I know this story is very much disputed as a later addition to John's gospel and based on oral tradition, HOWEVER, the story remains consistent with Jesus's character and actions throughout The Bible and I think there is enough precedent to discuss this and I feel like discussing it today, so let's dive in;
The story begins in John 7:53-8:11, Jesus finds Himself in the temple courts, and a woman who was caught in adultery is brought before Him. Notice that it was the woman and not the man as well, this is probably because this woman was well known as a prostitute and easy prey (which is speculation on my part, but still worth noting). The reason I'm bringing this up is that Jesus does something that many overlook. Jesus doesn't deny that the crowd is correct in wanting to stone her, after all, that is in fact The Law, and Jesus, being the fulfillment of the law, would know that perfectly. But shockingly enough, Jesus gives them permission to fulfill the law, but under one condition. Jesus bends over and starts writing in the ground. There is much speculation about what He was writing; many believe it to be the names of the accusers, their sins, the 10 commandments, or merely doodling to defuse the tension of the situation, whatever the case maybe, once he's finished with this He presents the condition which is utterly genius and reflective;
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
After saying this, Jesus waits, and one by one the accusers leave until only Jesus and the woman remain. This is stunning for 2 reasons, and as a sidebar, I absolutely LOVE it when Jesus gets sassy with people in The Bible, Sassy Jesus is my favorite Jesus (and I'm not saying sassy in terms of it being a feminine trait, I'm saying Sassy in terms of having the smug satisfaction of knowing you're right about something and can't be challenged but this is Jesus and He's allowed to be those things because He's always right and knows it and this is one of those times where He's not afraid to show flaunt it). So, reason number one why this is stunning is that Jesus affirms the crowd, the quickest way to defuse an angry person is to agree with them. This situation is meant to trap Jesus, so the people bringing this woman before Him were not expecting Jesus to be so quick to agree with them; this no doubt left them in confusion. Jesus doesn't just agree with them, though; He challenges them. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." causes them to question their own hearts and motives regarding the situation. Something that they weren't doing. Jesus did not say outright say that they're wrong; He affirmed that they're right, but He's saying they're right for the wrong reasons.
They wanted to trap Jesus and show Him as a lawbreaker, but Jesus showed them all of them had broken the law as well, and if they were to throw a stone at the woman, they'd have to throw a stone at themselves as well. Which is why I'm in the camp that Jesus started writing their sins on the ground (not to say that Jesus's words aren't enough to turn a crowd away, but I think if someone sees their name and the sin they've been hiding laid bare for all to see they'd be more inclined to run away, just my two cents). So Jesus manages to get the crowd to leave, and the 2nd reason why this is stunning begins. Jesus asks the woman, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?", "No one, sir." says the woman, and Jesus says, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.". This echoes John 3:16-18. Everyone knows John 3:16, BUT no one knows John 3:18, so for context;
"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."
Jesus didn't have to condemn the woman because SHE WAS CONDEMNED ALREADY until she met Jesus, and what does the verse say, "GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD BUT TO SAVE IT". Jesus saved this woman. Jesus showed His mission right here in this scene because the crowd and The Law agreed that the woman should die, Jesus knew this but rather than merely fulfilling the law (as written) He showed the hypocrisy of those carrying it out by exposing the sin in their own hearts, showed His mercy in despite being the only person qualified to execute the woman, chose not to and then told the woman to turn from her life of sin. People get angry with God when He commands the killing of others, but God is the only one qualified to make such a decree since He is the author of life, ergo He can command who lives and who dies and who should carry out an execution. Jesus is God in the flesh, and therefore, if Jesus chose to kill the woman, He'd have every qualification to do so. But Jesus doesn't go through with this because He's not there to condemn, He's there to save, and He does it.
But this goes deeper than just this scene. The Bible is filled with language of Israel being portrayed as a prostitute or an adulterous woman. Eze 16, God talks to Israel as an adulterous wife, and God in the book of Hosea has the prophet marry an adulterous woman for the sole purpose of showing how He loves Israel in spite of their infidelity. Hosea finds his wife with various men and even buys her back from prostitution, and tells her he'll love her. Those in my generation would call him a "simp", but what God is showing us is that condemnation is easy, but love is hard. Jesus is presented with a case, and He behaves like Hosea, showing love rather than condemnation. Likewise, Jesus still maintains His judgment of her sin, but He doesn't condemn her, only the sin, and tells her to go. This passage of scripture, despite being disputed, is filled with Old Testament references and showcases Jesus as a savior who understands the Law fully and completely. This passage matters because more often than not, we're the ones standing in the place of the woman, where the world or ourselves seek to condemn us and we need to remember that Jesus did not come to condemn us, He came to save us, and that includes saving us from ourselves, and when we stop condemning ourselves, we'll be silent long enough for Jesus to say to us "Go and sin no more.".
That's the final message: "Go and sin no more.". Jesus saved us from condemnation, and we can stand here and profess how we're unworthy (and we are) and how we deserve condemnation (and we do), but we're in no position to judge ourselves, Jesus, rightfully so, being God in flesh refused to condemn this woman, and by condemn I mean fulfill the completion of the judgment of the law and end her life. And more often than not, we throw stones at ourselves, but Jesus being merciful and the fulfillment of the law says "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." and we are not without sin, ergo we cannot cast a stone, even at ourselves. The final message is "Go and sin no more.". No long sweeping sermon, no lecture or platitude, a simple command that we all need to follow. Instead of throwing stones at ourselves, we simply need to accept the mercy of Jesus and sin no more.
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