JESUS IS NEVER CONDEMNING, ALWAYS FORGIVING
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The scene is the Holy Temple courts in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus arrives early in the morning to teach to a gathering of seekers and followers, as was His custom. Yet His opposition has devised a scheme to trap Him. The Pharisees and teachers of the law bring a woman who has been caught in a sinful act. She stands before Him, shamed by her accusers.
Whenever crowds of Jews gather in the temple courts, Roman soldiers are always nearby to quash any unrest. Under their watchful eyes, this scene unfolds. For at this time in history, Israel is under the authority and military control of the Roman Empire. Pontius Pilate is the governor in power in the region of Judea. The Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council in Jerusalem, presides over all religious and political matters of the people. Yet any execution requires Roman approval…
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” – John 8:4-5
The Jewish leaders are well-educated and highly literate in Scripture. They know well the Mosaic Law and its commands. Their hope is that Jesus will either deny God’s law or defy Roman authority. If Jesus does not advocate the stoning, He will be charged with willfully opposing the commands of Moses. Yet if he approves of the stoning, He will be subject to arrest by the Roman soldiers. As the leaders place this test before Jesus, they are referring to this command from the Mosaic Law…
“If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.” – Deuteronomy 22:22
Jesus, the One with perfect knowledge of all Scripture, is aware of this command. Yet He sees only the woman standing before Him. The sinful man is noticeably absent from the scene. By withholding him, condemning only the woman, the Jewish leaders are themselves disobeying the law… exposing their hypocrisy and their guilt. Jesus surprises the crowd with His next action…
“Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger.” – John 8:6
What did Jesus write on the dusty stone tiles of the temple courts during this hostile scene? The prevailing view, in light of Scripture, looks to a verse in Jeremiah that talks of writing in the dust…
“Lord, You are the hope of Israel; all who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.” – Jeremiah 17:13
Just the previous day, Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the fount of living water (John 7:37-38). He is the One against whom the leaders are plotting… the Messiah they will reject and condemn to death. Whether Jesus is writing this verse in the dust or the names of the accusers, He is indicating that they are the sinful leaders about whom the prophet is prophesying…
“When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.” – John 8:7-8
Jesus has masterfully turned the tables on the Jewish leaders, escaping their trap. One by one, beginning with the eldest, the crowd dissipates. For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Jesus, who came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), upholds it to the letter. For Moses commanded that no one shall be put to death without the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6). Only Jesus, the sinless Lamb, is left with the accused woman…
“Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” – John 8:10-11
Never in this scenario does Jesus say that the woman is not in the wrong… nor does the woman ever deny her guilt. Moreover, He neither condones her wrongdoing nor condemns her for her sin. Instead, this Man of mercy manifested reaches out to rescue her… to save her not just from her accusers, but to save her eternally from all her sins. Jesus asks only that the woman leave her life of sin behind.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
Satan, the accuser, wants us to believe we are wretched sinners beyond the reach of mercy. He attempts to stack the evidence of our sins against us, making us feel guilty and unworthy of salvation. His condemning accusations weigh on us heavily and steal away our hope of redemption.
Yet Jesus is our ever-abiding Savior, offering us the gift of forgiveness. He neither condones nor condemns, but mercifully redeems. He asks only that we leave our life of sin and follow Him. When we do, He erases all evidence against us and declares us not guilty. In the light of our Redeemer, Satan’s dark lies and accusations lose all power. Like the woman, we leave our past in the past, forgiven and forgotten. Jesus gives us a new life… a life of eternal forgiveness… a life graced by His presence and unending mercy.
† Eternal Takeaway: Jesus mercifully rescues us from our sins and saves us for all eternity †
