Category / Sabbath School Lessons
Physical Unity can be an Illusion
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote. Isaiah 29:13 NLT
As I write this many Adventist Church buildings around the world are open for full services. Some have restricted services while some churches are still closed or have recently closed after the COVID spike over the holidays. While churches offer services on Zoom and Facebook live, etc., I still hear some people say it’s not real church. To some, real church means sitting together physically in the same pew at the church building. At the risk of sounding cynical, here are some things I think we need to consider.
To think that you are worshipping with someone just because you are in the same church building can be an illusion. Their hearts and minds can still be miles away. They may even be worshipping self while you worship God. Judas was plotting the betrayal of Jesus while sitting with the other disciples. Physical proximity does not guarantee unity. When Paul said in Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together, they were meeting in homes and not church buildings.
Today when we read that passage many have the idea that Paul was saying to go to a formal Sabbath church service like we have had the last hundred years or so. Here is what we need to keep in mind. When Paul wrote those words he did not even know about the ritual worship services we conduct today. Adventists do not get our worship service rituals from the Bible. We get them from the Methodists. Our “method” of worship is from the “Method”-ists. The method of worship Adventists have been doing for years now is neither Biblical or unbiblical. It is acceptable, but so are many other methods as well. While many do not think Zoom church is real church, I have no doubt that Paul would have included Zoom as assembling ourselves together. It is real biblical church.
Jesus did not promise blessings for worshipping in a building, but for worshipping in the Spirit.
Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem….But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:21-24 NLT
Jesus did not promise to be with us for meeting in a building but for meeting in His name.
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 NKJV
Just as one person from Sydney and one person from London can be together on a Zoom Bible study likewise they can be gathered together in the name of Jesus while one is still in Sydney and the other is in London.
While it may be more ideal to worship in person Zoom and similar venues are still real worship venues. Just like in 3 John 1:13-14 John says he does not want to just write letters but meet face to face. Still the letters were legitimate forms of communication. The idea that true worship and unity must involve physical proximity is an illusion. Real worship is not done in a building. It is done in the Spirit.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
Video: Why Did Jesus let Lazarus Suffer?
Friday’s section of this week’s lesson asks, if God is in charge why do innocent people suffer?
The question reminded me of the story about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead that I recently read about in John 11:1-44. Let’s take a look at some of the points in this story that may help us answer this question.
When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 NKJV
The good news for all of us is that even though Lazarus dies that is not how the story ends! Lazarus is resurrected. Dear friend if you have recently laid a loved one to rest be assured that is not how the story ends. Death is not the final chapter. The resurrection is. still, Jesus allowed one of his best friends to get sick and die. Why? Verse 4 tells us so that God would be glorified. Are you willing to get sick and even face death if it will give God glory? This reminds me of a sermon I heard a long time ago on Hebrews 11:35-38 which mentions people who were killed for their faith. The preacher said many say they have enough faith to be healed but do we have enough faith not to be healed? What if more people became converted through our death than our life? What if our sickness glorified God more than our health? This new year I realized God does not need me to make goals and plans. He needs me to make a total surrender. This new year I rededicated my life to Jesus and told Him I was totally surrendered to Him. He can take me and do with me as He pleases in 2021. He can promote me if that will glorify His name. He can also let me get sick and die if that will glorify his name. After all, by giving my life to Jesus I am only giving what I was not going to be able to keep anyways.
So Jesus allows Lazarus to get sick and die so it would glorify God. How so? Well this is why it was so important for Jesus to let him actually die and then not show up to the home till four days afterwards. Had Jesus forsaken Lazarus and his sisters by seeming so distant? Not at all! It was all part of a magnificent plan that would bring glory to God with a happy ending for all. Remember when Jesus healed the little girl in Mark 5:21-43? He said the girl was not dead but only asleep. Everyone laughed at Him. Of course Jesus calls death sleep since the dead person is going to be resurrected. However the Sadducees and Pharisees both loved to twist the words of Jesus. The Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection especially had something at stake in the miracle Jesus performed for this little girl. Jesus’ statement that the girl was not dead but asleep could have given the Sadducees opportunity to say that even Jesus admitted Himself that the girl was only asleep and had never actually died. Thus Jesus did not actually resurrect her. I believe this is very possible because even today people love twisting the words of prophecy and Scripture to their own destruction. I believe the Sadducees very well could have used that as an opportunity to twist Jesus’ words when He said she was not dead but only asleep.
