The story of the adulterous woman which is found in the gospel of John 8:1-11 talks about how Jesus came to show love and mercy to his neighbor, not judging people, since He wanted the people to understand the love of the father.
In this encounter that Jesus had with this woman who was led by the Pharisees and the scribes before his feet to be stoned, they wanted Jesus to fall into ignoring the law but He in his wisdom showed the power not to judge.
The Story of the Adulterous Woman John 8:1-11
The story of the adulterous woman found in the book of John comes after the Pharisees and the scribes came together to discredit everything Jesus did, and they wanted him to disregard the law of Moses before the people. However, they achieved themselves with a wisdom never seen before that evidenced the love and mercy of what God brought through Jesus.
And this meeting happened as follows:
«Everyone went home; and Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. And in the morning he returned to the temple, and all the people came to him; and sitting he taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman surprised in adultery; and placing her in the midst of her, they said to her:
Master, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. And in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? But this they said tempting him, in order to accuse him. But Jesus, leaning towards the ground, wrote on the ground with his finger. And as they insisted on asking him, he straightened up and told them:
Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. And leaning back to the ground, he continued to write on the ground. But they, upon hearing this, accused by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest to the last;
and only Jesus was left, and the woman who was in the middle. Jesus straightening up, and seeing no one but the woman, he said to her: Woman, where are those who accused you? Did no one condemn you? She said: None, Sir. Then Jesus said to him: Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more” (John 8:1-11)
As you could see, this story begins when the religious of the time led this scantily clad womanand perhaps she was pushed or being dragged by these men before Jesus, and they placed her in the middle of the place where the Teacher he was teaching, making a real show out of this situation to seek to discredit him.
One of the things that can be detailed about this situation is that the Pharisees and scribes did not have no kind of compassion and mercy towards this womansince they gave little value to this type of people based on their interpretation of the law, since they considered them sinners and did not deserve forgiveness.
In this sense, they had no qualms about use this woman who had been caught in the act of adultery as a bait to be able to tempt Jesus, and that with some word he could be accused of violating what the Jewish people had been taught.
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Jesus shows Love and Mercy
Although at that time the Jewish people had a court where these types of trials were held they approached Jesus so that he would judge him and presenting the case and all the evidence, they hoped that the sentence would be condemnatory through Jesus, emphasizing what the law commanded
“In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
These religious men of the time feigned a false respect for Jesus by calling him Master, and insisted on referring to the divine mandate establishedin which it was said that if they were caught in adultery they should die.
«If someone is caught lying with a woman married to her husband, both will die, the man who slept with the woman, and the woman too; so you will remove evil from Israel.” (Deuteronomy 22:22)
Even though this kind of immorality had become established in the time of Moses, at that time it was in disuse. However, they wanted Jesus to dictate a sentence on that womanforcing him to say something that could be used to discredit his ministry or to be able to accuse him before the authorities.
Faced with this dilemma that arose when being said woman in front of Jesus they expected him to demonstrate that mercy with which his ministry was identified, and thus see how he left aside and disrespected the law of Moses, something that was very important and sacred for the Jews.
Faced with this situation, if Jesus condemned the woman, that would incite all the Jews to they will kill her for jewish lawand this would also produce problems with the Roman authorities who did not allow the Jews to execute anyone.
“Then Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law. And the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to kill anyone” (John 18:31).
It can be said that it was the propitious moment for the scribes and Pharisees They could set the best trap and discredit Jesus, however the Lord in his wisdom given from heaven while they insisted that he condemn this woman He did the following:
“And as they insisted on asking him, he straightened up and said to them: He who is without sin among you is the first to throw a stone at her. And leaning back to the ground, he continued to write on the ground »
Something very interesting that Jesus did should be highlighted, and that is that he remained silent while they insisted that he condemn her, but then he responded by making their minds were chargedsince they wanted to judge a woman who was a sinner like everyone else, making them withdraw humiliated.
«But they, hearing this, accused by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest to the last; and only Jesus was left, and the woman who was in the middle. Jesus straightening up, and seeing no one but the woman, he said to her: Woman, where are those who accused you? Did no one condemn you? She said: None, Sir. Then Jesus said to him: Neither do I condemn you; Go away and sin no more”
This situation demonstrates how Jesus came to show the love and mercybecause when all these Pharisees who wanted to condemn this woman left, he asked her if there was anyone left who condemned her and she said no, so he emphasized saying that He did not condemn her and that she would stop sinning, because that was not right in front of her. the eyes of God.
This means and is a reliable demonstration of how Jesus came to earth as the Son of God not to condemn but to save the world.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17)
Learning the story of The Adulterous Woman
The teaching that the history of the adulterous woman it is that she discovered that by being alone with Jesus she was able to receive forgiveness for her sins, since for the Pharisees they had to condemn her, forgetting what the Scriptures teach about God’s mercy.
“And Jehovah passing by before him, he proclaimed: Jehovah! Jehovah! strong, merciful and pious; slow to anger, and abounding in mercy and truth” (Exodus 34:6).
In this sense, Jesus came to show how the love of God could save a person, since He didn’t need to condemn hermuch less embarrassed her, but rather he lifted her up and told her that he did not condemn her and that she should go ahead but without sinning, a situation that hinted at the grace of god who came to free the guilty from condemnation.
It is important to emphasize that the commandment of Jesus to the woman was to turn away totally of sinbeing an order in which justification came to the life of the believer and then sanctification, that means that after being absolved of sins they will be taught by the Holy Spirit to die to carnal works.
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Finally, it can be said that with the arrival of Jesus this opportunity came to all sinnersso that he will start a new life through the repentance and the forgiveness of sins, since guilt should never be a reason to be able to take away the sinner’s hope, and he managed to give him that new life in Him to start, on the way to the promised blessing.