It is arguably one of the more moving stories, if not more widely known ones found recorded in all of the four gospels. 

 No doubt you are familiar with it. It’s the one where a woman ‘caught in the very act of adultery’ was brought to Jesus by who else…the religious experts of the day. John records it in the eight chapter of his gospel. These Pharisees seemed curious as to how Jesus would ‘rule’ on such a matter given what was written in the law. And if Jesus was truly of God, then He would by all means see that justice was carried out. 

 Sad fact of the matter was…these men were no more interested in seeing justice carried out than they were seeing a woman who was obviously broken and shamed restored or made whole. This was evident by the fact that the law was clear in such matters…both the man and the woman were to be stoned according to the writings found back in the book of Leviticus. (20:10). Interesting that the man who had to also be a part of the ‘very act’ is not mentioned being brought to Jesus. Just the woman. Go figure. 

 Nothing else is told about this woman as to who she was, where she came from and how she ended up in the arms of another man. We don’t know if she was married or if the man involved was married or perhaps both were to other people. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to understand how or why they ended up in that place. Adultery is not some new sin or one committed only back in ‘those days’. It continues to be carried out today as it has for centuries…destroying lives and families. A marriage counselor who specialized in helping married couples work through all the pain and baggage of infidelity once wrote that “there is no excuse for an affair; but there are reasons.” The temptation to stray from one’s vows is no respecter of persons. And yet, obviously, it was an issue God had strong feelings about given it was one of the ‘thou shall nots’ listed in the Ten Commandments. 

 But back to our story. It can be easy to drift down that rabbit trail of speculation when so little details are offered up in the gospel writings. But rest assured, if God wanted us to know more, He would have given us more. So there they were…Jesus, this woman who had to be mortified and overwhelmed with shame (and then again, I only speculate here) and then others who had been listening to Jesus teach when His meeting was interrupted. And of course the group of Pharisees and scribes anxiously awaiting to hear what Jesus had to say. 

 While many like to discuss all the possible things that Jesus may have written in the sand with His finger that we read there in vs. 6,8, what I think is lost on us is the fact that Jesus actually agreed with the law and that this woman deserved to be stone to death. Why would that surprise any of us…scripture is clear...the soul that sins shall die. (Rom. 6:23; Ezek. 18:20). Where we get all fouled up is the way in which we ‘compare’ sins and weigh them as some being far worse than others. But if we are going to live by the law, look what James had to say about it: “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said ‘do not commit adultery’ also said ‘do not murder’. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” (2:10-11) 

 Now some might be quick to say the law is not relevant to believers today because we are under grace’. (Rom. 6:14) But that only applies to the ones who are truly being led by the Spirit and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Those who are abiding in Him no longer sin. (Gal. 5:16,18; 1 John 3:6). So if that does not describe your walk, then you are indeed subject to the law and all the wrath and curse and death it brings. Yeah…that is exactly what the bible teaches. (Why do I feel a need to inject here that I am in no way suggesting that ‘stoning’ should be used to deal with sin?) 

 So what was Jesus’s ruling? He simply agreed with them for the most part and was ready to commence the execution. But here came the ‘curve ball’ where He simply invited any of the accusers standing there who were without sin to throw the first stone. (7). Then He stooped down again to doodle some there in the soil as the crowd thinned quickly. I had never noticed this detail before but we are told that they began to thin out from the eldest to the youngest. I have a hunch you have to be well along in years to understand why that was so. 

 It wasn’t long before Jesus looked up…and there she was, still standing there before Him. No one else was around. Jesus asked her if there was anyone there to condemn her to which she replied: “No one, Lord.” 

 And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” (11) 

 What I believe is important to glean here are some things that Jesus did Not say to her. He did not tell her to go and ‘try and do better’ or ‘go and sin less’. I also believe we have missed an incredibly vital and significant truth as well…Jesus only affirmed to this woman what He states to all of humanity…that He did not come into this world to ‘condemn’ anyone. (John 3:17). He came that we might be saved from what ensnared us all and that was a sinful and defective heart and nature. We were already condemned and on ‘death row’. Sin put us there. Every single one of us. For…ALL have sinned. (Rom. 3:23). 

