The shape of the Feast of Tabernacles is the shape of the history of all time. It began with Sabbath, ended with Sabbath, and was encased and ultimately filled with Sabbath. If you were to tell someone to “Stop it!” in Hebrew, you would use the verb “shabath,” from whence is derived the noun “Shabbath” (“Sabbath” in English). How do we stop?

On, or close to the Great Day of the Feast, a woman caught in the act of adultery was thrown at Jesus’ feet as He taught in the temple. “Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” said Jesus. After the men had dropped their stones and left, “Jesus stood up (He’d been down in the dust with the woman) and said to her, ‘Where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and from [the] now on sin no more’” (John 8:10-11 ESV).

“Neither do I condemn you.” No mention of confession or repentance. He didn’t add, “I forgive you this time.” Just, “I do not condemn you.” Isn’t that a bit dangerous? If He said it to us, wouldn’t we be tempted to commit adultery? Maybe we are. As we mentioned last time, all of Jerusalem deserved to be stoned for unfaithfulness to God, her covenant partner. This sounds like a recipe for getting yourself crucified: “Neither do I condemn you.”

And yet, according to Jesus in John 3:18, we already seem to be “condemned.” “Whoever does not believe is condemned (literally, ‘judged’) already.” Weird. And weirder still: If the Word of God did condemn something, wouldn’t that something have to be a nothing that we thought was a something — a false something? According to John, Jesus is the Word of God “without [whom] was not anything made that was made.”

“Neither do I condemn you. Go and... sin no more.” “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin,” wrote Paul. Sin must be faithlessness in my flesh. Paul also wrote that through Christ, God “condemned sin in the flesh...” (Romans 8:3). He condemns the faithlessness in me with the faithfulness of Christ in me.

So why did He say, “sin no more (Stop it!)”? “I do not condemn you. Sin no more, or I will condemn you and always condemn you” — is that what Jesus is saying?

For 1500 years, the institutional church has worked very hard at answering, “Yes, that is exactly what He’s saying, for simply saying ‘I do not condemn you’ is far too dangerous. Have Faith that God is salvation, or God will not be salvation, but eternal condemnation.”

Katherine went to see a counselor (played by Bob Newhart on MAD TV) about her issues. “I have this fear of being buried alive in a box,” she shared. He listened carefully and replied, “I have two words for you: Stop it!”

Scripture tells us that the devil keeps us in “lifelong bondage” through the fear of death. Fear manifests itself in a multitude of unhealthy ways (neurosis). But how do we “stop it?”

Katherine didn’t like his answer but kept going. “I have bulimia.” “Stop it!” he answered. “I have unhealthy relationships with men.” “Stop it, you don’t want to be alone do you? Stop it!” “I wash my hands a lot.” “Well, that’s OK . . . so do I.” “I’m afraid to drive.” “Stop it, you kook!” Katherine got angry. The counselor stopped the session and said, “Let me give you 10 words that will clear everything up for you. Ready? ‘Stop It! Or I’ll bury you alive in a box!”

Jesus continues speaking with those remaining in the temple, “You judge according to the flesh...” What is His problem with flesh? Does He hate flesh? In Ephesians, Paul writes, “No man (first or last) ever hated his own flesh but nourishes it and cherishes it as Christ does the church.” Jesus doesn’t hate his own flesh; you are his own flesh. He condemns “sin in the flesh” which is faithlessness in the flesh.

Adam and Eve took the fruit from the tree and hid their faithlessness from the presence of God who is Grace. We all do it. I create expectations, try to fulfill those expectations in fear of failing at those expectations — and when I fail at my own expectations, I condemn myself. I create a box, and try to live in that box, but that box becomes a prison. To say it in theological terms: I try to justify myself, for I don’t believe that He justifies me — that He makes me right, which is the essence of all wrong.

The younger brother in the parable of the prodigal son thinks, “I’ll make myself right using my inheritance in the far country,” but traps himself in a pigpen. The older brother thinks, “I’ll make myself right by obeying my father’s every command,” but traps himself in the outer darkness. Meanwhile, the Father (who is Right) says, “All that is mine is yours.”

