There is much controversy as to the legitimacy of these verse because the earliest Greek manuscripts do not contain it. It is beyond the scope of this book to get into all the details of why and how the passage appears to be genuine or not. I have addressed this passage in my book, Term Papers for My Liberty University Master of Arts in Theological Studies.[1] This is also available on my blog.[2]Suffice it to say, in my opinion, there is enough evidence to take this passage seriously as the Word of God.
1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Previously, we are told that everyone went to their homes. Jesus didn’t have a home in or around Jerusalem. Yes, he often stayed with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary a short distance away. However, this evening, he went to the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives has a prominent place in Scripture. It is mentioned when David fled from Absalom and escaped Jerusalem (2 Sam 15:30). It is most important in the prophecy from Zechariah 14:4 stating that this is where Jesus will return. It is where Jesus instructed his disciples to prepare for his triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1). It is where he told his disciples about the end times (Matthew 24:3) and it is where he went with his disciples after the Last Supper as was his habit (Luke 22:34). It was where he was betrayed. It is where he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:12).
It is mentioned here to show the contrast between the other people who were either against him or those who were confused about him. They had made this world their home, but Jesus didn’t have a place in this world (Matt 8:20). When things get tough, where do we go for peace, quiet, and comfort. Do we turn to our earthly homes, or do we turn to the Lord? Jesus knew the significance of this place and it was where he could be close to his Father even with the impeding betrayal.
It was also a place where he could easily return to the temple to teach the people that would gather for the morning sacrifice. Since the eighth day of the feast was to be a solemn assembly and do no work (Leviticus 23:36), Jesus would need to be close by.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.”
Anyone with the vaguest knowledge of the OT should see this as a farce from the very beginning. The leaders of the religious establishment bring only the woman who was caught in adultery. They should have also brought the man. Some say that it was because the man was a Pharisee that he wasn’t brought. They didn’t want to embarrass one of their own. However, that wouldn’t make sense. The crime for a Pharisee would have been so heinous that they would have banished him from their ranks. They prided themselves on keeping the externals of the law.
This was simply a trap. They didn’t care what the hoi palloi, the common people did. They may have even paid the man to set up the circumstances so that they could catch him in the act. It is hard for me to imagine that this apparently large group of people were just standing around on the street corner looking for someone they could blame.
5 “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"
Under what circumstances was stoning the penalty for adultery? Leviticus 20:10 clearly states that both the man and the married woman were to be put to death but doesn’t specify how. There is only an implication of stoning mentioned in Ezekiel 16:38-40. This is obviously another attempt by the Pharisees to assert their own versions of the Law. Leviticus 19:20-22 only prescribed scourging if the woman was a slave promised to another man. If this woman was an unmarried prostitute, then it would be a different story all together. Since it is a trap, then it is very possible that she was a prostitute, then the penalty would be different.
We need to be careful when we interpret Scripture. The Pharisees were experts at adding to the Law but were very negligent in applying grace. We only have to look at David’s adultery with Bathsheba to see that the laws and penalties for adultery and other matters in the OT were often pardoned. We should extend the same grace when people repent.
6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
If we hadn’t already guessed, Scripture makes it clear that the leaders were setting up a trap for Jesus. The trap was simple. If Jesus agreed with them that the woman should be stoned, they could tell the Romans that he was advocating breaking the Roman law. If he said the woman should not be stoned, then they would spread the word that he was rejecting the Law of Moses.
Jesus’ response is quite unusual. The comment, “as though He did not hear” is not even in all the manuscripts that include this incident. However, it certainly displays what Jesus was doing. Writing on the ground and stooping down tells us something very important. First, Jesus stood up when the woman was brought to him. A teacher always sat while he taught. Now he is no longer standing but stooping down and scratching in the dirt. It shows his disdain for those who came to him.
We should be so careful in the way we respond to people who want to trap or insult us. In our culture, it would be the same as turning our backs and even walking away. How many times would fights, arguments, name calling, and all sorts of other difficulties be cooled off if we didn’t immediately engage our mouths and even fists.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Perhaps Jesus needed a moment to come up with a good solution. His human nature processed the data from the situation while he was stooped down. His divine nature could have informed him how to handle it, but this is a temptation and in his human nature, he had to be tempted just as we are. Since they weren’t going away, Jesus responds with wisdom. He knew that the Law required the ones who heard a person blaspheme were the ones to stone the offender (Lev 24:14). Since the Pharisees had extended stoning to adultery, then the ones who witnessed it should be the ones to do the stoning. However, as God’s spokesman, Jesus had the authority to interpret the Law correctly and added that the requirement that the sinless one should do it.
Who was sinless in this crowd? Certainly not the Pharisees since their motives were nothing but evil. Jesus is the only sinless one. He is the only one there qualified to condemn this woman to death. While legitimate governments are empowered to execute people, individuals and mobs are not. The reason is simply because we are sinful.
9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
I’m afraid that in today’s world, this would not have gone the same way. With the relativism of truth that is so pervasive, people today can be dreadful sinners and think they without sin. As we grow older and wiser in Christ. We should become more aware of our sin, though our sins shouldn’t be as blatant and grievous. We have the Holy Spirit to convict us if we listen.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." NKJV
A lot of people read this passage and conclude that Jesus forgave this woman. However, there is nothing here that says he did that. He was talking of condemnation. That means punishment. When he tells her that he will not condemn her, he means that he will not punisher her because she deserved death for her adulty, or at least scourging. He warned her to sin no more, so he didn’t excuse her sin either.
What would it have taken for Jesus to forgive her? First, she would have had to admit her sin. She had opportunity to do so but simply said no one condemned her. Second, she would need to ask for forgiveness. It is most likely that she didn’t even know who Jesus was, certainly not the Son of God who alone can forgive sins. She didn’t express any faith in him. This is not the same situation as when Jesus forgave the paralytic because he saw their faith (Matt 9:2).
The application is simple. Have faith, confess our sins, and ask Jesus to forgive us. Surrender your life to Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation. Then, with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can go and sin no more.[1]“The Woman Caught in Adultery” Ruppert, Ray. Term Papers for My Liberty University Master of Arts in Theological Studies (Kindle Locations 1461-1462).
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