If the Pharisees and Sadducees were able to twist Jesus’ own words (Incidentally I think this is why a colleague years ago told me to use as few words as possible when talking thus reducing the opportunity for my enemies to twist my words.) to discredit His miracle of raising the girl to life, thus making many people lose faith in God this could explain why Jesus allowed Lazarus to get sick and die. Not only die but by waiting four days there is no way anyone could say he was not actually dead but just literally sleeping as they insinuated with the girl. Obviously Jesus’ plan worked because the story says,
Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. John 11:45 NKJV
By allowing Lazarus to suffer and die millions who have faced death have been comforted with the hope of the resurrection. By allowing Lazarus to suffer and die millions have believed in Jesus as their Savior from sin and death. God wants us to prosper in heath and strength as we love and serve God with all of our health and strength. But if God could win more people to His kingdom by letting you suffer and die would you be okay with that?
The one who stands nearest to Christ will be he who has drunk most deeply of His spirit of self-sacrificing love,–love that “vaunteth not itself, . . . seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,”–love that moves the disciple, as it moved our Lord, to give all, to live and labor and sacrifice even unto death, for the saving of humanity. –Ellen White, Conflict and Courage, Page 314.
Video: “Iron Chariots!” An Encouraging Message for a Challenging New Year.
My 2021 Devotional Book Recommendation is….
… the Bible!
Apple pies are great. I love them, especially with whipped cream or ice cream on top. They make a great dessert, and yes, even with everything else that goes into them, the apples provide real nutrition. Even so, for a daily breakfast routine I would recommend an actual apple over an apple pie. I just think an actual apple is more nutritious than an apple pie. That doesn’t mean I’m throwing grandma’s apple pie recipe away. It just means on a daily basis I eat actual apples. My stomach only holds so much food and if its filled with apple pies, then there won’t be any room for actual whole apples.
Its the same with devotional books and the Bible. Of course God created us to be social creatures. I actually learn from other people’s comments in Sabbath School class and on Sabbath School Net. I learn from books other writers have written. So I am not suggesting you throw away your new 2021 devotional book any more than I am suggesting throwing away grandma’s apple pie recipe. Just make sure you are eating plenty of whole apples, and make sure you are actually reading the Bible. While serving as a literature evangelist I learned that during the years Arthur Maxwell wrote The Bible Stories , he read only the Bible as he did not want anyone else influencing his depictions of The Bible stories.
Last year while I was teaching a 4th-grade Bible class in a local Adventist School in which I occasionally substitute, I asked the children why do we pray before reading the Bible? I received several good answers, but my favorite came from a boy who answered “Because Proverbs 3 says we are not to trust our own understanding but to depend on God for understanding.” What a great application of Proverbs 3:5 I thought! 2 Peter 1:21 tells us that those who wrote Scripture were moved by the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13 Jesus assures us the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. The same Holy Spirit that moved the writers to write those words thousands of years ago, is the same Holy Spirit that teaches us as we read those words. The Holy Spirit can teach you as easily as any theologian.
When I preach on Sabbath I like to make sure I use plenty of Scripture. That way if my own thoughts are worthless at least people got to hear actual Scripture, which is valuable. Most of my illustrations are my own, but of course I get ideas from others as well. When we read the Bible for ourselves we also have ideas the Holy Spirit gives us to share with others. If we do not read the Bible for ourselves then we are only getting ideas from others. This is not fair to them or to us. We are not contributing our fair share and others are doing all the thinking for us. A mother breastfeeds her infant with the hopes that one day the infant will grow up to feed him or herself. Likewise we should not always rely on other authors to feed us. God wants to teach us all how to find our own spiritual bread in the Bible.
