John 8 – Go now and leave your life of sin

John 8:1-11

1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

During Band of Survivors, we had the awesome opportunity of working alongside the Lord and Captains Daniel and Nivia Paredes, and their staff, at the East Chicago Corps. One of the coolest aspects of their Corps (and I think most from BOS 2008 would agree), was the feeding program. Each day, people come in from the streets for a free lunch, and someone shares something from Scripture. On one such day, I shared on the above passage, which I want to share with you.

Have you ever that little note at the top of this section in your Bible that says: “The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11”? I had always read it, and never knew why that was the case. Rodney Whitacre, who wrote a commentary through InterVarsity Press on John, writes:

It appears to have been a well-known story, one of many that circulated orally from the beginning yet that none of the Gospel writers were led to include. But some in the later church thought this one was too good to leave out. The controversy with the teachers of the law and the Pharisees (v. 3) is similar to stories found in the Synoptics, as is the theme of God’s mercy mediated by Jesus. Those who believe that authorship is a primary criterion for canonicity will suspect or even reject this passage. Most of Christendom, however, has received this story as authoritative, and modern scholarship, although concluding firmly that it was not a part of John’s Gospel originally, has generally recognized that this story describes an event from the life of Christ. Furthermore, it is as well written and as theologically profound as anything else in the Gospels. (Click here to read the source.)

That info may seem boring and unnecessary, but it’s important that we know the Word, inside and out, including the history and context surrounding it.

This story is quite possibly one of the most interesting, and audacious, stories that I’ve ever read in the Bible. We have the Pharisees bringing in a woman that was just caught in adultery. The ridiculous thing is that they drag her in and announce this in front of everyone there (v 4). After presenting her to the crowd, and, more importantly for them, to Jesus, they ask what the correct way of dealing with her should be, especially considering what the Law has to say on the subject (i.e., you die…).

His response, not unlike many times throughout his life, would have been maddening to the accusers. The passage doesn’t indicate what he wrote, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that he wrote anything at all. Whitacre writes that, this being the Sabbath, Jesus was bound by Law to not write even two letters, unless they were written in the sand. Kudos to Jesus for knowing the Law, but even more than that, it reflects a deeper meaning. Whitacre sites Kenneth E. Bailey in saying that this action must have reflected the essence of Jeremiah 17:13: “O Lord, 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.” Whitacre writes that this is because they themselves have rejected Jesus, and thus rejected (or forsaken) God. (Click here for to read the source.)

Ultimately, Jesus answers them by saying that if they had no sin, they then had the right to condemn and judge this woman.

The rest of this story unfolds in description: “At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there.”

I’m sure to her surprise, the people actually realized that they were on the same playing field as the adulterer. And, moreover, Jesus doesn’t condemn her, but instead forgives her and commands her to leave her life of sin.

Ask yourself:
1. Do you try to take advantage of God’s forgiveness by thinking that you can just ask for forgiveness later anyways? Read up on what true repentance is. Does it mean just saying sorry?

2. When you sin, do you bring it to God, knowing that he is faithful and just to purify you? See 1 John 1:5-9.

3. Did you know that as “leave your life of sin,” you become more like Christ. That is to say that as we worship God, he makes us more like Him. Continue in your worship! See 2 Corinthians 3:18.