“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group” (John 8:1-3).
I personally think It is a terrible thing for a sinner to fall into the hands of his fellow sinners. This is the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery. It is so popular that even those who rarely read the Bible know about it. As Jesus teaches, he is suddenly interrupted by a crowd of men surrounding an embarrassed woman. The men are insistent on pushing their way through the crowd until they (and the woman) are standing before Jesus. Who were these men? They are “teachers of the law” and Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of the Jewish people. That meant they were well educated, well known, and reputed to be men of wisdom and high moral standards. If anyone had a question about the Law of Moses, these were the men who had the answers. But although they were religious, they were not godly and their intentions on this day are not good. As the story unfolds, we discover that they are proud, self-confident, arrogant, ruthless, cunning, clever, calculating, and thoroughly hypocritical.
On the other hand, who really was this woman? We do not know. Was she single, engaged, or married? We do not know. What previous relationship might she have had with any of these men? We do not know. Is she very young or is she middle-aged? We do not know. This text tells us all we know about her; everything else is speculation. How did they catch her in the “act of adultery?” Again, we can’t be sure, but something fishy seems to have been going on. The rabbinic law was very specific on this point. Since adultery was technically a capital offense, the law demanded that any accuser be a literal eyewitness. It would not be enough to say, “I saw them entering the bedroom and then I saw them leave.” It must be more detailed and precise than that. Hearsay testimony would not be accepted for a charge like this. So how did these men “happen” to catch her “in the act?” We don’t know.
And that leads to a crucial question. Where is the man? Adultery by definition requires two people. It is not likely that the man somehow escaped but the woman didn’t. Perhaps it was a set-up. Perhaps they talked the man into seducing the woman so they could catch her in the act. By prearrangement they then let the man go free. As the succeeding verses make clear, these men didn’t care about the woman one way or the other. If this is a set-up, they have already caused adultery and apparently would be willing to cause a murder as well, so great was their hatred of Jesus. One final question. Why did they expose her publicly? There was no need to do that. And there was no need to bring her to Jesus. Clearly, they weren’t simply seeking to punish her. Something much more sinister is at work here. In it all, God and his mercy is readily available for those who surrender to him. The world may hate you but Jesus will not condemn you.
FURTHER READING:
“They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.” Jn. 8:4-6.
“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” Jn. 8:7, 10-11.
DECLARATION:
Dear Abba Father, thank You for today, I step out of every cocoon and embrace Your word for my life today. I declare it is not too late to accomplish everything You placed in my heart. I have not missed my window of opportunity. Your ordained moments of favour for my life is here. I step up and take my place. Special grace to help me accomplish Your purpose for my life is released today in the name of Jesus, amen.
1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:
Psalm. 118:1-29.
Psalm. 119:1-176.
Psalm. 120:1-7.
Psalm. 121:1-8.
QUOTE FOR THE DAY:
“You Can Never Correct What You Are Unwilling To Confront.”
The Fortress Int’l Church, 2 Floor 10 Coker Road, Opposite Chicken Republic Ilupeju Lagos, Nigeria.
http://www.thefortresschurch.com.
email: info@thefortresschurch.com.
