Sin in the Fourth Gospel
G.D.O'Bradovich III
July 2, 2015
Part the First
The following lists all instances of “sin” or “sinner” in the fourth Gospel found in the text of the King James Bible. Commentary on the list is minimal and the inquisitive reader can reference the context himself.
[1:29] The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
The man with an infirmity.
[5:14] Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
The woman taken in adultery.
[7:7] So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
[7:11] She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
[7:21] Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
[7:24] I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
[7:34] Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
[8:46] Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
The blind man in the temple.
[9:2] And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
[9:3] Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
[9:16] Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
[9:24] Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
[9:25] He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
[9:31] Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
[9:34] They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
[9:41] Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
[15:22] If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
[15:24] If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
[16:8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
[16:9] Of sin, because they believe not on me.
Spoken to Pontius Pilate.
[19:11] Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Spoken to the disciples.
[20:23] Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
We find nothing extraordinary either in the dialogue or Christ’s statements. Christ tells the woman taken in adultery and the man with an infirmity to sin no more [7:11, 5:14]. The blind man is not told to stop sinning, but Christ does confront the Pharisees regarding their sins [9:41].
If we did not know better, we would state that Jesus only heals on the Sabbath to irritate the ruling establishment. The woman taken in adultery had transgressed the Law of Moses, yet Jesus does not agree with Pharisees regarding her punishment.
Part the Second
Fortunately, there is least one more story found in the fourth Gospel: the woman at the well (chapter 4). The following is the dialogue between the woman and Christ:
Jesus: Give me to drink.
Woman: How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?
J: If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
W: Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
J: Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
W: Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
J: Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
W: I have no husband.
J:Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
W: Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
J: Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
W: I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
J: I that speak unto thee am he.
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
W: Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
People: Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
And many more believed because of his [Jesus’]own word.
Once we find nothing extraordinary in this story. Some Samaritans believed the woman (on faith) that the Messiah has come and other Samaritans were convinced when they spoke with Jesus. Similar stories of conversions are found throughout the Gospels.
Part the Third
The thoughtful reader may inquire why Jesus did not condemn the woman at the well of committing sins, since she has had five husbands and lives with a man. If possible, this discrepancy must be explained.
While we are reasonably certain that most, if not all, adults in Sychar knew the woman’s reputation, the disciples are not present when this “inside information” is discussed and they remain ignorant of this fact. We speculate that Jesus tells the woman who was taken in adultery to sin no more, since her behavior has become public knowledge. Our speculation concerning Jesus’ modus operandi is confirmed by his interaction with the infirm man. Once the Jews knew that Jesus healed the man, Jesus approached him and said to “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee”.
The careless commentator may write that Jesus’ behavior is duplicitous when comparing his actions between the woman at the well and the woman taken in adultery. However, we must draw the distinction, as Jesus evidently did, between sin that is public knowledge and sin that is not public. We speculate that the public statement or admonishment “to sin no more”was expected on the part of either the people, the leaders or both [5:14,8:11].
Jesus clearly told his disciples that neither the blind man nor his parents sinned and Jesus never told him to avoid sin, while the leaders were unanimous in declaring the man was born in sin [9:34]. We can reason that Jesus recognized some circumstances as sin and other circumstances as not sinful, otherwise Jesus would have answered his disciples’ inquiry differently. While we are tempted to conclude that there are two categories: “sins” and “not sin”; where “non sins” are neither good nor bad, but neutral; we can not reach this conclusion on the basis of this passage. From the fourth Gospel, we can only state that there are sins and conditions where “the works of God should be made manifest” [9:3].
We would like a simple flowchart to explain Jesus’ actions in the fourth Gospel: if the sin is public, condemnation, and if private, not mentioned. Jesus does not condemn the woman taken in adultery, but does tell her to sin no more. What is this lack of adherence to the law, but a denial of the law of Moses?
[8:17] [Jesus said] It is also written in your law...
[10:34] Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law...
We would expect Jesus to say “our law” and not “your law” if Jesus was Jewish. Four times Jesus is accused of “having a devil” and Jesus denies that he has a devil.
[7:20] The people ... said, Thou hast a devil:
[8:48] The Jews... said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
[8: 49] Jesus answered, I have not a devil…
[8:52] ... the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
[10:20] And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad...
Surprising, Jesus does not deny that he is a Samaritan.
[8:41] ...Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Again, we are surprised that Jesus does not respond to the allegations of being bastard [“one Father”] and being a polytheist [“even God”].
Conclusion
We can defend the Jesus of the fourth Gospel against the charge of duplicitous behavior, however we can not assist against the allegations of being a bastard and being a polytheist. Taking the Gospel as a whole, it seems that Jesus denies the authority of the law of Moses and the authority of the religious leaders and does so intentionally: all three healings in the fourth Gospel occur on the Sabbath.
