Caught – John 7:53-8:11

The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850, about a woman who conceives a child out of wedlock and her punishment is to wear a scarlet letter ‘A’ for adultery on her garments.  It turns out that the local minister, who has been demanding with all the village that she reveal who her lover is, is , in fact, her lover.  It is a study in guilt, morality and hypocrisy.  Perhaps it was inspired by Jesus’ own experience with the Pharisees.

And each one went to his own home.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  At dawn, again he appeared at the temple and all the people came to him, and he sat and taught them.  The Scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman to him caught in adultery and they stood her in the middle of everyone and said to him, “This woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.  Now in the law of Moses it is commanded that such a one be stoned.  So what do you say?”  Of course, they were saying this to test him so they might have a way to charge him.

But Jesus stooped down and began to write in the dirt.  And as they persisted in questioning him, Jesus stood and said to them, “Let the one of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.”  And stooping down again he wrote in the dirt.  Those who were listening began to leave one by one from the oldest down until Jesus was left alone with the woman in the midst of everyone.  Standing up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they?  Does no one accuse you?”  And she said, “No one, sir.”  Jesus said, “Neither do I accuse you.  Go, and from now on don’t sin this way anymore.”  (John 7:53-8:11)

There is good evidence that this story is not originally in John’s Gospel, that it has been added later, though that is not definitive.  However, it seems still to be a genuine Jesus account and may have been part of the apostles’ original presentation about Jesus’ life and teaching, even if not previously a part of John’s presentation in this Gospel.

Jesus is risking arrest still by being in Jerusalem, and since the attempt to arrest him failed before perhaps the Pharisees are being more cautious.  They were hoping that by testing him, and him failing, they might more easily arrest him without incident.  But it backfires.  Yes, the law set stoning as the punishment for adultery, but even in the ancient times it was not normally carried out.  Joseph, Jesus’ adopted father, was going to divorce Mary quietly, rather than stone her for what was obviously, to him and everyone, an act of adultery.  God Himself, when accusing Israel and Judah of spiritual adultery, divorced them rather than killing them (Jeremiah 3).  But the Pharisees knew that if Jesus assented to her death it would change the attitude of the people toward him and if he refused he would look weak in applying the law.

Jesus’ response, “Let him who is without sin throw the first stone,” left them helpless.  No one was going to say they had not sinned.  So they left, defeated in their purpose.  Now Jesus could minister to the woman.  She is guilty, but so was the man she was “caught” with (and where was he?).  This highlighted the Pharisees’ double standard.  But instead of condemning her Jesus “forgives” her and warns her to stop sinning, to stop committing adultery.  That’s our Savior!

For Christians, Jesus’ death has paid for our sins and there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).  We will never be condemned for our sins.  We will be disciplined, even as Jesus disciplined this woman.  Sin damages us and Jesus’ goal is to make us like himself, whole and free from sin’s damaging work, fully trusting in and devoted to God.  Go in the love of Jesus and sin no more.

Discussion Questions

1. Has anybody ever tried to embarrass you in front of others?  What was that like?
2. Can you imagine what this woman was feeling?  What might she have been saying to herself?
3. What does this scene tell you about the Scribes and Pharisees?
4. What do you think Jesus was writing in the dirt?
5. How do you think the woman felt after her accusers left and Jesus spoke to her?
6. How are you and I like this woman?