uld !esus break Lhe law ln hls LreaLmenL of Lhe woman caughL ln adulLery?

"
!ohn 8 111 LevlLlcus 2010
1hls classlc sLory of Lhe woman caughL ln Lhe acL of adulLery and !esus' lmpacLful response appears only
wlLhln Lhe recorded gospel of !ohn 1he redempLlon of Lhls slnful woman's Lale ls one of Lhe many
sLorles LhaL deplcL Cod's mercy Lowards slnners 1he lnLroducLlon of Lhls sLory follows Lhe precedlng
chapLer ln !ohn whereln !esus ls ln Lhe mldsL of a falLhless doubLlng and dlvlslve crowd LhaL quesLloned
wheLher he was Lruly Lhe ChrlsL ln whlch ChrlsL responded ?e boLh know me and ye know whence l
am and l am noL come of myself buL he LhaL senL me ls Lrue whom ye know noL 8uL l know hlm for l
am from hlm and he haLh senL me" (!ohn 7 2829) Lager Lo seek hls demlse Lhe harlsees and chlef
prlesLs soughL Lo desLroy hlm buL yeL lL was noL Llme for ChrlsL's pendlng doom As Lhe harlsees and
Lhe dlvlded crowd conLlnued Lo murmur and complaln abouL hls Leachlngs durlng hls sLay ln Lhls reglon
!esus sLood and proclalmed on Lhe lasL day of Lhe !ews feasL of Lhe Labernacles lf any man LhlrsL leL
hlm come unLo me and drlnk" (!ohn 737) !esus spoke clearly and openly of hlmself by hls lnvlLaLlon Lo
come Lo hlmself as Lhe source of llvlng waLer (!ohn 7 3738) desplLe Lhe naysayers Lhe doubLful and
Lhose whose hearL s were seL Lo desLroy hlm 1he sLory of Lhe adulLerous woman unfolds as !esus ls
vlslLlng aL Lhe MounL of Cllves Larly ln Lhe mornlng !esus was ln Lhe Lemple when Lhe people of Lhe
area came and he LaughL Lhem (!ohn 82) 1he scrlbes and harlsees prepared Lo challenge hlm by
brlnglng ln a woman Laken ln Lhe acL of adulLery and Lhereby seL her ln Lhe mldsL of Lhe people 1he
LreaLmenL of Lhe woman by Lhese rellglous leaders was callous demeanlng and publlcly humlllaLlng
Supposedly lf Lhey were uslng her Lo LesL ChrlsL how greaL was Lhls woman's fear as she was broughL
before ChrlsL Lo recelve [udgmenL Lowards her slnfulness 1he harlsees and scrlbes soughL Lo sLone her
however ln examlnlng Moses' law Lhe law speaks of Lhe deaLh of boLh man and woman lnvolved ln Lhe
sln of adulLery (Lev 2010) 1he senLence of caplLal punlshmenL was lndeed evldenL wlLhln Lhe law
speclflcally adulLery among oLher offenses were Lo be punlshed by deaLh 1he Mosalc penalLy was LhaL
boLh Lhe gullLy parLles should be sLoned and lL applled as well Lo Lhose beLroLhed as Lo Lhe marrled
woman provlded she were free A bondwoman so offendlng was Lo be scourged and Lhe man was Lo
make a Lrespass offerlng (LevlLlcus 192022) Symbollcally adulLery ls used Lo express unfalLhfulness Lo
covenanL vows Lo Cod who ls represenLed as Lhe husband of hls people (SmlLh 8lble ulcLlonary)

WlLhln Lhls redempLlve sLory Lhe scrlbes and harlsees demonsLraLed a zeal for Lhelr verslon of
rlghLeousness a concern for upholdlng Lhe law buL had no concern for Lhe soul of Lhls woman 1helr
hearLs were decelLful and deslred Lo LempL ChrlsL LhaL Lhey mlghL accuse hlm and add more fuel Lo Lhelr
flre Lo enLrap hlm ln Lhelr quesL Lo LempL ChrlsL Lhey referenced Moses' law LhaL sLaLed LhaL anyone
gullLy of adulLery should be sLoned buL lnqulred of ChrlsL's response Lo Lhe maLLer ChrlsL's response
was noLeworLhy and purposeful ln LhaL he dld noL respond Lo Lhem rlghL away buL yeL Lhey perslsLed ln
asklng hlm whaL should be done ChrlsL sLooped and wroLe ln Lhe ground acLlng as lf he dld noL hear
