Pharisees Condemn The Adulterous Woman
December 12, 2021
Commentary
In this passage we find the Jewish religious leaders trying to set a trap. They brought a woman to Christ whom they said had been caught in adultery (v. 3). They said, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who isn’t her husband. The Law of Moses teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say” (vv. 4-6)? If He answered that the woman should be stoned, He would have been violating the Roman law which forbade such acts. If He said that she should not be stoned, He would be violating Moses’ law (Deuteronomy 22:24). Finally, He stood up and said, “If any of you have never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her” (v. 7)! Basically there are four reasons why Jesus did not command that this woman be stoned: The Jews had no right to take the death penalty into their own hands. The civil rule of Israel was under the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire.The dishonest intent of those who brought the woman was obvious. This was evidenced by the rude way these religious leaders interrupted Jesus. The law required that both the man and the woman found in adultery be stoned (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22) and not just the woman. There is no mention of the man that was involved.It was required by Jewish law that the accusers cast the first stones (Deuteronomy 17:7). In answering His accusers, Christ applied this law to the lives of those who accused the woman. Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus simply judged the judges. By applying the Law to the woman and not to themselves, these leaders violated both the letter and the spirit of the Law.
Application
If I had been in the crowd when the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, I wonder which of the following I would have done? ____ Stood up for the woman. ____ Picked up a stone. ____ Looked the other way. ____ Prayed for the woman.
John 8:1– 7 (NET)
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The experts in the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. 5 In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death such women. What then do you say?” 6 (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against him.) Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. 7 When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied, “Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Illustration: A Father’s Forgives his Son
There’s a Spanish story of a father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months but to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” On Saturday, 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. (Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992, p. 13).