People26

Jn 8:3-6 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

I have to confess that this is one of my favourite stories about people who met Jesus. This is about a lady who neither came to see Jesus of her own volition nor was sought out by Jesus. No, this lady was dragged to Jesus by the ‘ethics police', the Pharisees, and what is especially bad about it is that they brought her to Jesus and questioned him about her “as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.” Now we have to also note before we get under way that in our Bibles we have a note: “The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11.” i.e. this story may not have been in the original form of this Gospel. So why do we use it? Because it ‘fits' with all we know of Jesus. Possibly it was added in later as one of the stories that had been passed down by others that maybe John spoke about but hadn't originally included. But it fits!

So, the Pharisees come with this ‘lady' who has been caught in an adulterous relationship. We observed in the previous meditation that the Law, when it was being upheld, demanded that those caught in adultery be stoned, yet the moral and spiritual state of the land as shown in the Gospels, doesn't appear very good (when you have so much sickness and so much demon possession among a people who have been promised health by God, you know things aren't right!). Thus I suspect that that law was very rarely applied. But now the Pharisees have heard of this woman who has been caught in adultery. The question naturally arises, where is the guilty man? They aren't concerned with him, just with this woman. She is enough to put Jesus in an awkward position.

Now why would that be? Well if on one hand Jesus agreed with the Law then he would be seen to be siding with the Pharisees (who were unpopular) and may appear as hard hearted. On the other hand, if he let her off he would be seen to be rejecting God's law. They are out to get him and they care nothing for the woman and her feelings or her future. They are quite happy to have her stoned to make a point! Heartless!

So how is Jesus going to deal with this situation? “But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.” (v.6). We don't know what he wrote or why he wrote. Perhaps it was something about the Pharisees; perhaps he was just doodling to give himself time to think. Then, “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.” (v.7,8) They press him to give an answer to he stands up and looks at them and basically says, “OK, yes this is what the Law demands so let's see if there is any one of you who doesn't equally deserve punishment. If that is you, you can cast the first stone.” And then he crouches down and writes in the dust on the ground again.

The response is good: “At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.” (v.9). In the silence that follows, minds are working furiously. The older (wiser) ones of his accusers get the point and sidle away, followed soon by the younger ones. They know that they dare not say, “I'm perfect, I'm sinless, I don't deserve punishment, I'm fit to bring judgment on others!” Now their original accusations become an embarrassment and they quietly leave. Soon it's just Jesus and the woman left.

“Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin.” (v.10,11) This is grace and mercy. No, I'm not going to condemn you. I'm giving you a second chance, so don't blow it. Break off this adulterous relationship and don't get into this sort of mess again. Suddenly, I suspect, we have a very grateful woman and one with a new lease of life who will stay out of wrong relationships, a restored woman.

I especially like this story because it goes to the heart of our own judgmentalism. How often do we look down our ethical noses at those who have sinned and want judgment? Now we are not to condone sin; we are to recognise it, but having done that we are so seek for restoration of the sinner: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” (Gal 6:1) This is God's desire for us, to bring restoration not judgment. When the woman came to Jesus she was utterly helpless. Yes, she had been caught in her sin. Did Jesus just let her off it? No he gracefully gave her a second chance but it did come with the warning “leave your life of sin.” Because grace and mercy had been applied, that was now possible.

Every one of us are just like the Pharis

ees in this story and we cannot point a finger without first facing our own inadequacies, our own failures and thus our own lack of qualification to judge and condemn others. We are just the same as them. Our sins may be different, they may be less damaging in society, but they are still sin, whether they are pride, bad thinking, critical judgmentalism or whatever. I dare not stoop down and pick up a stone to throw – and neither can you!