Lhem buL evenLually responded Pe LhaL ls wlLhouL sln among you leL hlm flrsL casL a sLone aL her" and
reLurned Lo drawlng ln Lhe ground (!ohn 87) !esus accompllshed several Lhlngs by Lhls sLaLemenL lL
relleved hlm from havlng lnsLlgaLed a sLonlng lL ensured LhaL Lhere wlll noL be a sLonlng and lasLly lL
caused Lhe accusers Lo reflecL on Lhelr own slnfulness before Cod ConvlcLed by Lhelr own consclence
Lhe accusers lefL sLarLlng wlLh Lhe oldesL Lo Lhe youngesL unLll Lhe only ones remalnlng was ChrlsL and
Lhe woman erhaps Lhe eldesL lefL flrsL because Lhey recognlzed Lhelr own slnfulness more readlly
however no maLLer Lhe rapld selflnLrospecLlon LhaL may have occurred Lhe lmpacLful sLaLemenL LhaL
ChrlsL made was purposeful ChrlsL saw only Lhe woman remalned and quesLloned where were her
accusers and Lhose LhaL had condemned her? Pe lnqulred Pad no one condemned you?" (!ohn 8 10)
1he woman responded no man Lord And !esus sald unLo her nelLher do l condemn Lhee go and sln
no more" (!ohn 8 11) noLlce ln ChrlsL's response he dld noL ask her abouL Lhe charges buL raLher Lhe
slLuaLlon LhaL was mosL alarmlng and dlshearLenlng Lo Lhe woman her accusers ChrlsL aL Lhls polnL was
Lhe only one lefL who lndeed was wlLhouL sln and Lhus he could casL any [udgmenL because of who Pe
was !esus' [udgmenL" of exLendlng mercy was Lo showcase Lhe usherlng ln of Lhe beneflLs of hls new
covenanL whereln grace and mercy abounded Lowards Lhls woman and conLlnues Lowards all of
manklnd Loday !esus dld noL break Lhe law ln hls LreaLmenL of Lhls woman buL raLher he was Lhe llvlng
example of Lhe fulflllmenL of Lhe scrlpLures ln LhaL Cod dld noL send Pls Son Lo condemn Lhe world buL
Lo save Lhe world Lhrough Plm" (!ohn 317) lurLher examples of ChrlsL's purpose ln fulfllllng Lhe law and
Lhe lnLroducLlon of a new covenanL began ln Cld 1esLamenL propheLlc book of lsalah ln whlch Lhe wrlLer
sLaLes Lhough your slns be as scarleL Lhey shall be as whlLe as snow Lhough Lhey be red llke crlmson
Lhey shall be as wool (lsalah 118) new 1esLamenL scrlpLures conLlnue ln exalLlng Pls auLhorlLy ln saylng
buL LhaL ye may know LhaL Lhe Son of man haLh power on earLh Lo forglve slns (MaLLhew 96)
hlghllghLlng Pls purpose whlch was Lo glve knowledge of salvaLlon unLo hls people by Lhe remlsslon of
Lhelr slns (Luke 1 77) and magnlfylng Pls soverelgnLy whlch sLaLes Plm haLh Cod exalLed wlLh hls rlghL
hand Lo be a rlnce and a Savlor for Lo glve repenLance Lo lsrael and forglveness of slns" (AcLs 331)
!esus granLed pardon Lo Lhls woman and encouraged her Lo leave her llfe of sln even Lhough ChrlsL knew
LhaL she was gullLy of adulLery Pe exLended mercy and rlghLeousness Lhrough condemnlng Lhe sln and
noL Lhe slnner ChrlsL's dlvlnlLy ls apparenL and profound ln Lhls sLory because he hlghllghLs hls auLhorlLy
ln pardonlng her sln and encouraglng a rlghLeous llfe under Pls covenanL he sLlll exLends LhaL pardon
Lo us for our slns conLlnuously condemnlng our llfesLyles buL sln encouraglng us Lo deparL from sln buL
raLher demonsLraLlng hls love and commlLmenL LhaL Pe wlll be wlLh Pls people unLll Lhe end (MaLLhew
28 20)
#010703.08
Smith, William. Smith Bible Dictionary. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Grand Rapids,2002
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
IVP New Testament Commentary
Vos, Howard F. Nelson`s New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs. Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville. 1999.