This is one reason why I love Michael Fracker’s Sabbath School Lesson Teaching plans. With his teaching plans the Sabbath School class actually studies the Bible instead of just reading the quarterly.
Apple pies are great but we need to eat a lot more whole apples than apple pies. Likewise we need to read the actual Bible for ourselves a lot more often than we read devotionals or commentaries. We need to read the Bible every day. That is why I am recommending the Bible as the devotional book for 2021.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
Why we Will be Studying the Cross for all Eternity
As we have discovered several times in our Sabbath School lessons on Education, our education does not stop when we get to heaven. We will continue to study the cross and plan of salvation which are themes Peter says even angels desire to look into. One may ask why this theme will take all eternity to study and why it will even need be studied in heaven? Perhaps Colossians gives us a clue.
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 NLT
Even after Lucifer was cast out, those who remained may have still had their doubts. Did God really love them, or did Lucifer have some points about God just being a tyrant? On earth Eve thought that God did not care for her and eating the forbidden fruit would make her really happy.
Have you ever been loyal to a boss, not because you thought he was fair, but because you did not see any way out? So out of fear you remained loyal to him, still wishing you weren’t in that situation? If so, what did it take for you to reconcile the situation so you could have peace at work and not just conformity?
When the Son of God died on the cross He was not just atoning for Eve taking a piece of fruit she was told not to. Eve’s disobedience was a symptom of her doubts. The cross of Christ did not just take care of the symptoms of sin. The cross took care of sin itself! Christ’s death on the cross removed all doubt about God’s love. All questions in heaven and earth are answered at the cross! There can be conformity while rebellion is still in the heart. The cross goes way beyond bringing us into conformity and outward obedience. The cross replaces our thoughts of rebellion with peaceful thoughts towards God.
That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in this world of darkness, will prevent sin in heaven. The significance of the death of Christ will be seen by saints and angels. Fallen men could not have a home in the paradise of God without the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Shall we not then exalt the cross of Christ? The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan. Angelic perfection failed in heaven. Human perfection failed in Eden, the paradise of bliss. All who wish for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God.-Ellen White, Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889
Some have the idea that once we get to heaven, God will flip a little switch in the back of our heads that makes us stop sinning. After all, we will be in heaven and so we automatically won’t sin right? Wait. Where did sin begin? Heaven!
The reason why humans and angels will not sin, is the same reason why God reconciled both heaven and earth to Himself. The cross of Jesus. The cross cures the root cause of sin which is doubting God’s love. The reason there will be no sin in heaven is not due to a mechanical correction made by the flip of a switch. There will be no sin in heaven because the cross will cure humans and angels alike from ever doubting God’s love and thinking we need anything God has not given us. There will be no reason to rebel.
Rules without relationship cause rebellion. The love of Christ on the cross removes our fear of God, so we are not afraid to have an intimate relationship with Him. With our relationship cured, we will have no reason to rebel. We won’t be conformists. We will be free-thinking moral agents who are at peace with God because God is love.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
The Sabbath Teaches us to Love God and Others
Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. Mark 2:27 NLT
I have always been told and even taught myself that the first four commandments tell us how to love God and the last six tell us how to love our family and neighbors. lately my eyes have been opened to the fact that the fourth commandment not only tells us how to love God but also how to love others.
but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. Exodus 20:10 NLT
The Sabbath embraces the spirit of loving God with all our heart as well as loving our neighbor as ourselves. In Exodus 16 the preparation day was brought to our attention as well as the Sabbath. No one was to gather and prepare food that day. By observing the Sabbath today we give all our family and servants the day off. We do not require anyone to work for us. The Sabbath was made for the needs of the people and not our needs only. Years ago the pastor in my church was studying with a lady who was a waitress at a local diner. When the pastor explained to her that the Bible teaches us to rest from work on the Sabbath she asked, “Well then who will serve all your members who come to eat at my restaurant after church?” The Sabbath commandment is clear that no one is to be working for us on the Sabbath, even the stranger, meaning those who may not even believe as we do. The grace that has been extended to us we shall extend to others. The rest that has been given to us has been given to all people.
