Soar Like Eagles (Part 24)
Letters in the Sand - John 8:1-11

A note to teachers:
Chapter 8 may contain many people's favorite story in the entire
Gospel of John. This text gathers into eleven short verses the heart and
soul of Jesus' ministry. Although it probably was not originally part of
the Gospel of John, it is a powerful passage which leaves us with an
unforgettable picture of Jesus.
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DISCUSSION STARTERS
1. Which to you is the grossest sin?
a. cheating on income tax
b. having premarital/extramarital sex
c. selling pornography
d. cutting shady business deals
e. child abuse

2. Who would you have trouble forgiving?
a a rapist
b. a drug dealer
c. a crooked politician
d. an adulterer
e. a Nazi war criminal

3. If you had been in the crowd when the woman caught in adultery was
brought to Jesus, what would you have done?
a. blushed
b. stood up for the woman
c. looked the other way
d. picked up a stone
e. prayed for the woman
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Like most modern translations, the NASB places 7:53-8:11 in brackets,
with the notation that it is not found in most of the ancient
manuscripts. This passage appears only in some of the later Greek
manuscripts, and, even then, it appears in different places: following
John 7:36; 7:44; 7:52; 21:25; and Luke 21:38. In fact, no Greek manuscnpt
prior to the ninth century, with the exception of the bilingual Codex
Bdezae manuscripts, has the story.
None of the church fathers who wrote in Greek commented on this
passage until the 12th century although many of them made reference to
the passages which immediately precede and follow it. While it is likely
that the story actually did occur, it's also certain that it was not part
of John's original gospel .
Because these verses art: known by most Christians, and have often
been mistaught and misapplied, we want to take the time in this study to
discuss their meaning.
This does not indicate that this text is uninspired and thus to be
ignored. Metzger maintained that "the account has all the earmarks of
historical veracity" (Bruce Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek
New Testament [Stuttgart, Germany: United Bible Societies, 1975], 200).
Though perhaps not originally part of the Gospel of John, it was
probably a treasured story which was passed along by word of mouth until
it became a sort of first-century tract. Too small to stand on its own,
it seems to have found a fitting home in the eighth chapter of the Gospel
of John.

