Loving the Sinner - The Adulterous Woman

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The Pharisees were using this woman as a pawn in order to trap Jesus in a lose-lose situation - and it is heart-breaking.

It is interesting that only the woman was brought forth to Jesus.  Last I checked, the act of adultery required two people.  Where was the man?  Was he part of the scheme?

And what about the woman?  Was she married?  Did she have children?  Was this her first affair or one of many?

These are my questions, I suppose, because I want to know the facts before I form an opinion.

But Jesus does.not.care.

He knows the facts.  He knows her past and her future.  But He concerns Himself only with her present.  And He begins by throwing "The Law" right back at the Pharisees.

When the men approached Jesus, throwing the woman in front of Him, He was teaching in the temple courts.  Immediately the men all around began grabbing stones to throw.  According to the Law of Moses, those caught in the act of adultery were to be stoned to death - sort of - the Law actually said that IF the woman was a betrothed virgin, then BOTH she AND the man would be executed by stones.

**Side Note**
If you think, like I did, that these stones were small, smooth rocks, you are incorrect.  Stoning to death was an efficient way to impart great pain that would ultimately result in death.  I found this description:

"The first witness pushed the individual into the pit from a height of 10 feet and if the fall did not kill them, then the witness would turn the body over, standing over the individual with a heavy stone maybe 10 or 15 pounds in weight and thrust it onto the chest of the condemned. If that did not kill the person, the second witness would approach and perform the same action with another heavy stone. If that did not kill them, then the entire congregation (community) would barrage the body of the individual with hand-size stones until they were dead."

(Source: www.kurtmichaelson.org) 

I think we can all agree this would be a terrible way to die.  Just the anticipation of what was to come would be dreadful and consuming.  I can imagine this guilty woman not only felt the shame of what she had done, but also fear and panic, knowing what her punishment would be.

But, without saying a word, Jesus bends down and starts writing in the dirt.  We are not told what he wrote, but I think he was writing a list of sins - perhaps "acceptable" sins - maybe sins specific to each man standing around.

Then He stands up and says, "If any one of YOU is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7, emphasis mine).  And bends down, continuing to write on the ground.

What are the things that we pick up stones, ready to condemn and judge and declare another guilty of?

But what can we learn from Jesus and this adulterous woman?

Who casts the first stone?  Who is allowed to judge and condemn this woman?

The older men drop their stones first and walk away.  Their years and wisdom revealed to them their own guilt.  The younger men, full of pride, gripped their stones ready for action, but even they realized they were not without sin.  All were guilty of something.

Only Jesus was left with this woman.  He could have executed her himself.  She was guilty.  But instead, He offers mercy and grace - not condemnation and death.

And Jesus - who was fully God - says to her, "Go and sin no more."

We don't know any details about this woman's life after her encounter with Jesus, but I believe she was completely transformed by this experience.  She should have been killed and instead received mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

We should die but instead receive mercy, grace, and forgiveness through Jesus.

Our mission in this world is to "Go and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).  And the way we are to do that is to "love others as we love ourselves" (Mark 12:31).  It is not our job to point out and judge and condemn the sins of others - and thankfully so!  God has that part under control.

We. Are. To. Love.  And point people to Jesus.

Jesus tells us to pull the plank out of our own eye before we examine the speck in that of another.

¹“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

 ~Matthew 7:1-5~

We are all sinners.  We are all in need of a Savior. 

Do you get that?  Our whitewashed exteriors might cover up our sins in front of others, but we all sin.  And although there seems to be "acceptable" and "unacceptable" sins in the eyes of man, without Jesus, even "minor" sins are just as unacceptable in God's eyes as murder, rape, and abuse.

Let's take our eyes off of the world and let God examine our hearts.  And let's love others, passionately and intentionally.  And let's let Jesus shine through us.  He is the only one called to pass judgement.  We are called to love.


You can read more about the Adulterous Woman's story at She Reads Truth.  Also read John 8:1 - 11.