Extending grace and rest to others has been something God’s people have struggled with. Yes even though we struggle we are still God’s people. Nehemiah addressed this issue in his day, and he calls the people he rebuked nobles. I am sure it is because he thought so highly of them that he gave them special instruction.
In those days I saw men of Judah treading out their winepresses on the Sabbath. They were also bringing in grain, loading it on donkeys, and bringing their wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts of produce to Jerusalem to sell on the Sabbath. So I rebuked them for selling their produce on that day. Some men from Tyre, who lived in Jerusalem, were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise. They were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah—and in Jerusalem at that! So I confronted the nobles of Judah. “Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?” I asked. “Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!” Then I commanded that the gates of Jerusalem should be shut as darkness fell every Friday evening, not to be opened until the Sabbath ended. I sent some of my own servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day. Nehemiah 13:15-19 NLT
I want to challenge us to be careful to guard our gates on the Sabbath and making sure even the foreigner or stranger is given rest. Do the donuts we bring to Sabbath School have to be picked up that morning to be hot and fresh? Could they actually be picked up on preparation day? I know Jesus’ disciples picked grain on the Sabbath but last time I checked donuts did not contain any grain or anything essential to our well being on the Sabbath. Plus the disciples were not buying or selling or causing anyone else to serve them. Could our fellowship dinners after church Sabbath be made a little simpler? Should other church members be slaving in the kitchen while we enjoy the sermon? I am not trying to be old school. I just want to be Biblical. I want to remember that the Sabbath is not just about God and myself. It is about God and all of His creation.
In Matthew 12:10-12 Jesus met some people who would rescue a lamb on the Sabbath because it affected their livelihood but had no compassion for a man in need of healing. They could not see beyond their own noses when it came to Sabbath keeping. Isaiah 58:1-14 teaches us that true Sabbath keeping and true worship on any day for that matter is to put self aside and care for others. The Sabbath teaches us to put God and others first. The Sabbath teaches us not only to love God but our family and neighbors as well, including strangers and foreigners. The Sabbath teaches us to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. In the KIV Isaiah 58:12 says we are to restore the breach. The Sabbath commandment restores a breach bridging the gap between loving God in the first three commandments and loving our neighbor in the last six commandments. The Sabbath commandment is right there in the middle telling us to love God and our neighbor.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
I Love People who Love Their Jobs
This week I was walking by the nurse’s station at the school where I occasionally substitute teach. As always, I greeted the janitor lady who was washing the windows. She explained to me that while washing the windows to the nurse’s station was not a part of her job description, she wanted the windows as well as the surroundings to look as pleasant as possible.
“The students are already not feeling well when they get here,” She explained, “So I want to make it as pleasant and comfortable as possible.” How cool is that? I thought, she is making the school a better place by being passionate about her job. She is not merely working for a paycheck. She is working to make the school a better place.
Her work ethic reminds me of the memory text in last Sabbath’s lesson.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” 1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV.
Several years ago I bought a mountain bicycle and quickly decided I wanted a street bicycle instead. I went back to the bicycle shop to look for a street bike and asked if there was any way I could trade in the bike I recently bought, aware I would lose money on the deal. The salesman told me I did not need a new bike. I only needed different tires. Later I thought Duh! how obvious? The salesman could have taken advantage of my ignorance and made more money off me, but instead he saved me money.
