Today we are going to take a look at an interaction Jesus had with some religious people, and a woman caught in active sin. Let’s read the encounter first and then we will discuss it. 

“Early in the morning he [Jesus] came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. 

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”” John 8:2-11 (ESV)

How Jesus Deals with the Critics

It was the Pharisees and scribes who brought this woman to be judged by Jesus. We learned they did this to trap Jesus. How does Jesus respond?  “Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.” ‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭6b‬-‭9‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

So, who are Pharisees and scribes? These guys were the religious leaders of their time. They were people who dedicated their whole lives to serving God and teaching the people the laws they must follow. These guys were supposed to be examples to the rest of the nation of what it looks like to serve God with all their hearts and minds. 

The sad reality is these people lost what it means to be followers of God. They became hyper focused on the rules rather than relationship with God. The religious people made multiple laws for the laws already given by God. They became religious instead of relational with God. So much so, they missed the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh. They had God standing right in front of them and what do they do? They try over and over and over to trap Jesus so they could have a reason to kill him. Eventually they simply made up lies and paid people to lie in order to accomplish their goal. 

What did the law Say

What does the law actually say regarding adultery? We find this answer in ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭20‬:‭10‬ ‭(ESV‬‬), “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” Did you catch that? According to the law both the man and the woman should be put to death. This begs the question as to why the religious leaders only brought the woman but not the man to Jesus. These guys knew the law, and yet they chose to ignore half of it. Why? I have some ideas. 

One may be that this relationship between the man and woman was also a trap for the woman as well as Jesus. Maybe she did something one of the leaders didn’t like, and they sought to get rid of her. Perhaps the man in this unlawful relationship was one of the religious leaders. Could it be that he was present in this crowd? I don’t know the reason for them only bringing the woman to Jesus, but I have no doubt this was not done by accident.

Jesus’ Reaction

How did Jesus react to this trap? ‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) tells us, “… Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.” The initial reaction Jesus has is to bend down and write in the sand on the ground. What did he write? There has been great speculation among pastors about what he wrote. The truth is we don’t know since all it says is that he bent down and wrote on the ground. I once heard a pastor suggest he was writing down the sins of the Pharisees and scribes. He could have been writing down the 10 Commandments. He could have just been drawing a picture on the ground. 

We don’t know, but we do know how these guys reacted to this act. As we continue to read ‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) we learn, “And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.”

Jesus didn’t allow their pestering to bother him. They had in mind the answer they wanted from Jesus, and yet we see Jesus gives them a completely different answer. They wanted a definite yes or no as to the question, “Should we kill this woman for disobeying the law?” When these guys continued to ask Jesus what his answer was, he simply says, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” For this reason I do think it is likely Jesus was listing the sins of the guys standing there, but again, we don’t really know. 

Who is Without Sin

There was only one person there that day who was without sin. Jesus could have been the first to throw the first stone just as he said. Instead, we see Jesus have compassion on this woman. After the last guy left the crowd we see Jesus look at the woman and ask her, “…Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” John‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) She replied, “She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬ (‭ESV) 

Jesus didn’t condemn this woman and he doesn’t condemn you for any of your past failures. 

“Go and sin no more”

Focus on that last phrase, “Go, and from now on sin no more.” In declaring this command to the woman, Jesus released her from a life of sin. He healed her of self-condemnation as well as released her from the condemnation of others. He gave her the power to conquer sin. This is grace. When Jesus gives a command, he also gives the power to do said command. So when he told this woman to go sin no more, he was empowering her to actually accomplish this. 

No matter what you’ve done, even adultery or other sexual sins, God’s grace gives you the power to be released from that life. He frees you to live a Godly life filled with righteousness and peace. This is true freedom. 

If God can do this for the woman in John 8, He can do this for you. You can have true freedom to conquer whatever sin has or had you entrapped. Jesus is still the answer, and His Holy Spirit still gives you the power to live as “more than a conqueror” (Romans 8:37). Seek Him and ask. Knock on His door. He will answer.

It Doesn’t Matter

It truly doesn’t matter who is your accuser. Jesus’ response to you is the same as his response to this woman, “I don’t condemn you.” If Jesus doesn’t condemn you, then no human has the right to condemn you either. So go out in confidence knowing, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)