Neither do I condemn you (note on John 8a)

John 8:1-11

Key Verse 11b  "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Introduction: In the early manuscripts, this part is missing and is considered to be added later. Nevertheless, this story is well connected with the previous passages and the passage that follows in theme and flow of events. In addition, the writing itself is of Johannine style.

Just before this event, the Feast of Tabernacle ended. On the last day of that festival, Jesus said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."(7:37b-38) In the life of people was unquenchable needs which could not be met by any means that they had. Jesus offered a living water which could meet the thirstiness of life.  While some were convinced that Jesus was the Prophet or the Messiah, the Pharisees firmly believed that Jesus violated the Law of Moses and by following Jesus, there is a curse on the mob. The Pharisees upheld the Law high above all and its curse, violation of the law, must be avoided by all means. So at the end of the Feast were left them with two things; Jesus’ offer of the living water and the law and its curse on people as the Pharisees framed it so well. In a plane word, Jesus’ offer was God’s grace in abundance without any condition and the curse under the Law remained as an unmitigated power in the life of people.

In today’s story, while the Pharisees attempted to enforce the full authority of the Law as their will, proving that abiding by the Law was the way of life, Jesus offered his grace as the only one who was worthy to enforce the curse of the Law.    

1. Jesus challenges the force of the Law by praying and by teaching at the temple. (7:53-8:2)

The Feast ended and yet, there loomed large of an enormous force of opposition in unbelief of the religious leaders. Their belief and will were undeterred by Jesus’ teaching and display of miraculous power. At this situation, all went home but Jesus went out to pray till late and in the early morning, Jesus went to the temple and taught people the words of God. The temple was the place where the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had full authority and at their will, they could exercise their authority any time. Actually, during the feast, they made attempts to arrest Jesus either by their own people or by the temple guards (7:30, 44-45). But both failed. Yet Jesus did not get away from the temple, the turf of the opposition forces, and challenged their causes and power by teaching people the words of God.  Here is Jesus’ undeterred will to bring the message of salvation to the people even in the risk of his life. This challenge was supported by His intensively seeking Father’s guidance in prayer.   While the law and its forces are at large, we are to pray and to challenge them in their midst by teaching the words of truth.

2. A woman caught in adultery (8:3-6a)

In the early in the morning, knowing Jesus’ whereabouts well, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law brought in a woman caught in adultery. It is well imaginable that as soon as this lady came out of an adulterous affair through the night, they caught her on the spot. As the enforcer of the Law of Moses, they had a full authority over her and let her stand in full view of all that was listening to Jesus’ teaching. So they asked Jesus, “In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say?" The law was very clear and there is no ambiguity about what should be done with the ones that committed adultery. Since she was caught in action, she had nothing to say. Actually, there was no one who could say what the Law prescribed for such sinners. What about Jesus? Could he say anything other than what the Law says? But previously Jesus made clear that he was the friends of sinners and came to forgive sinners. He also demonstrated this will by healing a man invalid for thirty-eight years. The Pharisee and the teachers of the law knew Jesus’ stance on this. Now they are testing Jesus if he would do keep his stance on this woman caught in adultery, for the one the law says with clarity.  If Jesus was to stay on what he came for, to be a friend of sinners and to forgive sinners, then Jesus had to go against the prescription of the law.  If not, then he would defeat his own purpose, God-given mission.  In their understanding, Jesus had no choice but to agree with the Law and its judgment; condemning her to death by stoning. Their motive is clear; 6a They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

3. Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first (6b-7)

While the teachers of the law and the Pharisees were sensing a winning against a powerful country teacher, Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground. He was calm and relaxed. He was in no hurry to answer their question. In impatience, they urged Jesus to give an answer. They were fully driven by the righteousness of the Law. The Law was right and must be upheld and anyone who would not uphold to a very stroke of a letter is not right and must be condemned. Though Jesus was smart and powerful and well versed in the teachings, he cannot be exempted. We do not know how long the time passed by. After there was a silence long enough to cool down their hype to judge and to condemn, Jesus rose up and looked at them face to face and confronted each of them with this word;

"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Here, “the one without sin” is emphatic and comes at the head of the sentence. The second emphasis is ‘let him be the FIRST”. So if one decides to condemn her, then he has to examine himself first to see if he did not sin at all. Also, he has to choose to be the first one among all others, i.e. he should stand out as the one sinless among all the crowd. Simply by being the first one, standing out above all as one without sin, he must have lived a sinless life in the eyes of all the crowd before.

