The teachers of the law stormed into the temple and interrupted Jesus’ teaching by thrusting a woman in front of the crowd. They said to Him, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (John 8:4-5).
Jesus knew that if He sided with the law, they would say He was unloving; and if He went with love, they would say He denied the law. Ironically, these lawyers had lost touch with love, for they treated the woman as nothing more than a prop. If they cared so much about the sin of adultery, where was the man who was also guilty?
A double irony was that the prosecutors faced the same dilemma they presented to Jesus. How would they respond if the question was thrown back at them? “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ ” (John 8:7).
Jesus affirmed the law—go ahead and stone her—while simultaneously enveloping the woman with love and exposing their hypocrisy—whoever has no sin should throw first. The beaten accusers slinked away “until only Jesus was left . . . with the woman” (John 8:9). Jesus saw the woman as a person, not some prop in a battle with the religious leaders. When she acknowledged that no one was left to condemn her, Jesus replied, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).
The perfect Son of God was the only One who had the right to throw a stone, but He chose to let the boulder of God’s justice fall on Him. He was “crushed for our sins” (Isaiah 53:5) so that we might go and sin no more.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 10:1-18
More:
Read Deuteronomy 10:1-22 to learn how the law reveals God’s love for us.
Next:
How might Jesus’ forgiveness have discouraged the woman from continuing in sin? How does “Neither do I [condemn you]” lead to “Go and sin no more”?
BearPair on August 10, 2014 at 1:06 am
Great reminder Mike–Thanks!
daisymarygoldr on September 7, 2014 at 11:10 am
Good questions! But you left out the crucial part in this gospel account which is the key to understanding how “Neither do I [condemn you]” leads to “Go and sin no more”. It is the part that says Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. The finger that wrote on the ground was the very finger of the Lawgiver who first wrote the law on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18)
So God alone, who gave the law stamped in stone, has the power to save or to destroy (James 4:12). And He chose to graciously forgive the sinner through Jesus Christ who took the punishment for all our sins. The law was meant to bring the sinner to Christ who then set her free (John 8:36). The woman was freed from the penalty and power of sin—free to not stay in sin but to say no to sin.
Those who have been in the situation of this woman who was caught in the act… will know how Jesus’ forgiveness might have discouraged her from continuing in sin. Once, I was also guilty of breaking the law and my act was caught—on the red-light camera. Since it was a first time offense, I was required to attend a one-day defense driving class to avoid any negative mark on my driving record. The whole thing was quite some experience. It was very humiliating to face the fact that I was no different than the drunk who drives under the influence and goes around killing others. I shuddered and wept when we were shown graphic pictures of people including babies being crushed to death when drivers failed to follow the laws. Knowing the truth about the consequence of lawlessness, I now take every effort to be careful and not commit that crime again.
When you know the truth, the truth will set you free. After experiencing freedom from the shackles of sin, no one in their right mind will go back to that same way of life to serve sin again. And “when people escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they’re worse than if they had never left.” “It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.” In 2 Tim 3:5 Paul tells Timothy to stay away from hypocrites in the church that have a form of godliness but they reject the power that could make them godly.
Truth is: no matter how people rationalize it, sin hurts us and others. And if we claim to be Christians, remember we will be judged by the law that sets us free (James 2:12). God’s finger is still at work, as He writes His laws not on stone but on our minds and hearts (Hebrews 8:10). The old way with laws etched in stone, ends in death but in the new way the Holy Spirit is giving life (2 Corinthians 3:7-8). This is how, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit (Romans 8:1, 4).