HOW JESUS TREATED A DILEMMA (8:1-9)
"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. {2} At dawn he appeared again
in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he
sat down to teach them. {3} The teachers of the law and the Pharisees
brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the
group {4} and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act
of adultery. {5} In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now
what do you say?" {6} They 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. {7} When 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." {8} Again he stooped
down and wrote on the ground. {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."
Everyone went home for the night after a day of heated debates. Since the
feast is now over, they all dismantle their "tents" and go back to their
beds. But Jesus is still camping out at one of his favorite haunts, the
Mount of Olives. The following morning, just after sunrise, Jesus is
again in the midst of the temple with an eager audience around him. This
would be the eighth day of the feast, the solemn assembly.
The educated religious right (i.e., Pharisees and scribes) present Jesus
with a dilemma. Here is a woman caught in the act. She stands in the
midst of a murderous mob with her heart pounding and her palms sweating.
She wonders if she will survive the incident. This all happened so
suddenly. The sinners’ sheets haven’t even cooled.
Perhaps the joyous celebration and its delicious wine during the last
seven days seduced her into sin. Now, here she is in the temple of God,
exposed. The very stones of this holy place seem to condemn the sin in
its midst. The crowd, while peeved at the interruption, are yet
sadistically curious of the spectacle, and speak volumes with their eyes.
She is publicly disgraced and standing alone without so much as the
support of her lover. By the way, where is he? If they were caught in the
act, why is he not here to receive his just punishment of stoning (Lev
20:10)? Their hypocrisy is blatant. Not only is the man’s absence a
glaring inconsistency, so is the Pharisaic presence when this act took
place. How could this woman be caught in the act without a malicious
trap? They care neither for the sin nor the woman. She is merely a tool
to get at Jesus.
The story begins with Jesus' going to the Mount of Olives, something
that became His routine during the final week before the Crucifixion.
Luke 21:37 indicates that Jesus would teach in Jerusalem during the day
and retire to the Mount of Olives at night. This was probably at the home
of Mary and Martha in Bethany, which was on the eastern slopes of the
Mount of Olives.
Early the next morning He returned to Jerusalem and entered the
temple. As people gathered around Him, He sat down and began to teach. At
some point while this was happening, the scribes and the Pharisees
brought to Jesus a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery.
Showing neither concern nor compassion for the woman, they "set her in
the midst" (8:3), holding her up to public ridicule. Their main interest,
it soon became clear, was not to deal with the woman, but to trap Jesus.
"Teacher," they said, "this woman has been caught in adultery, in the
very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what
then do You say?" (8:4, 5). For a moment they thought they had set the
perfect trap.
In the eyes of the Jewish law, adultery was a serious crime. The
Rabbis said: "Every Jew must die before he will commit idolatry, murder,
or adultery." Adultery was, in fact, one the three gravest sins.
It would not be likely to catch a couple in the "very act" of adultery;
so we wonder if the man (who never was indicted) was part of the scheme.
The law required that both guilty parties be put to death! Leviticus
20:10: ""'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the
wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put
to death."
The Mishnah (the Jewish codified law) states that the penalty for
adultery is strangulation, thus specifying the method. The man was to be
enclosed in dung up to his knees, and a soft towel set within a rough
towel placed around his next, in order that no mark be made, for the
"punishment is God's punishment." Then one man draws in one direction and
another in the other direction, until he was dead.
The Jewish Council was strict in its requirements about evidence. It
was not enough to have suspicions or rumors or even to see two people
enter a house. It was essential that there be eyewitnesses of actual
adultery before such charges as those brought by the scribes and the
Pharisees could be leveled against a person.
Jesus' opponents had done their homework well, and they were certain
that they had Him trapped. If He said not to stone the woman, would He
not be breaking the law of Moses?
More important, such a reply would allow the scribes and the Pharisees
to portray Jesus as weak and unfaithful to the Law.
(Deut. 22:21-24) "...she shall be brought to the door of her father's
house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has
done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in
her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you. {22} 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. {23} If
a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he
sleeps with her, {24} you shall take both of them to the gate of that
town and stone them to death--the girl because she was in a town and did
not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife.
You must purge the evil from among you."
However, if He took the opposite position and said "Stone her!" Jesus
would open Himself up to charges of being a revolutionary and inciting
defiance of Roman law, which prohibited the Jews from carrying out an
execution.
Either way Jesus responded, the Jewish leaders thought they had Him
cornered. Only when we understand how ingenious this plan was can we
begin to appreciate how brilliantly Jesus answered.
Jesus knew that their motives were wicked (8:6). After all, where was
the man? Adultery is not a sin which a person can commit alone, and yet
only a woman was brought to Jesus.
Obviously, they were more interested in embarrassing Jesus than in
seeing the law of Moses obeyed. Power, not righteousness, was their major
concern.
It might remind us of Matthew 7:2-5: "For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you. {3} "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your
brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? {4} How
can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,'
when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? {5} You hypocrite,
first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to remove the speck from your brother's eye."So Jesus is presented with
this dilemma. They ask him emphatically, "What do YOU say?" If he
condemns the woman he may risk the wrath of Rome for pronouncing capital
punishment. He may also lose face with the crowds who have followed him
partially because of his compassion. But on the other hand, if he excuses
this woman, he could rightly be accused of contradicting the law of Moses
which demands the stoning of an adulteress (Deut 22:22-24). But Jesus
will not be trapped in a catch-22 (cf. Mt 22:15-40). Nor will he allow
such flagrant hypocrisy to go undetected.
Jesus, as if disinterested in the whole question, stoops down and starts
to write on the ground. There have been many speculations as to what he
wrote. One attractive suggestion is that he wrote accusations against the
various Sanhedrin members. Another says he wrote a list of their names.
Still another supposes that he just doodled to show his disinterest.
We’re curious about what he wrote. But apparently it doesn’t matter. The
emphasis is on the act of writing, not what was written. While Jesus
scribbles in the sand they keep pressing him for an answer. They get more
of an answer than they bargain for.
Jesus stands up, adding force to his response. Without disregarding
either the law of Moses or this precious person, he simply says, "If any
one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Jesus is not saying that her accusers have to be sinless. That would
spell the demise of all legal proceedings. He is merely suggesting that
they be adequate witnesses.
According to Deuteronomy 19:16-19 (cf. Exod 23:1-3, 6-8), this means that
they must not be malicious or deceitful. Jesus exposes their devious
sting operation. They’re trying to nail Jesus, not this woman. Now they,
along with this woman, have been caught in the act. Furthermore, those
who would throw the first stone, according to Jewish jurisprudence, must
be witnesses of the crime. These guys are at the center of this vicious
trap. Bull’s-eye! Jesus, with one sentence identifies, criticizes, and
dismantles this whole dirty business. He then stoops down and continues
to doodle in the dust.
The older ones leave first, their wisdom and moderation having been
forged by time. The others follow reluctantly. By and by this whole inner
band of accusers disappears, leaving this woman alone with Jesus in the
center But in the center of what? The original crowd of disciples whose
class was broken up by this charade.
All the woman’s accusers are gone. Jesus alone is left. But a single
witness isn’t sufficient for capital punishment. Nor does Jesus desire to
condemn her (Rom 8:31-34). He treats her with gentleness and respect (cf.
Jn 2:4; 20:13). She is forgiven; she is free. Now, Christ’s forgiveness
is freely given, but it is not cheap. With grace comes the expectation of
godliness. Jesus sends her away with a commission to purity. If this
story is not true, it at least truly reflects the character and beauty of
our Lord’s love for broken people.
Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on
the judges! No doubt He was indignant at the way they treated the woman.
He was also concerned that such hypocrites should condemn another person
and not judge themselves.