Jesus’ response regarding the blind man can be applied to Jesus himself: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
Regarding the charge of polytheism, we quote Jesus who not only quotes the Psalm, but reasons from the premise:
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken. [10:34,35]
Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? [10:36]
The following lists all instances of “sin” or “sinner” in the fourth Gospel found in the text of the King James Bible. Commentary on the list is minimal and the inquisitive reader can reference the context himself.
[1:29] The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
The man with an infirmity.
[5:14] Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
The woman taken in adultery.
[7:7] So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
[7:11] She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
[7:21] Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
[7:24] I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
[7:34] Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
[8:46] Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
The blind man in the temple.
[9:2] And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
[9:3] Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
[9:16] Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
[9:24] Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
[9:25] He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
[9:31] Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
[9:34] They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
[9:41] Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
[15:22] If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
[15:24] If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
[16:8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
[16:9] Of sin, because they believe not on me.
Spoken to Pontius Pilate.
[19:11] Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Spoken to the disciples.
[20:23] Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
We find nothing extraordinary either in the dialogue or Christ’s statements. Christ tells the woman taken in adultery and the man with an infirmity to sin no more [7:11, 5:14]. The blind man is not told to stop sinning, but Christ does confront the Pharisees regarding their sins [9:41].
If we did not know better, we would state that Jesus only heals on the Sabbath to irritate the ruling establishment. The woman taken in adultery had transgressed the Law of Moses, yet Jesus does not agree with Pharisees regarding her punishment.
Part the Second
Fortunately, there is least one more story found in the fourth Gospel: the woman at the well (chapter 4). The following is the dialogue between the woman and Christ:
Jesus: Give me to drink.
Woman: How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?
J: If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
W: Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
J: Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
W: Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
J: Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
W: I have no husband.
J:Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
W: Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
J: Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
W: I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
J: I that speak unto thee am he.
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
W: Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
People: Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
And many more believed because of his [Jesus’]own word.
Once we find nothing extraordinary in this story. Some Samaritans believed the woman (on faith) that the Messiah has come and other Samaritans were convinced when they spoke with Jesus. Similar stories of conversions are found throughout the Gospels.
Part the Third
The thoughtful reader may inquire why Jesus did not condemn the woman at the well of committing sins, since she has had five husbands and lives with a man. If possible, this discrepancy must be explained.
While we are reasonably certain that most, if not all, adults in Sychar knew the woman’s reputation, the disciples are not present when this “inside information” is discussed and they remain ignorant of this fact. We speculate that Jesus tells the woman who was taken in adultery to sin no more, since her behavior has become public knowledge. Our speculation concerning Jesus’ modus operandi is confirmed by his interaction with the infirm man. Once the Jews knew that Jesus healed the man, Jesus approached him and said to “sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee”.
The careless commentator may write that Jesus’ behavior is duplicitous when comparing his actions between the woman at the well and the woman taken in adultery. However, we must draw the distinction, as Jesus evidently did, between sin that is public knowledge and sin that is not public. We speculate that the public statement or admonishment “to sin no more”was expected on the part of either the people, the leaders or both [5:14,8:11].
Jesus clearly told his disciples that neither the blind man nor his parents sinned and Jesus never told him to avoid sin, while the leaders were unanimous in declaring the man was born in sin [9:34]. We can reason that Jesus recognized some circumstances as sin and other circumstances as not sinful, otherwise Jesus would have answered his disciples’ inquiry differently. While we are tempted to conclude that there are two categories: “sins” and “not sin”; where “non sins” are neither good nor bad, but neutral; we can not reach this conclusion on the basis of this passage. From the fourth Gospel, we can only state that there are sins and conditions where “the works of God should be made manifest” [9:3].
We would like a simple flowchart to explain Jesus’ actions in the fourth Gospel: if the sin is public, condemnation, and if private, not mentioned. Jesus does not condemn the woman taken in adultery, but does tell her to sin no more. What is this lack of adherence to the law, but a denial of the law of Moses?
[8:17] [Jesus said] It is also written in your law...
[10:34] Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law...
We would expect Jesus to say “our law” and not “your law” if Jesus was Jewish. Four times Jesus is accused of “having a devil” and Jesus denies that he has a devil.
[7:20] The people ... said, Thou hast a devil:
[8:48] The Jews... said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
[8: 49] Jesus answered, I have not a devil…
[8:52] ... the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
[10:20] And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad...
Surprising, Jesus does not deny that he is a Samaritan.
[8:41] ...Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Again, we are surprised that Jesus does not respond to the allegations of being bastard [“one Father”] and being a polytheist [“even God”].
Conclusion
We can defend the Jesus of the fourth Gospel against the charge of duplicitous behavior, however we can not assist against the allegations of being a bastard and being a polytheist. Taking the Gospel as a whole, it seems that Jesus denies the authority of the law of Moses and the authority of the religious leaders and does so intentionally: all three healings in the fourth Gospel occur on the Sabbath.
Jesus’ response regarding the blind man can be applied to Jesus himself: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
Regarding the charge of polytheism, we quote Jesus who not only quotes the Psalm, but reasons from the premise:
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken. [10:34,35]
Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? [10:36]