The foolish virgin tries to impress her bridegroom on her honeymoon night with frilly dresses, entirely unaware of what it is that her bridegroom wants. The end of the Feast of Tabernacles depicts our honeymoon night wherein we give up our own tent and Jesus becomes our tent. The Pharisees threw this woman at the Lord’s feet, utterly unaware of what it is that our Lord wants. Yes, she had sin in her flesh, but He condemns the sin in her flesh by making Himself Grace in her flesh, which gives birth to Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faith (fullness), and Self-control. It rises in us like a fountain destroying all of our boxes.

He continues, “You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.” (He already told us in 5:22, “The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the son”). Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.”

He doesn’t judge, but He (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is the Judgment. God is the Judgment of Love — Relentless Love: A communion of self-abdicating, self-sacrificing, self-giving Love called Life. To judge, He simply shows up. The Light is the judgment on darkness; Truth is the judgment upon all lies; Love is the judgment of isolation; Grace is the judgment upon all sin; Reality is the judgment of every illusion. So, if anyone is alone in a box, that one is trapped in a nightmare.

“There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” wrote Paul. And “This is the plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him.” In the End, outside of Him (the Life, Light, Love, and Judgment of God) is nothing. God has eternally condemned condemnation.

So, why did Jesus say, “Sin no more”? It seems that something (something in her past or future) is condemned... and it seems that someone is still in danger of doing some condemning.

“I don’t think I throw many stones at others,” someone said last week, “but I sure throw plenty at myself.” For some reason, I think that if I hate myself enough, God will like me, for I will have made myself good. I think that’s often called “religion.”

Jesus doesn’t condemn the woman caught in adultery, but Jesus does condemn her condemnation of herself. It’s the essence of all sin — attempting to create yourself, save yourself, and justify yourself — yourself, which then can’t actually be yourself: The creation of God.

He doesn’t condemn you, but He condemns your condemnation of you. For with it, you’ve built a box. And now you think the box is you, but it’s a lie about you. You’ve buried yourself alone in that box. But Jesus freely chose to be buried with you and in you in that box—like a Seed.

So, why did Jesus say, “Sin no more”? Maybe He doesn’t want to be buried alive in a box anymore. He is literally your Life in the box, but He doesn’t want to stay in the box. He wants you to live LIFE.

So, “From the now [He literally says, “the now” in Greek] sin no more.” “These words he spoke in the treasury [gazophylakio: ‘treasure chest’],” adds John. I think he’s referring to the “Holy of Holies” in the temple. It was the very presence of Eternity in time. In the Holy of Holies, it is always “Now,” and you can only pretend to justify yourself in chronological time. You are a temple, and in the depths of your soul, behind a curtain, there is a throne, and on the throne is the Judgment of God. And it’s there that you will hear the Word of your Father: “Shabath.” He is “The Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jarek was always moving and always getting in trouble, always “acting out.” He was four at the time, and I was performing a marriage ceremony for his mother and her boyfriend, Andy. Andy was white. Jarek’s mom was white. And Jarek was chocolate brown. His flesh told him, “Andy is not your Daddy.” He started out as the ring bearer but was soon confined between relatives in the front row. His mom said her vows. Andy said his vows. And Jarek wouldn’t stop squirming in his seat.

I had just started the ring ceremony when suddenly Andy stopped me, and in front of everyone, he turned to look at Jarek. Jarek froze. Everyone froze. It was Judgment. Andy said, “Jarek, I love you with all my heart. And I will always be your Daddy. And you will always be my son.”

Jarek didn’t move; he stopped. That was 20 years ago. He went to West Point; he’s doing just fine. “This is my body broken for you. This cup is the covenant in my blood. Take and eat—put it in your gazophylakio.”

I think Our Lord is saying, “I don’t condemn you. Period. You will try to create yourself in space and time, and you will condemn yourself in space and time. So, when you observe yourself being trapped in fear, shame, rage, lust, and greed, run back to the now. You will find me here in the Sanctuary of your soul. From the Now, sin no more.”