He Did Not Answer Them (v. 6)
When Jesus was confronted by His opponents' "unanswerable question,"
His first response was to say absolutely nothing!
With all eyes on Him, Jesus stooped down and, using His finger, began
to write on the ground (8:6). For long seconds a paralyzing silence must
have surrounded Jesus. He refused to answer their question. What was He
doing? When would He speak again? What would be the Jewish leaders' next
move?
Saying nothing is sometimes the best action. No answer is sometimes the
best possible answer. (Prov 26:4-5) "Do not answer a fool according to
his folly, or you will be like him yourself. {5} Answer a fool according
to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes."
At first, these two statements seem to contradict each other. However,
upon further reflection, we realize that there is a time to answer a fool
in his folly and a time when a response is unwise.
In John 8 a reply was unwise. No matter how true Jesus’ words might
have been, truth could not have been heard. The question was twisted, the
political feelings ran too high, and truth would not have been served by
any answer. In such a situation Jesus said nothing.
What did He write on the ground? Could He have been reminding them of
a passage of warning found in 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."
It was required by Jewish law that the accusers cast the first stones:
Deut. 17:7: "The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him
to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil
from among you."
Was Jesus saying that a perfect person was the only one who could cast
a stone? Some have suggested that He was referring to the particular sin
of the woman, a sin that can be committed in the heart as well as with
the body: Matt. 5:27-30: ""You have heard that it was said, 'Do not
commit adultery.' {28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. {29} If
your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is
better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to
be thrown into hell. {30} And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut
it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your
body than for your whole body to go into hell."

He Turned the Spotlight Back on Them (VV. 7-9)
Finally, after the scribes and the Pharisees continued to insist that
Jesus answer their question, He stood up and spoke some words that have
been repeated by Christians for the past two thousand years: "He who is
without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"
(8:7). Then he stooped down again and returned to writing on the ground.
Once again, a painful hush must have fallen over the crowd as everyone
began to realize the power of the words Jesus had just spoken.
What was Jesus writing in the dirt? The story does not tell us for
certain. Some have suggested that He was writing nothing, but was giving
His opponents time to squirm.
Others have speculated that He was writing out passages of Scripture
which condemned cvhat the scribes and the Pharisees were doing that clay.
Still others have thought that Jesus was listing sins of which the
woman's accusers were guilty.
Whatever He did or did not write, His spoken command had turned the
spotlight off of the woman and onto those who had brought her to Jesus.
With the words "He who is without sin," Jesus made the Jewish leaders
as uncomfortable as they had made the woman who was still in the middle
of the group.
It is always more comfortable to focus on another person's sin than it
is to confront our own sin. The discomfort grew until everyone left,
beginninig with the oldest and going down to the youngest.
The older men may have left first because they were the ones who would
be held responsible if the crowd did something foolish. Perhaps the older
men were wiser and quicker to appreciatte the wisdom of Jesus' response.
Whatever their thoughts were, they realized that He had turned their
unanswerable question into an impossible command.
This passage certainly shows us two things about the attitude of the
scribes and Pharisees.
1. It shows us their concept of authority.
They were the legal experts of the day; to them problems were taken
for decision. It is clear that to them authority was critical, censorious
and condemnatory. Authority should be based onsympathy, with its aim to
reclaim the criminal and the sinner.
Perhaps it's best stated that "the first duty of authority is to try to
understand the force of the taaptations which drove the sinner to sin and
the seductive" of the circumstances in which sin became so attractive. No
man can pass judgment on another unless he at least tries to understand
what the other has come through."

2. It shows vividly and cruelly the attitude toward the people.
They were looking on this woman as a thing, an instrunent whereby they
could formulate a charge against Jesus. To them, she had no name, no
personality, no feelings; she was simply a pawn in the game whereby they
sought to destroy Jesus.

