NT Characters: The Woman Caught in Adultery

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.Text: John 8:2-11 Comments Today's study is on a well-known passage, even though it is not in the original manuscripts of John's gospel.Still, it rings true, is of early origin, and is therefore is found in most Bibles.Few scholars doubt its authenticity, even if it was not originally in its present location in John.Sometimes it follows Luke 21:38. Or is found after John 7:36, or John 7:44. Sometimes it's even located after John 21:25.Although scholars nearly unanimously reject the story as original in the fourth gospel, they are also of one mind in accepting its veracity.It is perfectly in character with what we know of Jesus and his attitude towards sin/sinners.It is unlikely to be an invention of the later church, since in the second century sin was dealt with much more harshly than it is in this passage.Some early Christian preserved the story, and some early copyist of John placed it between chapters 7 and 8, probably because it seemed a good fit (verses about judgment, tensions between Jesus and the Pharisees).For more on this--and to find out exactly which early manuscripts contain the passage--please visit the chapter notes on John 8 at this website. (Many of the notes from this study are reproduced below.)The settingAs was Jesus' custom during the feasts, he taught in the day and stayed evenings somewhere on the Mount of Olives (v.1). He probably enjoyed the hospitality of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. (Search your concordance under Bethany.)The venue for his teaching was the temple complex. (And by forgiving the adulteress, he was challenging, "usurping," the authority of the priests.)The time was early morning, before the heat of the day.He taught in the seated position (v.2), which was the normal posture of a rabbi with his disciples. Then comes the shocking interruption (v.3). The question, and the arrest of the woman, seem staged.Since adultery takes place in secret, it is likely that the accusers had been waiting (and hoping) for the transgression to take place. Their posturing--and possibly the adultery itself?--was premeditated.Only the woman has been brought in, despite the implicit charge that the man had been present (v.4).The accusers have little concern for the woman. Their aim is only to trap Jesus. Here is the trap (vv.5-6).Jesus advocated compassion. He forbade us even to hate our enemies. He had intimated that the new covenant was in the process of being inaugurated -- that the old law might not apply anymore. And yet the Torah required the death penalty for both parties (Leviticus 20:10).Would Jesus then contradict himself, or the Mosaic law?Masterfully, Jesus extricates both himself and the woman from the dilemma.His reply is perfectly suited to the occasion. Jesus was always an excellent thinker on his feet.Acknowledging the demand of the law for adulterers ("Let anyone without sin cast the first stone...") while confronting all present with their own sin (and potential hypocrisy in judging her), he extricates both himself and the woman from the dilemma (v.7ff).The older in the crowd, realizing that Jesus occupies the moral high ground and will not be trapped, walk away.The younger in the crowd, less savvy and more moralistic, linger longer, but they too in the end leave the scene.The accusers apparently depart as well.In the end, only two persons remain.While offering her divine forgiveness, Jesus hardly condones her immorality."Sin no more" (v.11).The heart-warming vignette demonstrates the church's attitude towards erring members. Sin will not be taken lightly, but forgiveness is always available if there is repentance.This passage is one of several understood by early Christians to forbid capital punishment. The early position on execution is found in such writers as Lactantius (c.290-300 AD): When God forbids us to kill, he not only prohibits the violence that is condemned by public laws, but he also forbids the violence that is deemed lawful by men. Thus it is not lawful for a just man to engage in warfare, since his warfare is injustice itself. Nor is it [lawful] to accuse anyone of a capital offense. It makes no difference whether you put a man to death by word, or by the sword. It is the act of putting to death itself which is prohibited. Therefore, regarding this precept of God there should be no exception at all. Rather it is always unlawful to put to death a man, whom God willed to be a sacred creature.The WomanShe is a nobody, a cipher, an object -- dehumanized, just like the blind man (John 9:2), only of interest for theological reasons.She is a victim. She has been set up, so it seems.She is guilty. It takes two to tango, and two to commit adultery. She may not be responsible for the system, but she is responsible for her own actions.She is all of us! For outside of Christ, the world views us as nobodies; we--or well-meaning "experts"--may insist we have been victimized; yet in our heart of hearts, and in the presence of the holy God, we are guilty. We all stand as much in need of Christ's grace as this poor woman--and so we ought to learn from her.Yet anyone in Christ is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)!Thought questions:What differences, if any, do I detect between the "old law" and the new?Do I have a fixed opinion on capital punishment? What position do I suppose that Jesus and the early church held to? Does it surprise me to learn that the early church opposed capital punishment? (All of this changed in the 300s, with the beginning of the Catholic Church.) For more on this, listen to the podcast on Capital Punishment.Had I been present, which of the characters in this story would I have been: the older persons, the younger persons, the woman, or the accusers?