The Pharisees and Sadducees were harsh with their judgment of the people. They also hated Jesus because the people loved him and had never heard teachings like the ones he presented. Jesus was a threat to the religious leaders of that day, and they were constantly looking for a way to trap him. While teaching in the temple court, the Pharisees brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. John 8:2-11 tells the story:
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (NIV)
The Pharisees
The Pharisees were testing Jesus and looking for a way to trap him. The Law of Moses (Torah) required the woman to be stoned to death. But wait, ladies…don’t you wonder why only the woman was in trouble? Me too! The Pharisees were already wrong in their judgment. They were breaking the law they used to control the people.
Leviticus 20:10 states:
“‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.” (NIV)
Both the woman AND the man are supposed to be killed, yet the Pharisees showed up with only one-half of the guilty party. It makes me wonder who the man was? Was it a setup? Could it have been one of the Pharisees or Sadducees that were willing to go that far to snare Jesus? If so, no doubt they were offered amnesty. But, of course, we’ll never know, as the scriptures don’t say.
Jesus’ Response
Jesus was unfazed by the Pharisees and teachers of the law. As they demanded answers from him, he bent down and began to write in the dust, seemingly ignoring them. Then, finally, he looks up at them and tells them that whoever is sinless can throw the first stone at her, and he returns to writing on the ground. This time, the accusers leave one by one, starting with the oldest. But what did Jesus write? The scriptures never say, and I’ve heard many explanations that never made much sense except for one.
I always thought that Jesus was killing time by doodling in the sand while waiting for these guys to shut up – basically ignoring them. But I no longer feel that’s true. I can’t remember who I heard teach this (Robert Heidler?), but I think it is correct. The first time Jesus bent down, he may have been writing various laws in the sand. He stopped long enough to look up and tell them that the sinless ones can throw the first stone – and then he continued writing. Was the second half of his writing the punishment for the sins he may have written in the first half? Those accusing the woman dropped their stones, beginning with the oldest. Why the oldest? If this theory is correct, then Jesus was likely writing the sins of the Pharisees and teachers of the law in the sand along with the punishments they deserved. The older men probably had a longer list of sins than the younger men; therefore, they were the first to drop their rocks. The hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law was on full display. They wanted Jesus to give the OK to the woman’s stoning, yet they were just as guilty and deserving of punishment as she was. Again, the Bible doesn’t say this, but this explanation makes the most sense to me.
Jesus and The Woman
Can you imagine being her? She was caught and dragged in front of Jesus and a crowd of people. The assumption is that she knew the penalty. She was guilty and humiliated, but she was also likely scared, knowing she was facing death. No doubt she thought this was the end. Instead, she ended up with a front-row seat to the humiliation of her accusers and an introduction to the law of grace. According to the law, she deserved death, but that is not what happened. In an instant, she escaped death. Jesus asked her if her accusers were there to condemn her, and all she could say was that there was no one. Jesus stated that he was not going to convict her either. BUT that didn’t mean she wasn’t guilty, and Jesus did not give her permission to continue her sin. Instead, he released her and told her to stop her adulterous behavior. I’ll be she did! The love of Jesus pointed out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and gave a sinner back her life.
Jesus judged the woman out of love, grace, and mercy – not out of the religious legalism of the Pharisees and Sadducees that left no room for error. Jesus knew how hypocritical the religious leaders were and came to counter their behavior.
Until next time under the palm, be blessed!