 You have to appreciate to some extent these ‘accusers’ who were there to test Jesus…at least own up to the fact that they too had sin worthy of death. I applaud them for realizing this and leaving the scene. I would even hope that some of them there that day were so moved that they saw their own wretched condition and eventually became followers of Christ. But again…we can only speculate. I think if we were honest with ourselves, we would admit that we too find ourselves often ‘testing’ God about His word…resisting it and opposing it. We come across certain verses and something in us rises up to refute it with ‘controversial questions’ and hypothetical situations as to somehow explain why God’s word could not possibly mean what it says. 

 We also forget where Jesus made it clear that with the same measure we want doled out for sin, that is how WE will be judged by God. (Matt. 7:1-2)

 I’m also struck with the observation that we can become quite indignant over sins that WE don’t seem to struggle with…just the ones ‘other folks’ struggle with. For example, we like to draw the line and make it clear we don’t want homosexuals on the praise team but now if we got a few fornicators and gossips in there or maybe a few greedy and covetous people because they are good on the instrument they play…well…we know that no one is perfect, right? Go look at that small list of sinful behaviors Paul mentions in Rom. 1:28-32 that were all ‘deserving of death’. 

 So can we talk a few moments about the sin of adultery? And I’m not talking about that ‘obvious’ one. I have used the term in the past about how Jesus came and basically ‘raised the bar’ on what God was requiring or expecting of us. I mean…it does not get any more clear than what He taught there in His sermon on the mount. Look at Matt. 5:27-28. He reminds them of how they had heard it taught that they ‘shall not commit adultery’. But here comes the ‘raising of the bar’ when He goes on to add…”But I say unto you, whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” 

 Now granted…if you ask the typical married couple what they would prefer…would they want their spouse actually going out and ‘doing it’ or just ‘thinking about it’, we know what their answer would be. But is the average spouse going to be comfortable with either choice? God certainly is not. Jesus also made a similar comparison with murder and finally ends up defining the end goal…we are going to be ‘perfect just as our Father in heaven is perfect’. (Matt. 5:48). Again, His words…not mine. And I guarantee you, you ask any seasoned believer or deacon or SS teacher or even your pastor what Jesus meant by those statements, 9.5 out of 10 will tell you that “God knows we could never live up to that”. 

 So why then did Jesus teach that? I mean…if folks sitting on church pews were not already frustrated enough with all their shortcomings…surely Jesus meant something else, right? Well...that’s what we’ve been telling ourselves all this time. 

 We have this touching story in the gospel to remind us and to illustrate what the ministry and message of Jesus was all about. He did not come to add to our misery. He came to heal and deliver us from it. Sin is the source of our misery.

 We love this aspect where Jesus truly saw past this woman’s sin and her sinful actions…and chose to forgive her…to redeem her and NOT to publicly humiliate and shame her. Keep in mind, this woman was not at the time ‘seeking God’. She was seeking something else…reminiscent of that old song about ‘looking for love in all the wrong places.’ Yet, here she was in the presence of Jesus and religious folks needed a lesson on what to do. Jesus demonstrated mercy. He then teaches that ‘as He loved us, so should we love others’. How is that working out for you with people who have sinned against you? 

 We absolutely love this first lesson Jesus teaches in the way he ministered to this woman. It’s the second lesson that sends us scurrying to our thick commentaries to explain why Jesus did not really mean what He told her about going and sinning no more. And this was not an isolated case. Remember what He told the lame man he healed in John 5:14? Tomorrow, Lord willing, we will look at how most of us have been committing ‘adultery’ from God’s perspective and why we would do well to make note of both lessons Jesus taught in this particular case. I pray you come back tomorrow.