Monday, March 30, 2020, the Fifth Week in Lent

John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” 

This is the longest narrative in the Gospels that does not feature a miracle, but rather portrays Jesus as a wise man or prophet providing a teaching.  Earlier, Jesus had spoken to the woman by the well and he performed no miracle of healing there, but he did impress the woman with a knowledge that went beyond the human, informing her that he knew about her several previous marriages and her current state.  No miracle is necessary here.  Jesus, in fact, does the very minimal in order to protect this woman.  He hardly even seems to look at her and only speaks to her at the very end.  Certainly the Lord could have summoned angels to disperse the crowd or to take the woman to a safe place, but he does nothing of the kind.  He treats the Pharisees with contempt here, not even bothering to argue with them.  Now, the Pharisees bring the adulteress before him in part to see how he would act with respect to the law, which would tell them something about the sect he identified with, and also partly to turn the crowd against him, since they evidently expected him to defend her life.  All he says is, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  He makes no judgment, as he has not been asked to make one, and he allows the law to stand.  Yet he does challenge the right of the Pharisees to carry the law out.  Although the law does state that those who commit adultery should be put to death, they, in fact, have no right to kill her.  They did not have the authority to try her and certainly not to condemn her.  According to the understanding of the law at the time, a person accused of a crime like adultery would be brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council which presided over trials involving criminal affairs as well as religious ones, and the Sanhedrin would pass judgment.  What the Pharisees wanted to do was to lynch the woman.  Jesus refuses to go along with them and, more than that, shows the crowd that they know very well that they do not have the authority to stone her.  

Now, we also ought to note that Jesus does not forgive the woman.  She does not ask for forgiveness and he does not grant it.  He saves her life and warns her not to commit adultery in the future, as though this was not her first time, but he does not forgive her.  Perhaps she does not know who he was and so it does not occur to her to ask him.  She does not thank him, either, unless John does not record this.  But this ought to make each of us think whether we have sincerely and remorsefully begged forgiveness from God for all of our sins.  Do we examine our consciences daily?  Do we excuse ourselves easily of acts that, deep down, we know are sinful?  Are we in denial of our sinfulness?  

On the last day, we will be exposed before the court of heaven and the whole human race and our sins laid out for all to see.  Let us repent now, while we have time.