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