The Adulteress

March 9 The Adulteress John 7:53-8:11

“Sin no more. From this we gather the aim of the grace of Christ. It is that when the sinner is reconciled to God, he may honor the Author of his salvation by a godly and holy life. In short, the same Word of God that offers us pardon calls us at the same time to repentance.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:209

This passage is not included in many of the most ancient manuscripts. It differs in style and vocabulary from John’s normal pattern of writing. It is possible that this is a piece of disconnected oral history. We cannot be sure that it contains an authentic story about Jesus, but it certainly has the ring of truth. The Jesus we meet in this brief passage is clearly the Jesus of the Gospels.

Jesus was teaching in the Temple courts when the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been caught in adultery. They reminded Him that, under the Law of Moses, she deserved to be stoned to death. Then they asked Jesus to pass judgment upon her. We are told that they had an ulterior motive in bringing the woman before Jesus: they were more interested in trapping Him than in condemning her.

It was true that, under Mosaic Law, those caught in adultery, if convicted on the evidence of two witnesses, could be put to death. But that interpretation was very rarely invoked, especially in urban settings. How was Jesus to respond? If He argued for leniency He could be accused of undermining the Law. If He argued for a strict interpretation He would lose His reputation for mercy; He could also, conceivably, get in a great deal of trouble with the Romans.

Having listened to the accusation, Jesus stooped and wrote in the sand. We have no idea what He wrote; perhaps He was just giving the accusers time to consider the charge they were bringing. Incidentally, this is the only occasion we know of when Jesus wrote anything. Having written, Jesus arose and challenged he woman’s accusers. Let the one who was without sin cast the first stone. As He stooped to continue writing, the men slipped away, the oldest first, one by one, until only Jesus remained. Since two accusers were required, the charge could no longer hold. Jesus pronounced judgment anyway. We can assume, from her demeanor, that the woman was guilty. Nevertheless, refusing to condemn her, Jesus simply charged her to go, and sin no more.

The quiet acquiescence of the accusers is surprising, but probably authentic. We should note that he older men left first; they would have been more aware of their guilt, less willing to face the charge of being malicious witnesses, for which the penalty under the same Law of Moses was death, by stoning. Perhaps they recognized, in Jesus, something of the character of mercy that drew so many to Him, and still today. The irony is, of course, that Jesus was the only one without sin and was, therefore, the only one able to condemn. Instead, He chose forgiveness. But this was no cheap grace. Jesus was not turning the blind eye to sin, pretending that the offense did not matter. Still less did He attempt to redefine the boundaries of biblical morality. Adultery was no less a crime against God’s Law. But Jesus chose to give her a second chance. This is what makes the story feel authentic. He could have condemned her; instead He offered hope. His words retain their power and their promise.

For further reading: Psalm 82