"Go and Sin No More" John 7:53-8:1

Most study bibles note that this passage was not in the earliest manuscripts of the gospel of John. Some manuscripts attach it to the end of Luke's gospel. In my doctoral studies, one of the emerging fields of study was called "canonical criticism," which looked at the process by which the Bible came to be. Some books of the Bible had trouble getting in -
Esther (not much religious material there), II Peter and Hebrews (not sure who wrote them) and Revelation (which struggled to get in right up to the 4th century CE). I've always wondered why some of the apocryphal books (e.g.Sirach) didn't make it, while ones like "Song of Solomon" did. That seems to be related to how authentically "Jewish" it was. Then, there are passages like this one and the last part of Mark 16 that don't show up in early manuscripts. In other words, they were added somewhere down the line. I have no reason to doubt this encounter with the woman caught in adultery, but it is interesting that it was added here. Perhaps it was because it took place just outside the temple courts.

In John 7:53, we are told that Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives (most likely to rest and pray, as was his rhythm) and then returned to the temple courts. In this passage, Jesus does sit down in Rabbinical style to teach the people there (instead of standing as in yesterday's passage). His teaching is rudely interrupted by Pharisees who bring a woman caught in the act of adultery. The heartlessness of their actions shows what happens when religious devotion is reduced to legalism. It is a natural tendency in religion. They do not care about this woman and are quite willing to make a public show of her, just to publicly embarrass and discredit Jesus. The Mosaic rule of stoning for adultery had not been enforced for centuries.

This passage is the only one that records that Jesus wrote anything and it doesn't say what he wrote. Some think he was just doodling in the sand, waiting to get his accusers' attention as well as those watching. William Barclay notes a tradition that Jesus would have been listing the sins of the accusers: hypocrisy, bigotry, dishonesty, plot for murder, hardness of heart, arrogance etc. It is interesting to think when we are pronouncing judgment on others, about our own sinfulness that often can be far worse (just not as visible).

Then Jesus says his famous statement,

"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

And then he starts writing again (or doodling). The crowd must have enjoyed that moment, for no good Jew is going to claim sinfulness as his or her virtue. How important it is for us not to take the posture of being "better than" or "holier than" those we serve. Self-superiority (economic, moral, intellectual, racial, spiritual) communicates to people immediately. And the problem is that it shows no matter what we say (how kind or how politically correct). I've discovered that in myself, especially when doing cross-cultural ministry. I needed to dump by white superiority complex (even though I never used bigoted language and condemned those who did). I have been blessed to have brothers and sisters who helped me see that. These are attitudes and dispositions that have to be healed from the inside out.

Finally, it's one-on-one between Jesus and the woman. Jesus does not condemn her, neither does he allow her to be comfortable in the status quo of her life. We've seen that before with the Samaritan woman. This is the amazing compassion of Christ. He meets us and accepts us just the way we are and loves us too much to let us stay that way. Thanks be to God.