Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Dear CrossPointe,
 
We’re back in John this Sunday after a long break, and I’m really looking forward to our text: John 8:1–11. It’s the famous story of the woman caught in adultery and brought before Jesus by the religious leaders. Can you imagine the intensity of that moment as they sought to discredit Jesus and his ministry by dragging this woman before him and using her as a means for their own selfish ends? 
 
This story just drips with gospel truth about the nature of grace and repentance. I encourage you to read through it a time or two before Sunday. As you do, you’ll notice that this text is often in italics or brackets in your Bible. The reason for that is because these verses do not appear in the earliest manuscripts of the gospel of John, which has caused doubt through the centuries as to whether it was part of the original. There is a lot to say about this, but I’ll reserve that for Sunday when I’ll give a brief and hopefully helpful explanation as to the reliability of these verses. 
 
Let me also remind you about our Sunday night service at 5:00pm. We kicked it off last Sunday and had a wonderful time singing hymns, praying together, and looking at the Word. We would love for you to come!
 
I’m thankful for you, church family!
 
Brad