John 8:1-11

John 8:1-11

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”]

When Jesus returned to the temple to teach the Word of God, He was faced with a very difficult situation.  Since many in the crowd at least had a respect for Jesus, He enjoyed a certain amount of protection from the religious leaders.  His wisdom and perception are on full display in this passage as well as several other attributes.  He was able to avoid a direct confrontation without compromising His standards or integrity.  Jesus was under constant scrutiny as the religious elite were looking for ways to discredit or condemn Him.  He gives an extraordinary example of how to deal with difficult circumstances.

THE CONFRONTATION OF JESUS: As Jesus taught in the temple He enjoyed a certain measure of protection due to His popularity within the crowd.  However, the scribes and Pharisees continue to try to find a way to condemn Him.  They bring a woman before Him who had been caught in the act of adultery in order to see how He might react to this situation.  It was really a “no win” situation for Him.  On the one hand, there was the Law that required for her to be condemned.  On the other hand, there was the rule of the Romans who would not view the stoning of a woman in an open court in a positive light.  There are several things about this situation that are strange.  They did not require His authority to do whatever they wanted, the were clearly trying to trick Him.  It is also very strange that the only person brought before them was the woman.  If she was caught in the act the man should have been brought out as well.  It must have been stressful to be under constant scrutiny, but He handles the whole situation in an incredibly wise manner.

THE CREATIVITY OF JESUS: Instead of giving them a direct answer that would have either made Him vulnerable to criticism from the people for not obeying the Law or to punishment from rule of Rome; Jesus uses a great deal of creativity.  He does not give an immediate judgment.  Instead He takes His time, kneels down and draws in the dirt while the crowd waits in anticipation.  Sometimes silence is the safest and the wisest response.  We don’t know what he was writing, but we can see His wisdom in not being rushed into giving an immediate response.  When He does speak, He simply tells the one without sin to cast the first stone.  This creative answer allows Him to escape the criticism of the leaders who were looking for an excuse to turn the people against Him, while at the same time avoiding a conflict with Rome.  Even more creatively, we can see that Jesus was able to create a situation where everyone present had to examine themselves and see their own sinfulness.  When faced with a no win situation, it is best to quietly and calmly think the situation through before responding.

THE COMPASSION OF JESUS: When Jesus tells the men there that the one without sin should cast the first stone, it diffused the entire situation.  He had compassion on the woman, and though He had the right to condemn her and cast the first stone, He forgave her.  All of us stand in condemnation before God.  We are all deserving of death because of our sin.  However, God is loving and compassionate and provides a way of escape through the Lord Jesus.  He admonishes her to repent of her sin and not return to the same sinful ways.  He does not condone her sinful life but does not condemn her to death.  Jesus does the same with our sin.  He could condemn us justly with no need for testimony, but He loves us, has compassion on us and died in our place so that we might rejoice in His forgiveness while at the same time requiring that we repent of our sin.

APPLICATION: Beware of people’s evil intentions.  Don’t rush to judgement when faced with a difficult situation or circumstance.  Take time, ask God for wisdom and look for creative and biblical means of escape.  Have compassion on people but seek to bring them to repentance.  Love people the way they are; but too much to leave them that way.