Adultery - Guilty or Not Guilty?

"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,  4they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  5Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”  John 8: 3-5  NKJV

Jesus was in the middle of a teaching session in the temple, when the Pharisees and the scribes brought a woman who they had found committing adultery, ''Teacher, this woman was  caught in adultery, in the very act' v4. Their intention was to trap Jesus because the law said that adultery was punishable by death. But where was the man? Adultery takes two people and this is what the law referred to in Leviticus 20:10 'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbours wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.'

For the Pharisees to find the couple in the very act of adultery, would have been difficult, unless they had entered someone's property. Even then, it was unlikely. Was this a set up to trick Jesus? Had the man been paid off by the Pharisees to prove her guilt, and then disappeared? Just the fact that they said to Jesus, 'But what do you say' made it clear that they were trying to stitch Him up. The law said the adulterer should be stoned to death. It seemed very suspicious that there was no sign of the man. It was illegal for the Sanhedrin to execute anyone without Roman consent and then it would have been difficult to prove this case. However, Jesus was in a tricky position. If He were to disagree with Moses' Law, He would be seen to violate this. If He were to agree to stoning by death, by Roman law, He would be accused of violating His own teaching of love and forgiveness. He was in a no-win situation. This Lynch mob were out to get Him.

Jesus stooped down on the ground and began writing in the sand and dust. The tension for the Pharisees was tight. But, Jesus was totally at peace. They began questioning Him again and He stood up and said, 'He who is without sin among you, let Him throw a stone at her first.' v7 He then bent down and continued to write on the ground. We don't know what he wrote, but it certainly intimidated the accusers. With His statement, they left, convicted, one by one. When you consider this situation, the only one who would have been qualified to throw the first stone, would have been Jesus. 

Jesus looked at the woman and because the place was cleared except for the woman and Himself, He asked her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, 'No one Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' V10 - 11

This is a wonderful conclusion and one in which, we see Jesus protecting His people. She didn't follow Him earlier, but, you can bet that she became a follower of Jesus from thereon. Just a thought here, Jesus did not go easy on the woman's sin. By His act of forgiveness for her, meant that one day soon, He would suffer for her sin on the cross, as He did for ours. This was a pre-crucifixation act.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out