A few days later I was riding bikes with my friend who had also just bought a brand new bike. His bike had those shoes that actually fit into the pedals. He crashed into a bush. Frustrated, he said he wanted regular pedals. We were just blocks from the bicycle shop where I bought my bike, so I suggested we ride over and get new pedals for his bike. When my friend explained to the salesman why he wanted the pedals replaced, the salesman asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to wait a few weeks and see if you get used to the original pedals first?” Keep in mind my friend bought his bike elsewhere. All the salesman had to do was ring up the sale to make a few extra dollars. Instead the salesman, like my janitor friend, was passionate about his work. He loved bicycling and wanted my friend to get the most enjoyment from his bike instead of making a few extra dollars off him. My friend had to actually convince the salesman to just sell him the regular pedals.
Obviously this bicycle shop has become my favorite. The salesman’s loyalty to his customers has made me loyal to him. It does my heart good to see a bicycle salesman who is more passionate about bicycling than merely making money. Our work should be more than just making a living. It should be about making a life.
I was helping a school teacher with her Bible class when she called me on Sunday morning. A student of ours was about to fail – not only this class but the entire grade. He simply was not applying himself. The teacher had one more idea that might get him caught up, and she wanted me to pray with her that morning for this particular student. After hanging up the phone, I could not help but think, Here it is Sunday morning and this teacher is desperately trying to help this student and even calling me to pray together. That goes beyond her job description. Again here was a teacher who is passionate about education and not just getting a paycheck.
The world is full of wonderful people like this. The detective who comes out of retirement to help solve a cold case. The pastor who is retired but never actually retires from preaching and giving Bible studies. The musician who entertains the children in the hospital pro bono. The list goes on of people just like my friend cleaning the windows at school not to make a better paycheck but to make life better for others. The bicycle salesman who loves his job instead of only making money. The school teacher who loves to see children learn more than she loves getting a paycheck and resting Sunday mornings. I love people who love their work. I love people who work to make life better for others.
Thanking Teachers for Thanksgiving
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV
I follow a Facebook page made up of thousands of people from my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. People post pictures and comments about their favorite restaurants, hangouts and businesses while growing up in Tulsa. They also posted pictures of their schools. One day after seeing a few pictures of the schools, I added a post to the page asking people to give a shout out to their favorite teachers in those schools. My post must have had over a thousand comments about how certain teachers touched their lives. Each comment warmed my heart as I read about different teachers touching the lives of their students making their life and community a brighter place.
So while millions are studying about Education in Sabbath School I would like to ask you to share a comment about a particular teacher or teachers even using real names, who touched their life for the better? It may be in the Adventist School system or another parochial or private institution or even public school. While we pride ourselves in our Adventist school teachers, we thank God for the angels who serve as teachers in public schools where they are so desperately needed. Also remember Sabbath School teachers are real teachers too.
If we haven’t already said it before, now would be a great time to say thank you to a wonderful teacher. Who wants to go first? 🙂
Jesus Taught Dignity and Compassion
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:11 NKJV
For years the church has loved pointing out that while Jesus forgave the woman trapped in adultery, He also told her to “sin no more.” And for years Seventh-day Adventists have been overlooking one of the greatest lessons Jesus ever taught. Jesus did not tell the woman to go and sin no more and then He would not condemn her. He told her He would not condemn her. More than freeing her from the condemnation of the law, Jesus was freeing the sex-slave who was callously thrown at his feet from her own self condemnation. He was restoring her dignity and sense of self worth so she was was now free to live the better life that she so desperately longed for but had only dreamed about.
They told her they loved her. Said she was beautiful. Promised her she would be special. Next thing she knew she was being dragged out of bed by the very ones who dragged her into bed, and those who had praised and flattered her just stood and watched her being dragged away, as their trap and plan unfolded.
Now she was kneeling half naked, humiliated before Jesus. Eyes closed, not wanting to see the stones that would soon be crushing her head, she waited in terror. It seemed like eternity. When would it be over?
Barely peeking through one eye she sees Jesus doing something in the sand. Not sure what. She hears footsteps as men walk away. What is going on? Then she hears a word she had not heard in years directed at her.
“Woman…”
Jesus didn’t call her a “slut,” or “whore.” He called her “woman.” He was addressing her with the same title of respect that He gave to his own mother, who spoke with angels and gave birth to the Son of God.
