God’s Image Bearers

John 7:53-8:11

My wife recently shared a prayer request concerning an acquaintance who is struggling with gender dysphoria and underwent surgery to alleviate her symptoms. Gender dysphoria refers to “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity” (Psychiatry.org). This young woman could not associate her feelings with that of her biology and felt pulled apart, or incongruent with herself. She decided the only way to solve that issue was with surgery. As an American citizen, she acted with agency and free will, having the legal right to do to herself as she pleased. The tragedy isn’t that she had the civic right or the means with which to make such a change to herself, but that she believed she had the spiritual authority to call into question her formation.

This is not a message about or a political statement pushing the idea of removing these legal rights; in this church family we do not prioritize the political, but the spiritual, and the lesson is not for those that are struggling with gender dysphoria. The message, as was the lesson provided by Jesus in today’s passage, for those of us who think we know better and pass judgment over other’s decisions.

The context of this story in John 7-8 shows Jesus declaring and proving His identity as divine. He talked about Himself as equal to God and of coming from God, on both sides of the passage. This story helps us understand the power Christ holds as divine over humanity’s agency or will. Simply put, God alone declares a person’s value, status, or sentence.

Humanity’s Judging Agency is Fantasy

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a message preached on this passage, but it always makes me laugh how often, during their message, people try to dissect and determine what it was that Jesus was writing in the dirt. What’s important to the story wasn’t what He was writing, but the act of Him writing. Looking at the repetition of that action and when He did it—after being questioned and then answering—shows that Jesus was almost disinterested in their ranting and raving. He was communicating that He had something better to do than these continual repetitive questions (considering the similarity from earlier in ch7). Like a parent who ignores a child in a temper tantrum, Jesus refused to engage theirs, choosing to calmly interject with the truth that approval and affirmation was not theirs to give, but His. This passage is all about the authority and divinity of Christ – an example of His equal footing with the Father; a practical plot point in the middle of the conversations around who Jesus is. See how this bookends – it starts with everyone at home and Jesus with God and then ends with Jesus alone having the right to condemn yet offering grace. It’s not humanity that gets to judge, but the Divine Creator, our Maker and Savior, Christ – He alone sits on the judgment seat.

God’s Perspective is Paramount

With Jesus being the only One who rightly makes these declarations, we humans need to take a step back and stop trying to stick our noses in. God doesn’t hate anyone, even though there are churches who will tell you He does. I’m convinced that part of the reason why our influence today is so low is that God’s had to pull us back from positions of power because we keep using it to stomp people down as opposed to lifting them up—telling everyone that they’re bad instead of loving unconditionally and offering Christ. Our church family has experienced this firsthand; treating people who are different from us with love and dignity. Jesus didn’t hate this adulterous woman, nor did He take the side of the law; He saw value in a life that He created, and while it was certainly off track, He did not condemn, but reset and refocused. Genesis 1 tells us God made humans in His image and thus each holds intrinsic value and worth. This is why He went to such lengths to save us and why we need to stop looking at people as inconveniences, failures and worthless destitutes (regardless of their choices).

Next Steps

Each person holds the image of God and is therefore worthy of dignity, honor, and love. God alone declares a person’s value, status, or sentence; and His declaration for us is to love and forgive.

1. Allow an acct partner to speak into your life about judgments you make – let someone catch you when you act righteous over others
2. Look for God’s handiwork in each person’s life – even in the worst, find something that allows you to see God’s image in them
3. Act towards others as though Jesus was standing before you – with each encounter ask, would He condemn or love?

It doesn’t matter what it is, each of us suffers from sin’s influence. But that doesn’t change who you are. You are made in the image of God, and you have the light of Christ in you. See yourself that way and also see others that way. Radically Ordinary Hospitality can’t happen except from a clear vision of God’s declaration and value to others, all others.