John 8:1-11 Convicting The Judges

Just enough of this story is untold to pique our curiosity.  A woman caught in the very act of adultery  -- how did they manage to find her in the first place?  And where was the man?  It does take two.

The setting is the “court of the women” on the Temple grounds.  “All the people” had come to hear Jesus teach after the Feast of Tabernacles concluded.  The poor woman, certainly in deep shame, was dragged by the Pharisees right into the middle of all this – to be put on display and used by the Pharisees in yet another attempt to discredit Jesus!  They wanted Him between a rock and a hard place.

“The law of Moses commands that we stone to death every woman who does this.  What do You say we should do?”  they asked Him.  It’s important to see where they were at fault before trying to answer the question.  They’d conveniently altered “the law of Moses”.  It didn’t say just “every woman”.  Both participants were to be stoned.  They were violating the law by not bringing in the man as well!

Their plan was to catch Jesus no matter which way He answered.  If He said, “No, don’t stone her,” then they had Him for openly breaking the law of Moses.  If He agreed with them, He’d likely lose most of His following, who valued His message of grace and forgiveness.  Jesus used Jewish law to solve the problem.  It required the accusers to throw the first stones.  He simply said, “Anyone here who has never sinned can cast the first stone at her.”

Of course, He was the only one there qualified to do so.  He’d just forced them to examine their own hearts.  He’d made it clear that adultery could take place in the heart without taking place in the bed.  No doubt those accusers who’d caught her in the act had also harbored quite impure thoughts over the scene while arresting her!

Knowing that they’d be branded as hypocrites, the older men dropped their stones and walked away.  Seeing what was happening, the younger men were also convicted and gave up.  Soon it was only the woman and Jesus.

He asked her, “Has no one judged you guilty?”  “No one, sir,” she humbly replied.  Knowing that the Pharisees had judged themselves guilty by the fact that they’d left, Jesus forgave her but also commanded her not to sin again.

My commentary said we have to be careful not to “misinterpret this event to mean that Jesus was easy on sin  … For Jesus to forgive this woman meant that He had to one day die for her sins.  Forgiveness is free, but it is not cheap.”

It also reminded us, “We must be condemned by the law before we can be cleansed by God’s grace.  Law and grace do not compete with each other.  They complement each other … There must be conviction before there can be conversion.”

Father, I am such a sinner, but thankfully I am forgiven and cleansed.  Thank You for offering Your Son to die for my sins.  Help me not to “condemn Him again” by adding to the large list that shows what You’ve forgiven me of already.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford