THE LATER JUDEAN MINISTRY

-A Woman Caught In Adultery Is Brought to Jesus

-John 7:53 - John 8:11

-“This section is wanting in nearly all older manuscripts, but Jerome (A.D. 346-420) says that

 in his time it was contained ‘in many Greek and Latin manuscripts,’ and these must have been

 as good or better than the best manuscripts we now possess.  But whether we regard it as part of

 John’s narrative or not, scholars very generally accept it as a genuine piece of history”

 (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 451).

-The Sanhedrin adjourned and the men went to their homes.  Jesus went to the Mt. of Olives. 

 “This is the earliest mention of the Mount of Olives with the visits of Jesus.  The Mount of

 Olives is situated on the east side of Jerusalem, its ascent beginning just on the suburbs of the

 city.  From its top the city can be overlooked.  It was from this mount that Jesus overlooked the

 city on his last visit to Jerusalem and wept over its coming ruin and desolation in terms of such

 tender pathos and sorrow.  On its eastern slope the villages of Bethany and Bethpage are situated. 

 The former was the home of Martha and Mary and Lazarus, the strong personal friends of Jesus,

 whose house seems to have been the chief stopping place of Jesus when in Jerusalem.  He had

 strong personal friends in Bethpage as well as Bethany.  He was now when in Jerusalem likely

 spending his nights with this family as he did during the last week of his sojourn on earth”

 (Lipscomb, pg 120).

-Early in the morning, Jesus made His way to the temple where He taught the people that

 gathered.

-On this occasion, the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who, according to their

 claims, had been caught in the act of adultery.

            -They were not interested in justice.  They just wanted to entrap Jesus.

            -The Law of Moses required that a person caught in adultery be stoned.  However, at that

             particular time, the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out capital punishment.  So, they

             probably felt as if they had Jesus trapped.  If He did not follow the specific instructions of

             the Law, they would hold it against Him, and on these grounds, try to turn the people away

             from Him.  However, if He held to the Law and instructed that she should be stoned, these

             Jewish leaders would have gone to the Romans with accusations that Jesus was overstepping

             the bounds of Roman authority.  One way or another, they thought they could expose Jesus

             as a breaker of one law or another.  

-Let’s note a couple of additional, pertinent facts regarding the Law of Moses. 

            -First of all, consider Deuteronomy 17:6, “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses,

             shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not

             be put to death.”  Where were the witnesses?  They didn’t even have one.  These Jewish

             leaders didn’t even bother to involve the man who was also a part of this act of adultery. 

             They certainly didn’t seem interested in testimony from witnesses either.  Secondly,

             Deuteronomy 22:22 makes it clear that both the man and woman were to die, not just the

             woman.  Clearly, these Jewish leaders were not pursuing justice in accordance with the Law.

                        -In John 8:5, these Jewish leaders claimed that the Law commanded that this woman be

                         stoned.  In the absence of witnesses, the Law actually commanded that she be released.

-Jesus responded to their poor motives with silence.  He simply stooped down and wrote on the

 ground.  We simply do not know what Jesus wrote due to the fact that the scriptures do not tell us. 

-As these men continued to push the issue, Jesus stood and addressed them with the famous

 words, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). 

            -Some have suggested that Jesus simply overlooked this woman’s violation of the Law and

             therefore set aside the Law’s requirements in order to grant her grace and forgiveness.  Some

             teach this in an effort to minimize the role of obedience regarding the specifics of God’s

             word.  Yet, the scriptures clearly reveal that Jesus taught that one was to obey God’s

             instructions.  He never removed that responsibility and accountability.  Yet, at the same time

             He was merciful, gracious & forgiving.

                        -“He neither reflected upon the law nor excused the prisoner's guilt” (Henry).

                        -Also of interest here is the fact that this woman never asks for forgiveness in this

                          passage.

            -Had Jesus instructed the requested action against this woman, He would have actually

             violated the Law due to the fact that no witnesses were present.  As a matter of fact, in

             accordance with the Law, witnesses were to be the first to cast the stones (Deut 17:7).

            -It seems that the phrase, “He that is without sin”, goes beyond a reference to general sin.  It

             is indeed possible that this is a reference to the specific sin being discussed - adultery.  It

             seems they were judging this woman regarding a sin that they themselves were guilty of.

                        -“He knew they all had been guilty of the same sin at some time in their lives”

                         (Lipscomb, pg 121).  

                        -“That is, without this particular sin; he who has not himself been guilty of this very

                         crime-for in this place the connection evidently demands this meaning” (Barnes).

                        -“He builds upon an uncontested maxim in morality, that it is very absurd for men to be

                         zealous in punishing the offences of others, while they are every whit as guilty

                         themselves, and they are not better than self-condemned who judge others, and yet

                         themselves do the same thing: "If there be any of you who is without sin, without sin of

                         this nature, that has not some time or other been guilty of fornication or adultery, let him

                         cast the first stone at her" (Henry).

-Jesus then simply turned around, stooped down and continued writing on the ground.  As He did

 the accusers, “being convicted by their own conscience” (John 8:9), disbanded beginning from

 the oldest to the youngest. 

            -Jesus then stood and addressed the woman.  Her accusers had left without condemning (casting

             sentence against) her.  Jesus was not going to cast a direct sentence against her either.  However,

 as David Lipscomb properly observed, “’Go’ and ‘sin no more’ is a strong implied rebuke of the  

 woman’s past life, and charge to repent and lead a different life.  It also implies an opening of

 the door of hope if she complied with the conditions” (pg 123).

            -“The narrative shows how Jesus could deal with malice and impurity in a manner so full of

             delicacy and dignity as to demonstrate the divine wisdom which dwelt within him”

             (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 453).