“….where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” John 8:10 NKJV
She opens her eyes and looks around. They are all gone! She makes no accusations against the men. We know little about the background of this woman. She may or may not have been a victim of sex trafficking. But we do know that, terrified as she was, she was ready to face the consequences without blaming anyone else for the choices she had made, and the role she had played, which now brought her half-naked and humiliated into the presence of Jesus. Yet incredibly, as guilty as she was, it was her accusers who slunk away. As she lay helpless at His feet, there was no one to condemn her! When we fall helplessly at the feet of Jesus, there is no condemnation for us either.
He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10 NKJV)
She said, “No one, Lord.” (John 8:11 NKJV)
What was next? A sermon? A lecture? Nowhere is it recorded, but I can imagine Jesus placing His coat over her near-naked body.
The Holy One Who would be hanging naked on a cross in front of the entire universe one day, takes off His robe and covers this woman, protecting her human dignity more than just covering her sexuality.
He doesn’t preach to her. He ministers to her.
Did you know you don’t have to be a preacher to be a minister? Ministering to sinners doesn’t always have to include a sermon. An-ill timed sermon can do more harm than good. Jesus could preach with the best of them, but He knew when to preach and when not to preach. He also knew when to minister.
He called her “woman.” He placed His coat over her near-naked body and gave her the sense of dignity she had been promised by the man who betrayed her trust. Then He did not preach to her with words, He ministered to her with words.
“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:11 NKJV
His words were brief and clear, yet somehow we get them mixed up. Have we ever told someone “Go and sin no more, and then I will stop condemning you!” Have you ever told a young man or woman, “we treat you like a child because you act like a child? Stop acting that way and then we will stop treating you that way.” That’s not what Jesus said. Jesus restored her dignity instead of asking her to act more dignified.
Jesus said clearly, “Neither do I condemn you.” Present tense.
“Go and sin no more.” Future tense.
The world told her they would stop condemning her once she stopped sinning. Jesus promised not to condemn her, so she could stop sinning.
They called her a whore and a slut.
Jesus called her a woman.
Mankind promised her she would be special, and then humiliated and betrayed her.
Jesus restored her dignity and made her special.
There was no condemnation for this woman at the feet of Jesus, and there is no condemnation for you, when you kneel at the feet of Jesus. By the way I love how Jesus turned a dirty trick into something beautiful. No matter how ill intended their evil plot was, these wicked men still brought a woman to the feet of Jesus where she found salvation! Their plan backfired! Grace has a way of defeating every intention of Satan. By the way to this day we still do not know exactly what Jesus wrote in the sand that day. That message was for those evil men alone. He wrote in the sand so he could reach their hearts without anyone else being able to see. Jesus will leave no means undone in His attempt to save, but public humiliation is the last thing Jesus wants to do if there is any way around it. That is one reason why Jesus says in Matthew 18 to go to the offender privately so hopefully it can be resolved without anyone else hearing of the matter. Still Jesus loves the sinner so much if not resolved it may have to be brought before the entire church and public humiliation may have to be encountered so salvation can become a reality. Yet Jesus wants to protect human dignity. After all He worked His first miracle of turning water into wine just to save a host from public embarrassment. He wrote in the sand to save sinners from public embarrassment, while also protecting the dignity of the woman. Picture of Jesus show a towel around His waist as He hung on the cross. Reality check, there was no towel around his waist in real life. Jesus hung naked in front of the entire universe taking on all of the public humiliation the universe deserves so He could save the universe from all of the public humiliation the entire universe deserves. Let that sink in. Ellen White in Desire of Ages, page 25 tells us Jesus was treated as we deserve so we can be treated as he deserves.
Jesus, the Master teacher did not embarrass His students. He dignified them. He did not tell them to stop making mistakes so He could stop condemning them. He stopped condemning them so they could be free from making the same mistakes again.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
In Light of The Cross 
