THE ADULTEROUS WOMAN
John
8:3-5 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees
brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and
said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the
Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
I had a cat named Sprinkles
when I was growing up. One summer day she came in the back door, it was always
ajar so she could come and go. Mom was at the sink washing dishes and felt
Sprinkles rub up against her leg. Mom ignored her, keeping to her dish washing.
A few moments later Sprinkles meowed loudly. Mom looked down to see Sprinkles
sitting proudly next to her, with a dead blue-jay between her paws. Sprinkles’
was quite pleased and satisfied with her accomplishment. A dead bird was what
all cats live for, right? And who better to share this accomplishment with than
her master. Mom, not really impressed, quickly ushered them both outside.
The woman in our story was
caught red-handed in the act. The Pharisees knew they had a real sinner in
their hands. It was their job to monitor the religious adherence of the people
and to root out evil wherever it arose. So when they brought her to Jesus, they
were looking to see if he would flinch. They were satisfied with the dilemma
Jesus would be in. Would he agree with
their assessment that the Law required her to be stoned to death? Or would Jesus ignore the Law
and do something else with her? They peppered Jesus with more questions as to
the best way to handle this situation. If they could find a flaw in Jesus’
response, they would do the same to him as they were about to do to her. They
were pleased with themselves in rooting out this evil woman. The punishment for
her was clear in the Law and they were ready to carry it out.
Jesus knew the Law’s
punishment for adultery, too. But Jesus knew one thing about the Pharisees that
they failed to recognize about themselves. They too were sinners deserving of
the same punishment. Jesus did not come to punish the world for their sins. He
came to forgive the sinners of their sin. Who can appreciate Jesus as Savior
but the one who recognizes their own sin and their own need for forgiveness?
With one sentence Jesus ends their plan and in another sentence reveals his
own.
