The adulterous woman, John 8:1-11, written by Pastor Steve

John 8:1-11

One of the most interesting things about this story is that it probably was not originally part of the Gospel of John. Most of the oldest copies we have of John’s Gospel don’t include it. And yet, it seems that in the very early church this story was so powerful – and so widely accepted as a genuine story about Jesus – that it eventually found a home in between the 7th and 8th Chapters of John.

The story is compelling for several reasons. First, because it involves a person who’s sin is not in question. Sometimes, when we read about Jesus forgiving “sinners”, it’s not always clear if the person is being falsely accused, or perhaps even accused of something which shouldn’t be considered a sin. But everybody accepted that adultery was a sin. And nobody – not even the woman – denied that she was guilty.

And yet, Jesus refused to join the lynch mob. He sat quietly and wrote on the ground (later scribes sometimes added that he wrote the sins of each of the accusers!) Finally, Jesus ties God’s justice and mercy together when we tells the self-righteous mob that whoever is without sin should cast the first stone. And they all go away. And then, Jesus, the only one without sin who could cast the stone, refuses to condemn the woman. He simply tells her to go her way and not sin anymore.

And perhaps the reason this story was so important to include was that it reminds us that it’s really easy for us to say, “oh, yes, we’re all sinners”. But it’s also really easy for us to excuse our own sin by comparing ourselves to somebody we believe is worse than us. Jesus will have none of that. Judgment belongs to God. And sin can’t be atoned for by pointing a finger at somebody else. Only God’s forgiveness and mercy can do that.

8¹while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. ³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, ⁴they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ ⁶They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ ⁸And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.^{* 9}When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ¹¹She said, ‘No one, sir.’^* And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’]]^*