I always had a lot of questions about the situation in this passage. Was this a setup of the woman? How else could she have been caught in the act? Why was the man not brought also? Was the woman a prostitute? Were the Pharisees trying to have this woman killed for some reason, just like they wanted Jesus killed? Did they believe that Jesus was good and merciful, and therefore would not condemn the woman? Or did they believe that he would condemn her? Why did Jesus write on the ground with his finger? And what was he writing?
We don't know. What is clear is that this is an attempted setup of Jesus. The Pharisees stop trying to seize Jesus (they tried several times, but could not) and now they try to trap him. They use an aspect of the law of Moses that is crystal clear:
Leviticus 20:10: If a man commits adultery with another man's wife — with the wife of his neighbor — both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
Deuteronomy 22:22: If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
The Pharisees reason that if Jesus does not uphold the law of Moses, then he cannot be from God. Then they would have the proof they need to convince the crowds that Jesus is not who he claimed to be.
But they are missing one very important teaching: the purpose of the law of Moses. The purpose of the law was to convict us of our sin and our need for a savior. We all need the sacrifice of Jesus to save us from our sin. Even the Pharisees are confronted with their own sinfulness. This should have pointed them to Jesus, to their need for a savior. But it is the adulterous woman who is saved - saved by Jesus! The actions of Jesus silence her accusers, just like Jesus' death on the cross will silence The Accuser. But in this case the woman's salvation was from earthly consequences, not heavenly consequences. So Jesus points her directly to her need for a savior: "Go now and leave your life of sin". This is the last unanswered question: what ultimately happened to the woman? Did she find the savior and put her faith in him? Did she make the decision that leads to life eternal?
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Rob states "The actions of Jesus silence her accusers, just like Jesus' death on the cross will silence The Accuser. "
ReplyDeleteAMEN and AMEN!
(v11) She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
I like how Jesus just shows Love here, not judgement. She already knows she is guilty and Jesus does not judge NOR does He give her a free pass. Simply put in less then 20 words Jesus calls her to a new life.