“At dawn, He went to the Temple again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. “Teacher”, they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”. They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her”. Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”. “No one, Lord” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore” —JOHN 8:2-11
1. HER
“Teacher”, they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery” —John 8:4
God has not
God alone has the authority to determine what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil, what is permissible and what is forbidden.
We cannot change that because I don’t have the authority to determine morality.
Popular opinion cannot change what God has said. Ever changing societies have no bearing on what is right and what is wrong.
Strongly held opinions, sincere personal feelings, deep seated desires cannot determine what is sinful and what is not.
God alone possesses that
What He has declared in His Word to be righteous will be righteous for all eternity. What He has declared in His Word to be sinful will be sinful for all eternity.
At the end of the day, sin is an offense to God and produces stain.
This woman had
2. HER
“In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do You say?” —John 8:5
They weren’t concerned with Godliness but getting Jesus out of the way.
“They ask this to trap Him in order that they might have evidence against Him” —John 8:6
Notice that Jesus doesn’t
They are referencing the Law of God given through Moses (Leviticus 20:9-12)
According to the Law, the adulterer and adulteress faced the consequences of death.
Many would say, “That seems harsh and rigid” – Remember that the ultimate purpose of the Law was to point us to our need of the
This woman in John 8 had sinned and sin carries with it
3. HER
“…Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger” —John 8:6
“When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should throw the first stone at her. Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground” —John 8:7-8
Here Jesus exposes a common sin and one that the accusers are committing: A desire to
That’s not to say that there isn’t a time and place for exposing a rebuking the sin of others in Gods family but that should only take place when and if it’s done with a heart that recognizes itself as sinful and in need of grace.
There will always be rocks available. The question is whether we’ll use them to build or to throw.
Confronting sin is too often done in arrogance, anger and condemnation rather than with
Jesus doesn’t refute the claim of sin that come from the accusers.
He does call them to take a look at their own hearts.
Their response:
“When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center” —John 8:9
While the accusers left, the accused remained
The question is why?
a. She Recognized Jesus’s
Look at how she addresses Him in 11 as she answers His question:
“No one, Lord”
“No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit” —1 Corinthians 12:3
b. What She
Check out the end of Verse 11 “Neither do I condemn you”, said Jesus. “Go, and from now on, do not sin”
Jesus gave her two things – a