In this way, Jesus turned the table to them so that they might make a decision on what to do. The decision is not to determine what is right or wrong but what should be done by their hands.

According to the Law, it was an easy answer whether the woman should be condemned or not. But implementation of it was totally different matter because he should put himself under the law as much as he subjects this lady under the law.

It is good for us to go back and examine the command given to Israel. This law concerning the adultery is found in two places, Deut 22:22-23 and Lev 20:10. Both of them were given during the time of Israel’s journey to the land of God blessing. During this journey, God was in their midst and God purged sins of Israel. As we remember, so many Israel died in the wilderness. It was because God made them holy as his people. So, the law was given to those who survived from the judgment of God’s holiness. It was to maintain that holiness as a whole as a chosen nation of God. In other words, if one is able to carry the judgment prescribed by the Law, then he must be holy and law-abiding through and through.

What about this time? Israel violated the Law and its covenant so much that God prescribed an exile and was then under the Roman power. Jesus saw how corrupted the temple affairs were and rebuked those who were selling animals. The nation as a whole, not to mention the religious leaders, was under the power of sin and no one was worthy to condemn others according to the Law. Like this, while their lives were tainted so much with violation of the Law of Moses, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were trying to show their righteousness by condemning a woman caught by adultery.

As they were hot to condemn the woman, Jesus gave them a time, time of silence and reflection on themselves according to the Law of Moses. Jesus let them do a sober judgment on themselves with the sharp knife of the Law of Moses. It might not be too much to say that all of them had committed adultery at one point in their lives, not to mention so many little violations of the Law.

We all want to apply the law to others so that they may correct and that I might be proven right and at the same time, they might do good to us. So, we love and enjoy doing it again and again. But we seldom look ourselves with a sober judgment of the Law. What if we can or we do direct the fury against the violation of the Law to ourselves?  Paul lamented on this; Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

4. Neither do I condemn you (8-10)

After telling them what to do, Jesus again sat down, not looking at any of them, not the woman, not the Pharisee and the teachers of the Law. Now the woman was standing, and these accusers were standing looking at each other. There was no Jesus in view and it was all among themselves and God who gave the Law. Most likely they saw vividly how she was trembling in fear because her life was on the verge of death. What did they decide to do? “9 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 still standing there.” The smartest one was the older one and he left first and then all of them one by one for they would not want to face the same predicament as this woman was facing now. The judgment that they deliver would surely come back to them in time for they sinned as much as this woman( Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things).  So, no one dared to declare loudly among this crowd that he was sinless. Like this, all those who brought the charge of adultery on her left and only the woman was left behind along with Jesus. Though all the accusers left, she was not out completely of the woods because the law was clear on this; judgment by stoning and Jesus, the Prophet like Moses, was there. But Jesus stood up and looked at her and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"(10). She confirmed, “"No one, sir," she said (11a). It became clear to her that no one was free of sin and qualified to bring judgment on her.  According to the Law, we all can discern what is right and just, but a delivery of judgment is not in man’s hand but in God’s for God alone is right and just. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were the most stringent keeper of the Law and yet they could not keep up with the Law, then, who else can? Now this woman caught adultery is standing before Jesus. If anyone on earth is right and just, it is Jesus. No one else. He was well qualified and would actually come as the judge of the living and the dead. But for now, Jesus came with a clear God’s directive: 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”(John 8) His purpose was not to judge but to save the people and said to her, "Then neither do I condemn you,” 

Then what would happen to the requirement of the Law of Moses? By Jesus’ favor or in his discretion for the sinful woman, was she unhooked from the law? Jesus’ favor is not cost-free at all. Eventually, Jesus had to pay for her sin as well though for now she was waived to pay for her sin. Jesus’ forgiveness for this woman is a clear expression of His will to pay for sins of men in order to buy righteousness for all sinners. Praise Jesus in his amazing grace for sinners!

5. Go now and leave your life of sin (11)

As he forgave her sin, Jesus said this to her, "Go now and leave your life of sin”. Jesus was telling her that from this point on she had to live or to maintain a life without sin. It would be very difficult. But she had to do it. Then how? Jesus dealt with this matter in the next passage (8:12-30)