HOW JESUS TREATED A PERSON
Having brilliantly handled His dilemma, Jesus next demonstrates how to
treat a person. After the men had left Jesus straightened up and looked
around. He asked the accused, "Woman, where art they? Did no one condemn
you?" (8:10). At this point, we realize how little we know about this
woman. Although she has often been idealized as a goodhearted victim of a
terrible injustice, we are told nothing about her except for her sin!
Was she gentle and likeable, or was she harsh and obnoxious? As she
stood "in the midst" of her accusers (8:3,9), was she softly sobbing the
pitiful tears of a person who was crushed by her shame, or was she
definantly glaring at those who dared to drag her to the temple?
All we know is that she had been caught in the act of adultery, and
her sin was publicly paraded through the temple grounds. What makes this
story so marvelous is not the woman, but the way Jesus responded to her.

He Treated Her With Dignity
Have you ever been present when people were talking about you? Perhaps
as a child or as a patient in the hospital, you have had the terrible
experience of hearing others talk about you as if you were not even
there.
It is a dehumanizing experience. That is what the woman had been
subjected to at the hands of the scribes and the Pharisees. She had been
an object, a problem, nothing more. When Jesus had faced down her
accusers, He turned and spoke to her. The fact that He spoke to her
instead of about her was perhaps the most precious gift this woman had
ever been given.
Jesus did not view her as an embarassing failure or an irritating
difficulty; He saw her as a person, a creation of God who possessed
tremendous God-given worth.
Speaking ‘to’ people is typical of Jesus in the Gospels. Furthermore,
it is typical of the way Jesus views us today. He values each of us
highly and loves us deeply. In a world where we often feel worthless,
Jesus treats us with dignity. His encounter with the woman caught in
adultery is a powerful reminder of that truth.

He Treated Her With Compassion
Not only did Jesus treat the woman with dignity, but His behavior
toward her also demonstrated amazing compassion. His first compassionate
act was writing on the ground. Does that sound strange? Imagine the scene
again. The woman was dragged into the temple courts, where Jesus was
teaching. The scribes and the Pharisees loudly proclaimed to Jesus and to
everyone there that she had been caught in the act of adultery. Every eye
must have been on this disgraced women.
When Jesus was asked what to do with her, He stooped and began writing
in the dirt. At that point, everyone started watching Jesus’ strange
actions. What was He writing? Did it mean anything? When would He speak?
Had the Jewish leaders exposed some inconsistency in His teaching?
Suddenly, no one was looking at the woman. Diverting the stares of the
crowd from the woman to Himself was Jesus’ first precious gift of
compassion to her.

He Treated Her With Frankness
Those who are tempted to make this story a sentimental, easy-on-sin
narrative ignore this important part of the story: When Jesus sent the
woman on her way, He said, "From now on sin no more" (8:11c).
He was kind but frank in addressing her sin. Her sin had to be
confronted. Today we have many ways that we try to avoid confronting our
sin. We try to ignore sin ("1 will not think about that"), deny sin ("I
did not do anything wrong"), or even justify sin (" I did that because of
my parents, my job, or my culture").
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DISCUSSION STARTERS
"What's the hardest thing about forgiveness'?
a. they might think I'm condoning their behavior
b. b. when their sin is something I don't have trouble with
c. fear they might consider me a patsy
d. resisting the temptation to take revenge
e. letting go of my feelings

Why do more people confess their sins to a bartender
than a minister?
a. it's easier to talk when you're drinking
b. bartenders are more understanding
c. people are more at home in a bar
d. bartenders never judge you
e. everybody in a bar has failed
f. other __________________

What do you do when blow it?
a. crawl in a hole
b. try to be extra good
c. confess it to God and mov eon
d. talk to a minister about it
e. shrug it off
f. other _________________
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Jesus, by contrast, insisted that the woman face her sin. He called
sin "sin." We are constantly in need of the same treatment today. Jesus
does not respond to our sin by saying, "Don’t worry about it! It’s no big
deal!" Instead, He says that sin is His greatest concern, a concern as
big as the cross! In order for redemption to take place, we must first
face the reality and the guilt of our sins.
Although we can never pay the price for our sins, we must be honest
about our sinfulness. Otherwise, repentance can never take place. Until
we appreciate how bad the bad news of our sin is, we cannot appreciate
how good the good news of the gospel is! Jesus still insists that His
people be honest in facing their own sin and in taking responsibility for
their own actions.
Forgiveness is free but it is not cheap! Jesus perfectly fulfilled the
Law so that no one could justly accuse Him of opposing its teachings or
weakening its power. by applying the Law to the woman and not themselves,
the Jewish leaders were violating both the letter and the spirit of the
law. And they thought they were defending Moses!
Certainly the experience of gracious forgiveness would motivate the
penitent sinner to live a holy and obedient life to the glory of God.
Two sets of verses speak of this positive attitude: Romans 12:1-2:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your
spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing
and perfect will."
Romans 2:2-4: "Now we know that God's judgment against those who do
such things is based on truth. {3} So when you, a mere man, pass judgment
on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's
judgment? {4} Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness,
tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you
toward repentance?"

