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Woman Caught in Adultery

John 8:3-11 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more."  (ESV)

In this story, the sinfulness of every heart is emphasized to show the perfection of God and the importance of listening to his voice rather than the judging voices of others.

For starters, this example begins with a woman caught in a sinful act that would cost her her life. Jewish law in Leviticus 20:10 states that anyone caught in adultery would be stoned, so both her and the man she was having a relationship with were at risk of death. (I'm not certain why the man wasn't brought before Jesus as well, but that's an entirely different matter.)

Jesus knows the Jewish law, and he knows that the punishment for her sin is stoning. So, he tells the men who brought her before him that the person who has never sinned can throw the first stone. He's the only one without sin, so everyone leaves. And then Jesus does something amazing: he doesn't condemn her. He tells her to go turn away from her past and start over. He forgives her. That's what happens when he forgives us too. He doesn't condemn us, but he offers us the chance to start over if we seek his forgiveness. He gives us a new life, separate from past mistakes.

Jesus is the only judge whose voice matters. So his voice should be our primary focus for deciding right and wrong, not our neighbor or the kid that rides the bus with us or anyone else.


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