John 8:1-11

John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, 

and all the people started coming to him, 

and he sat down and taught them.

Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman 

who had been caught in adultery 

and made her stand in the middle.

They said to him,

“Teacher, this woman was caught 

in the very act of committing adultery.

Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.

So what do you say?”

They said this to test him,

so that they could have some charge to bring against him.

Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.

But when they continued asking him,

he straightened up and said to them,

“Let the one among you who is without sin 

be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.

And in response, they went away one by one,

beginning with the elders.

So he was left alone with the woman before him.

Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,

“Woman, where are they?

Has no one condemned you?”

She replied, “No one, sir.”

Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.

Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, the people of Israel tested you in the desert. Today, the scribes and Pharisees test your Son. I do not want to test you. I want to be a faithful and docile child who trusts in you to lead me and guide me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Another Trap: According to the Torah, adultery was a capital offense. Deuteronomy 22:22-24 prescribes stoning for both the man and woman involved (see Leviticus 20:11). The question that the scribes and Pharisees pose to Jesus is this: “Should this woman, caught in adultery, be stoned to death?” The religious authorities weren’t really concerned about the Law and the administration of justice. Their goal was to entrap Jesus. That was what the religious authorities tried to do with the question about paying taxes to Caesar. Neither question was an easy yes or no. In this case, if Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees to stone her, according to the Law of Moses, the scribes and Pharisees would just go to the Roman authorities and accuse him of advocating rebellion against the Roman authorities – since, by law, the Romans were the only ones able to apply capital punishment. If, on the other hand, Jesus told them not to execute the woman caught in adultery, they would go to the people and say that Jesus was not a true prophet because he denied the Law of Moses.

2. Jesus Trapped the Pharisees: Just as Jesus resolved the dilemma about paying taxes to Caesar with ease, so also he resolved this dilemma. In this case, he offered the following suggestion to the scribes and Pharisees: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” “By saying this, Jesus puts the responsibility for the woman’s execution squarely on the shoulders of the scribes and Pharisees. They certainly do think that they themselves are without sin, but they do not dare take up a stone to throw at the woman because they would immediately be arrested by the Roman soldiers who were keeping an eye on the Temple courts from the massive, adjacent Antonian fortress” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year C, 111). The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus, but he flipped the script and trapped them once again. If the scribes and Pharisees “throw stones, they will be arrested by the Romans. If they don’t throw stones, they will appear to be admitting that they have sin” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year C, 111).

3. The Encounter with Divine Mercy: The oldest members of the scribes and Pharisees were the first to throw down their stones and leave in haughty silence. They knew that they were outsmarted once again by Jesus. But likely they also knew that they were sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. The long years of life had softened their hearts. Jesus gave them much to think about that day. In Jesus, they encountered the justice, mercy, and love of God. Jesus was just and didn’t ignore the sin. He told the woman, “Sin no more.” Jesus was merciful and said to the woman, “Has no one condemned you? … Neither do I condemn you.” The justice and mercy of Jesus were expressions of his love for the woman as well as for the Pharisees and scribes. The woman needed to encounter the merciful voice of Jesus, who defended her, was patient with her, and trusted she would do better in the future. The scribes and Pharisees needed to encounter the wisdom and word of Jesus and have their hypocritical masks ripped off. This is a true consolation for us: God knows how to interact with each one of us to bring us to encounter him. Whether our sins are like those of the prodigal son and the woman caught in adultery, or like those of the elder son and the scribes and Pharisees, God knows what we need.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the incarnation of divine mercy. You know all of my sins. You can list them one by one in the sand. I humbly ask for forgiveness, especially for those times when I have judged the hearts of others.

Living the Word of God: During this past year, how have I put God to the test? Have I blamed him for any suffering, trial, or temptation I have experienced? Have I grumbled and complained about trivial and unimportant things? How can I better imitate Jesus’ patience and mercy that I contemplate in the Gospel? How can I welcome and embrace the sinner on the path to repentance? How can I combat hypocrisy and the harsh judgment of others in my life?