He Treated Her With Grace and Hope
Nothing in this passage indicates that Jesus forgave the woman of her
sin, but He refused to condemn her to death. His parting words to her
remind us of what He had said to the lame man who had been healed by the
pool of Bethesda: "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so
that nothing worse may befall you" (5:14).
In this story we are not told how the woman was influenced by what
Jesus had done for her. Did she believe? Was she moved to repent of her
sin? We cannot be sure of the answers to these questions.
We can be sure, however, that Jesus offered her hope for the future.
"From now on" (literally "from the now") is forward-looking.
When someone we know has been identified with a particular sin (Aren't
we still talking about her, two thousand years later, as "the adulterous
woman"?), the tendency is always for us to look back in time instead of
looking forward.
The sin all too easily becomes his identity. Jesus' words to the woman
shout the message "There is more to your life than just your sin. You can
turn from sin!"
This was the message most needed by the adulterous woman; it is the
message most needed by all of her fellow human beings throughout time.
Jesus, the One "full of grace and truth," offers each of us the
opportunity for a new beginning!

CONCLUSION
The story in 8:1-11 leaves us wondering what became of the woman. Did
she follow Jesus, or did she immediately return to her bed of adultery?
We would like to imagine that she appreciated the marvelous gift Jesus
had given her, but the Bible does not tell us.
Perhaps it is best that way, because this story is primarily a story
about each of us. When we hear the message of Jesus, we, too, get
"caught" in our sin. We realize that we have been found out, that God
knows our sin, and that we are guilty.
Sometimes people become indignant that the woman was brought before
Jesus while her partner in sin was not.
In reality, the woman was the blessed one that day. Her partner may
well have escaped the scribes and the Pharisees, but he did not escape
the notice of God. His successful getaway may have fooled him into
thinking that he had gotten away with his sin.
The woman, on the other hand, had no escape from the reality of her
sin. She, not the man, is the one who benefited most by the events that
followed. As long as we deny our sinfulness, we frustrate God's desire to
forgive our sins.
We, like the woman, stand condemned by the crowd. If people were aware
of all that we have done and thought, they would surely condemn us.
Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves, yet He stands up for us
(sometimes by stooping down), just as He did for the woman. He steps
between us and the mob of accusers, between us and condemnation, between
us and a cross!
Probably, some people at the temple went home that night and grumbled
that justice had not been accomplished by what Jesus had done. "Sin
should be paid for," some surely said.
What they did not realize is that sin was indeed paid for by events
recorded later in the Gospel of John. The One who said, "Neither do I
condemn you" was "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
(1:29).
He paid for our sins on the cross, and now He says to all of us
condemned sinners, "Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on
sin no more."
In Jesus there is the gospel of the second chance! He was always
intensely interested, not only in what a person had been, but also in
what a person could be. He did not say that whay they had done did not
matter; broken laws and broken hearts always matter. But He was sure that
every man has a failure as well as a past.

- It involved pity: The basic difference between Jesus and the religious
leaders was that they wished to condemn; He wished to firgive. Jesus
regarded the sinner with pity born of love; the scribes and Pharisees
regarded the sinner with disgust born of self-righteousness.

- It involved challenge: Jesus confronted this woman with the challenge
of the sinless life. Here was no easy forgiveness. He popinted this
sinner to heights of goodness of which she had never dreamed. Jesus
always confronted the bad life with the challenge of the good.

- It involved belief in human nature: The amazing, heart-lifting thing
about Jesus was His belief in men and women. He believed that with His
help the sinner has in him\her to become the saint.

- It involved warning: His warning was clearly unspoken, but implied.
Here we are face to face with the eternal choice. he confronted the woman
with two choices: either go back to your old ways or reach out to the new
way with Him. This story is unfinished, for every life is unfinished
until it stands before God.

Last modified: April 18, 2006