're just not satisfied until you sort through everything and know for sure.
Maybe it's because verse 31 starts with the word "Then," signaling that it is a continuation or its meaning hinges on what has just been done and said. I've got to go back, sort through everything, and know for sure. So, let's hurriedly search through the suitcase of chapter 8 and ensure we’ve packed everything.
Context: Jesus’ Return to the Temple and the Woman
It starts with Jesus returning to the temple after spending a silent night under the stars. He has returned to teach once again, and they immediately challenge him with the woman caught in adultery. Let's give them some credit. They were right. She had broken one of the Top 10 Thou Shall Nots. They had an app for that – stoning. It was a good law that had served them well for hundreds of years, keeping many a wandering eye in check and many a family together. It prevented many from finding themselves under the “perfumed, colored Egyptian linen” with an “arrow in their liver,” as Solomon warned.
But remember what Jesus did. When he knelt and wrote in the sand, he might as well have uncovered an explosive device and hit the tripwire! He said, “Go and sin no more,” and in so doing, he rolled an IED under the Humvee of their faith! But in the deafening silence following this explosion, I heard the words, as for the first time, "Neither do I.” Let's double-click on that scene.
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.”
All my life, I had focused on, "Go and sin no more.” I could envision Jesus walking into the precinct and telling the officers, "Take off the cuffs." Then, looking at me and saying, “Go, and don't do that anymore.” “Whew,” I would think. "What a nice man!” There was still the law, the arrest, the guilt, the condemnation, the shame, but then the pardon.
But it is his three overlooked words that change everything. "Neither Do I.” "Neither do I condemn you.” There's no arrest, no cuffs, no guilt, no shame, no condemnation, and no need for a pardon.
The Explosive Impact of 'Neither Do I'
Which of these scenarios is more likely to put the shattered pieces of my heart together in a new, more loving way? Which of the two is more likely to cause me to want to change my behavior? “Neither do I!” Paul said it like this, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation.” So, I carefully ponder these three words and neatly put them away in my consciousness to quickly get to them. When my internal and nocturnal prosecutor levels a charge against me, I unpack the silent whisper, "Neither do I.”
Midway on the pendulum arc between unworthy and entitled lies the real me. It's only when I get there that I can hear the silent "Neither do I" being whispered in my heart.
But that's only one side of the coin. Jesus appears again in my imagination with that silly yet serious smile and wearing his favorite “Do As I Do” T-shirt. It means I must also develop a "neither do I" heart. What does that look like? When some Yahoo cuts me off in traffic, "neither do I.” I am free from my need to react. When someone different from me expresses an opinion different from mine, "neither do I.” Get the picture?
Does it mean we should disband all laws and live in the Wild West again? Absolutely not. But it means that I should put down the gavel, remove the robe, and stop playing judge and jury in my daily life. Stop judging others; stop judging myself. Is that even possible? Yes, but only when I can envision the creator of the universe as a fellow human being looking me in the eye and saying, "Neither do I,” instead of some angry, heavenly judge “with a killer surveillance system”(a) ready to catch me doing something wrong.
“Behavior makes sense from the actor’s perspective, or else he or she wouldn’t have done it. What that means is every time you’re being judgmental of yourself or somebody else, you’re misunderstanding the situation.”
Transforming Hearts: Embracing 'Neither Do I'
Walk with me here into the deep woods of this experience; stop for a minute and let your eyes adjust; then, let’s look for a new insight. Jesus’ listeners had also witnessed him breaking down other barriers: treating rivals like brothers, women like sisters, and the unclean as fellow human beings. Now this - an expendable woman with the scarlet letter! “Neither do I.” “Neither do I.” “Neither do I.” And, while these words are still echoing in the hearts of the onlookers, with his gaze still locked on theirs, he says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me (my words here, ‘and does as I have just done') will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”.
I see the connection now. A "Neither Do I Heart" leads to treating rivals like brothers, women as sisters, and the unclean as fellow human beings. A "Neither Do I Heart" switches on the light of life.
As a teenager, I remember thinking that I would miss out on a lot if I were a good Christian. Now I see that if I'm a good Christian who sees Jesus as merely a way to get to heaven, I'm still missing out on a lot. Both are missing the "light of life.”
My son-in-law, Nick Mracek, loves to put together puzzles. I'm not sure he loves to put them together as much as he's bothered by an incomplete one. It seems that he can't walk away. He has to stick with it until it's done, and I admire that about him. I feel the same anxiety over John's puzzle, which we call Chapter Eight. A troubling transition between paragraphs in verses 30 and 31 leads to that linchpin verse. John closes this paragraph with, “As he was saying these things, many believed in him.” He immediately opens the next one with, “Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him.”
Do you see my problem? Something Jesus said triggered this belief. What was it? They saw what he did for the accused woman and heard what he said about the "light of life." But this was after that, and it caused them to believe in him, to click on the "Learn More" button, and to be invited to stay after class for a more profound teaching.
What was it? Here's where I need to sort through verses 16-29 like puzzle pieces that I've handled dozens of times and put similar pieces together: all the red pieces, blue pieces, all the corners, and straight edges.
Deep Reflection: Jesus as a First-Century Human
First, forget everything you know about the universe and think about it like they did in their pre-Copernicus world —in three tiers or layers. There was the Earth, where men and animals lived; the sky, where birds and clouds floated; and the heavens, where the sun, moon, and stars appeared. And just beyond that third layer was a beautiful castle where the king of the universe, the creator, the father, God, lived.
That's how they understood things, and, being 100% human, that must be how Jesus understood things, too. I know it's tempting to believe that Jesus shared the creator’s omniscience, but Paul didn't think so, telling us that Jesus "emptied himself" of all his God stuff to become human. Wouldn't it be “cruel and unusual” to live in the first century and know all about antibiotics, computers, and space travel? Sure, they make it work in the movies, like Outlander and Back to the Future, but it even causes problems there - and that’s the movies. I have to side with the belief that Jesus was not only 100% human but a man of his times - fully first century.
The Belief Trigger: What Led Many to Believe in Jesus
Let’s look at the puzzle pieces. Jesus called the creator, Father, three times; he said the Father sent me. He also said, I am from above, and the one who sent me is with me. Twice, he says I am he. This is how Jesus understood his "oneness" with the Father - from him, by him. They heard: The Father sent me; the Father sent me; the Father sent me; I am he; I am he; I am from above; and the one who sent me is with me.
This, then, is what I believe they believed. There was a holy presence operating within this man, Jesus. The same divine energy that had given life to the universe. The same holy presence they referred to as the god of Abraham, the one in the burning bush, and the one behind the veil. In their minds, this creative life force was performing a show and tell on how to live life through this carpenter’s son from Nazareth. They didn't know how – but they didn't have to.
The Light of Life and the Freedom of Truth
After the unbelievers, or the just-couldn’t-believers, left, he assembled a smaller group who saw God in his uncommon actions and heard the truth in his unique teachings.
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
And this is where we will pick up in the next segment.
Key Takeaways:
"Neither Do I" is a transformative message that emphasizes grace over guilt and can profoundly change how we view ourselves and others.
Understanding the context of Jesus’ teachings helps us grasp the full impact of his words and actions, especially in the narrative of John 8.
Jesus’ approach to the adulterous woman shows a radical departure from traditional punitive measures, emphasizing mercy and personal transformation.
The importance of re-examining familiar texts to uncover deeper meanings and connections that may have been previously overlooked.
a. Nadia Bolz-Weber, Pastrix
