And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:11b ESV1
Read John 7:53-8:11
There is an account in our translations of The Holy Bible which most of the earliest manuscripts do not include. And those that do contain it, don’t always have it placed where we find it in our Bibles. Those who study language, word usage, and writing styles don’t know for sure who recorded this event or why it was placed where it now appears when the Canon of Scripture was compiled. It seems as if some really religious and learned individuals don’t know what to do with this passage. But I assure you, the most common sinner who understands the meaning of this portion of Scripture will know exactly what to do with it.
The passage to which I am referring is John 7:53–8:11. Some of the older copies of the Scriptures which do include this account, place it after John 7:36, John 7:44, or John 21:25. Still other manuscripts don’t place this event in John’s Gospel at all. In these texts, this account is found after Luke 21:38 or after Luke 24:53. It is of little significance where this account is placed. What matters is that it is found in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit seems to have gone to some extra work to make sure it was included. Let’s take a look.
“They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives” (John 7:53-8:1). Assuming this account is placed where it should be, the “they” to which verse 53 refers includes two groups of people. The first group was made up of some officers who were sent to arrest Jesus but became so enamored by His words that they couldn’t bring themselves to complete their mission. The second was the members of a group of Pharisees who had engaged in a heated argument concerning Jesus. Jesus is the third person mentioned here. The officers probably went home in a daze and got a peaceful night’s rest. Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives most likely, as was His habit, to pray (see Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:37 & 6:46, Luke 5:16, 6:12, 9:18 & 11:1). The Pharisees went to their homes but many of them lay awake scheming. These Pharisees must have gathered together again in the wee hours of the morning to hatch what they thought was a foolproof plan to trap Jesus.
“Early in the morning [Jesus] came again to the temple. All the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery” (John 8:2-3a). This poor woman was dragged out into the street possibly with little more covering her than her shame. Where was the offending man? Had one of the scribes or Pharisees accusing her seduced her for the express purpose of using her in an evil plan?
And “placing her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women [see Leviticus 20:10 & Deuteronomy 22:22]. So, what do you say?’ This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him” (John 8:3b-6a). The scribes and Pharisees thought they had Jesus in a no-win situation. If Jesus were to exonerate the adulterous woman, He would be breaking the Law of Moses. If Jesus commanded that she be stoned, He would be breaking the law of the Romans; under Roman rule, the Jews were not authorized to use capital punishment.
But the tactics of the scribes and Pharisees were no match for Jesus. He had spent at least part of the previous night in prayer; Jesus was prepared. “Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground” (John 8:6b). The Scriptures don’t tell us what He wrote; therefore, that detail must not be important. But the fact that He wrote is significant. Earlier these Jews had accused Him of being illiterate (see John 7:15). With this action, Jesus showed them that He indeed was able to read and write. But that wasn’t all. Notice with what Jesus wrote; He wrote with His finger. God had inscribed the Ten Commandments into stone using His finger. By using His finger to write in the dust, Jesus was indirectly exerting His preeminence over Moses.
“As [the scribes and Pharisees] continued to ask [Jesus what He would do with the woman], He stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him” (John 8:7-9). In what Jesus said and wrote, He spoke to the heart of each angry, vengeful man. One by one, each dropped his stone and slunk away as if he had been the one caught with his pants down, or more accurately, his skirt lifted. They had come seeking a conviction. Instead, they each left feeling convicted. For some, that conviction may have led to repentance and acceptance of the message Jesus proclaimed. For others, the embarrassment led to a greater need to seek vindication through the slaying of Jesus.
The account continues. “Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more’” (John 8:10-11). Jesus could have only made this promise and expected this action if something extraordinary had happened in the heart of this accused woman as she awaited her sentence. This woman would have had to see herself as desperately lost, Jesus as the One who “came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and her need to submit to following Him. Then Jesus would have had no reason to condemn her (see Romans 8:1-2), and He would have given her everything she needed to refrain from returning to her former life of sin. She had known the Law, but the Law could not keep her from sin. But now, if she knew Jesus, He, through His Spirit, would safeguard her from violating God’s commandments.
Moses climbed a mountain to meet with the LORD and acquire the Law for us. Jesus stooped down and got into the dirt with us to bring us a New Covenant. The Law proved that we cannot meet God’s standards or keep our promises to Him. Humans need God’s help to keep God’s commandments. Jesus shed His blood and sacrificed His life to take the punishment for our infractions and broken promises. And Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven to give us what we need to adhere to God’s Law. Through the Holy Spirit in us, God fulfills both His responsibility and ours. “Run, run, run, the Law commands, but gives us neither feet nor hands. Far better news the Gospel brings; it bids us fly and gives us wings” (John Bunyan, 1628-1688).
When one finds him/herself face down in the dirt-covered in shame and filled with guilt knowing he/she deserves condemnation but then hears the Good News of which this account so clearly speaks, one knows exactly what to do with it. That one will gladly accept Jesus’ offer to throw His Robe of Righteousness around his/her bared soul. That one will reach for Jesus’ outstretched hand and let Him help him/her stand. That one will allow the hand of Jesus to wipe away his/her tears and the clean off the caked-on dirt. And that one will walk hand in hand with his/her Master all of the days of his/her life on this Earth and look forward to the day he/she will join his/her Beloved King in the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, those who see themselves in the light of Truth know exactly what to do with the Gospel. What have you done with the Good News?
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.