THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY

John 8:1-11

By David J. Riggs

                        
Intro.
   A. The enemies of Jesus often accused Him of being a friend of
      publicans and sinners. Matt. 11:16-19
      1. Those with wisdom will exonerate the conduct of both John
         and Jesus.
   B. Many of the stories which God chose to record in the life of   
      Jesus involve those very people.
      1. Our study is one of them. It's recorded only in the gospel  
         of John.
         a. John 8:1-11 is left out of some of the ancient
            manuscripts. No one knows why. The NKJV states,
            "They are present in over 900 manuscripts."
   C. Let's examine the various aspects of this Biblical narrative.

I. FIRST, LET'S LOOK AT THE SETTING.
   A. It was in the temple court.
   B. It was early in the morning.
   C. A large crowd had gathered.
   D. Jesus was sitting and teaching.
   E. There was a noisy disturbance.
      1. The Jewish leaders dragged a woman into Jesus' presence
         and demanded a verdict.

II. NEXT, LET'S EXAMINE THE CHARACTERS.
   A. The prosecutors.
      1. They were religious men, holding high office.
      2. They were legalists in the fullest sense.
         a. They had no pity, mercy or compassion. They did not
            mention one word, nor did they care, about the soul of
            the woman.
         b. On one occasion, Jesus became angry as He saw the
            hardness of their hearts. Mark 3:5
            (1) They should have cared about the man with the
                withered hand, and wanted him healed, no matter
                what day it might have been.
         c. Also, they were zealous about binding the law on others
            while excusing themselves. Matt. 23:4
         d. Though they acted as judges, they were the ones who
            were truly lost.
   B. The Christ.
      1. He was the friend of publicans and sinners.
         a. He was the minister of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
         b. He was the sinless Son of God.
         c. He was the teacher of true religion and morality.
         d. He was the fairest judge of all, and the exposer of
            hypocrisy.
      2. Both John and Jesus were able to convert sinners, but were
         not able to convince the religious leaders. Matt. 21:28-32
         a. The publicans and harlots knew they were sinners, but
            the Pharisees didn't.
   C. The Woman.
      1. She was a sinner, guilty of adultery, and worthy of death by
         stoning according to the law. Deut. 22:21-22; Lev. 20:10-13
      2. This woman, as we will see, becomes the victim of an evil
         plot.
         a. Also, it is unlikely that they would have caught her "in
            the act" unless it had been a setup.
         b. There is something sorely lacking in the scene - the
            guilty man.
      3. This woman had a precious soul, and though a sinner, was a
         prospect for conversion.

III. LET'S CONSIDER THE PLOT. Vs. 3-6a
   A. The whole plot was to find ground for condemning Jesus. Vs. 6
   B. They thought they were forcing Him to take a position contrary
      to either Roman or Jewish law.
      1. If He said, "condemn her," they would charge Him before
         the Romans, who reserved the right of capital punishment for
         themselves. John 18:31
      2. If He said, "do not condemn her," they would accuse Him of
         setting aside the Law of Moses.
   C. Thus, they were setting a trap for Him to destroy His          
      credibility before the people.
      1. This situation was similar to the one in Matt. 22:17.
         a. If He said, "Yes," He would lose His favor with the
            people who hated to pay taxes to Rome.
         b. If He said, "No," they would accuse Him before the
            Roman authorities.

IV. JESUS DEFUSES THIS EXPLOSIVE SITUATION. Vs. 6b-9
   A. Jesus stoops down and writes on the ground, as though He did
      not hear them.
   B. He then gives them a challenge.
      1. He often changed the situation by putting them in a dilemma.
         Matt. 21:23-27
   C. They were convicted by their own consciences. For once, we see
      a little good in these evil men.
      1. The experiences of life are more full with the older; thus,
         they went out first.
      2. The conscience can cut very deeply. 2 Sam. 24:10; Acts 2:37
         a. In Acts 7:54, they were cut to the heart, but they
            responded with fierce anger.
      3. It would do all of us good to take an honest look at
         ourselves. 2 Cor. 13:5; Rev. 3:2-3
   D. Some have used the expression "let him who is without sin cast
      the first stone" to mean that we cannot rebuke sin and error.
      1. However, we are not casting stones; we are just compelling
         and encouraging people to repent as we are commanded to
         do. 2 Tim. 4:2

V. LOOK AT JESUS' CONVERSATION WITH THE WOMAN. Vs. 10-11
   A. We get a glimpse here of the basic difference between the law  
      of Moses and the New Testament of Christ.
      1. Jesus came to save men's lives, not to destroy them. Luke
         9:54-56
         a. Jesus truly converted James and John. John, though a
            "son of thunder" (Mark. 3:17), became the great apostle
            of love.
      2. He did not come to condemn or judge the world. John 3:17;
         12:47
      3. He's coming back to judge and condemn. 2 Thess. 1:6-9;
         Luke 3:17; James 5:9
   B. Jesus told the woman to "go and sin no more."
      1. The Lord is merciful, full of tender mercies and            
         forgiveness, but we must "sin no more" if we are to be      
         pardoned. This is what true repentance is.
      2. If we have a sinful habit of some kind, we must overcome it.
      3. Some people want baptism to wash away their prior
         marriages. No, they must stop living in adultery to be
         forgiven. Col. 3:5-10

Concl.
   A. Jesus was indeed the friend of publicans and sinners. Mark     
      2:14-17
      1. Truly, He came to call sinners to repentance.
         a. Very simply, then, His call is: "Repent!" Luke 13:3
      2. Thus, if we would go to heaven, we must acknowledge our
         sin and repent.
         a. It was a publican who said - Luke 18:13, and Jesus said
            - Luke 18:14.
      3. Involved in repentance is not only acknowledging our sins,
         but as Jesus said to the woman, "go and sin no more."
         a. We must do our very best to never commit the same
            sins again.
   B. How about you? Will you not repent of all your sins, confess   
      the name of Christ, and be baptized for the remissions of your 
      sins? Rom. 10:9; Acts 2:38