1 …but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
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."
This is a very moving account of legalism with no heart abusing a defenceless and isolated soul in an attempt to trap Jesus into responding with grace when the Law required death.
The religious authorities had seen many occasions of Jesus extending grace to a wide variety of people in need and anticipated that he would do so with the victim they dragged into the Temple to stand before him and many devout witnesses. The authorities had already encountered him having no respect for their Sabbath laws by commanding the invalid at the Pool of Silom to pick up his camp bed and walk. His self-defence had resulted in their decision to kill him.
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:18)
They were still on the hunt for an authoritative and unquestionably legal reason to kill him that would receive the full support of religious Jews. They had caught this woman committing adultery. Who gave them the tip off? What reward did they receive from the authorities for turning her in? What about her male accomplice? Was she a victim of his rape attack or did she seduce him? Irrespective of the context of their catch, the authorities had caught her in the very act of adultery.[1] There could be no clearer breaking of the Law. The religious hunters showed their eagerness to use her as a trap to catch Jesus by interrupting his teaching session and forcibly making her stand in the centre of the Temple attendees to be interrogated and charged. The practice of the day was to make the accused stand up in the centre of the interrogators. This could be both daunting and humiliating. The actions of the accusers against the woman had the hallmarks of an eager criminal investigation. Guilty as charged! What would Jesus do?
They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery."
Now they had a clear legal case to trap him. They did not need the Guards to drag her forcibly to the Temple. They were so confident in their catch to trap Jesus that they dragged the "seducer" themselves, no doubt eagerly, into the centre of the Temple teaching.
5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
John adds the editorial comment,
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
Their motivation was not lost on John. It was clearly obvious what they were attempting to do. He notes that their focus and interest was not the woman. It was Jesus, whom the attendees at the Feast of Tabernacles had been fearful to support publicly, because of the search the authorities had launched for him from Day 1 of the Festival. Nevertheless, the Temple Guards had disobeyed the authorities and backed off arresting him. The only weapon left for them at that point was instant derision and self-righteous posturing, i.e., until they caught the woman in adultery.
5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
There has been much theorising about what Jesus wrote that was so pertinent to the situation. The point is, however, that Jesus responded how he always engaged in his interaction with people. He chose his terms of response and always maintained control of his interactions. He never let Satan work through a person or situation to control him no matter how dominating and persistent their behaviour. In this case,
7 When they kept on questioning him,
He remained silent…but then,
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.
The silence of Jesus before this command and immediately after it drew maximum effect. Hovering over him with a torrent of questions seeking to trap him was not getting a response, but then he stopped writing on the ground and stood to speak. They probably thought that they had finally achieved a breakthrough and Jesus would either condemn the woman or incriminate himself extending forgiveness. No doubt everyone hung on his words. When he finally spoke, he switched the focus from his and the woman’s sin to their sin.
Each of the accusers would have been aware of their many sins hidden under their cloak of self-righteousness. The question was, as it is for all of us self-righteously engaged in judging another, whether or not we will be honest about the presence of our own sin.
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.
The response of the accusers now facing the search light of judgment turned on them was reflective and individualistic. Each was confronted with having to be honest about their own sin. They each arrived at a decision separately as the timing of their responses indicates,
…those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first…
Why the older ones first? Only a person in their latter years can answer that question with lived understanding. Age leaves behind it a path of relationship failures, wounds from others, wounds we have given others and self-inflicted emotional wounds. We become increasingly aware of our imperfections seen in the trail of our sins. We know by hard experience that we are not without sin. This is a broader and deeper reality than we had in younger years when pride drove our external image building and our obsession with image comparisons. Then we gave little thought to our self-justified judgements about ourselves and others. In old age, however, the awareness of a trail of sins increasingly deadens joy and becomes an unshakeable mountain. The older ones carried this engrained consciousness that required little self-reflection. They left first, one at a time.
…only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
All the accusers had gone. Those Jesus was teaching, when interrupted by the religious authorities in for his kill, were likely still there to witness the conclusion of this staged trial.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
He had stood to question the accusers. Now he stood again and asked two questions still focused on the behaviour of the woman’s accusers. They were simple clarification questions that reinforced the obvious to the woman and the onlookers from the class being taught by Jesus when interrupted by the religious leaders in for his kill. The answer was obvious.
11 "No one, sir," she said.
The response by Jesus to her was instant unexpected grace coupled with a command to change.
"Then neither do I condemn you, " Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
His response to sin is no different today. Any church or leader who teaches differently and promotes instant grace coupled with empathy for the seeker’s struggle against their sin with no urgency for repentance is a false teacher.
Dispute over Jesus’ claims of self
John now switches his focus from the woman back to the Pharisees, who were continuing to challenge the legitimacy of Jesus. John covers their continuing interaction in lengthy detail, because of its significance in Jesus bringing to a head his claim of pre-existent, eternal deity, viz.,
58 "Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!"
This claim is simple and forceful, a clear statement from Jewish history, using the father of Judaism as a reference point, and unmistakable in its claim of personal identity. Jesus claims to be the eternal I AM, the Creator of all, which far exceeds being a miracle-worker restoring the sight of a blind man.
The religious leaders and devout Jews present had no alternative than to execute him on the spot for this greatest of blasphemies of identifying himself as the I AM of their national formation through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. Consequently, John took time to detail this milestone interaction, as follows:
Giver of life
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Jesus begins this interaction chosen by him with one of his many "I am" statements, φῶς εἰμι[2] Those listening would have immediately connected this claim of identity with God’s only name "Yahweh" meaning "he who always was, is and forever will be". Jesus claims to be the light of the world (i.e., all humanity and not just a privileged few). He was not just any light increasing one’s sight in understanding a topic under consideration. His claim was to be the eternal life giver. He is the light of life.
None of the Pharisees could make such a claim. Their only option was to discredit him before those present.
13 The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."
Authentic witness
The challenge by the Pharisees based on their law ignorantly trapped them immediately in exposing the contrast between Jesus as divine and authentic and them as religious technicians and oppressors.
14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.
The test for every person claiming to be an authentic witness of God today is the same as the test Jesus applied to himself here.
…my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going.
Unless I confidently know these aspects about my eternal journey with Jesus, I will not be an authentic witness and distract from his nature. Do I know for certain where I came from and where I am going or am I still uncertain about who I am and the journey I am on?
True spiritual identity
Jesus continued…
15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."
Jesus now uses the Law
The adjective used by the accusers is ἐπαυτοφώρῳ (epautophóró) meaning "caught in the very act". ↩︎
εἰμι (eimi) is the basic Greek word for being (i.e. to be) without explicit limits. He therefore claims to be the timeless being of light, life, resurrection, way, truth, good shepherding, bread, true vine. ↩︎