_________________________________________________________________________

In our Scripture passage this morning, the religious leadership is on the prowl, trying to publicly discredit Jesus. But in the end, they’re the ones humiliated. As only Jesus can do, He takes the malicious attempt of the religious leaders and turns it into an opportunity to extend the grace of God.

As we examine this passage today, I hope we’ll see that the Law of God was not intended to be used as a tool of entrapment, but was given to point us to the grace of God found only in His Son Jesus Christ.

1. A malicious trap. [7:53-8:6a]

It seems the religious leaders came to the temple with malice in their hearts. They were looking to catch Jesus in a trap. As you read the first few verses it looks as if they have the Lord between a rock and a hard place. Notice what He’s up against.

A) The woman was caught in the act of adultery (V4). No one denies that she is guilty...not even her.

B) The Law according to Moses demands that those caught in adultery must be put to death (Lev. 20:10).

As you see in verse 5, the religious leaders must feel they have Jesus right where they want Him when they ask the question, “what do you say?” If He says she should be put to death, then Jesus will be seen as uncompassionate and in opposition to His commitment to grace. If He says she should be set free, then Jesus will be seen as one willing to sacrifice His commitment to God’s Law. The trap being set by the religious leaders was to use the woman as bait to create an impossible dilemma. A "gotcha" moment!

2) A magnificent reply. [8:6b-9]

Jesus creates a pause in the flow of the story by bending down and writing in the dirt on the ground. (Now, since the Bible doesn’t say what He wrote, the best anyone can do is speculate.) But His actions do cause his adversaries to press the issue in verse 7: "they kept on questioning Him." 

Notice the magnificent reply in verse 7, “If any one of you is without sin, let him cast the first stone at her.” Jesus doesn’t excuse the sin of the woman in question, but He does ask those sitting in judgment of her to examine their own life first. Matthew 7:2 says, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Again, He’s not saying that since no one is without sin they couldn’t effectively make decisions concerning what’s right and what’s wrong. They knew what Jesus meant by His reply. Since no one (including the woman) is denying her guilt, their motivation for bringing her to Jesus was disingenuous at best.

3. A mandate given by grace. [8:10-11]

In the last two verses we see how God’s Law was intended to work in the lives of people. Since none of us are without sin (Romans 3), the Law pointed to the fact that we needed help in order to deal with our sin. Our help came in the person of Jesus Christ.

This woman is now standing in the presence of the only One who could rightfully judge her. Instead of condemnation...He offers grace.

It’s important to remember at this point that Jesus doesn’t simply overlook the woman’s guilt or excuse it as something insignificant. He Himself will pay the full price for her sinful life on a cross at Calvary. That’s grace. But there is also a mandate that accompanies God’s grace: "leave your life of sin."

Grace brings transformation and the best evidence of transformation is a changed life.[2 Corinthians 5:17]

How can we apply the truths of this narrative to our lives today? I want to mention a few things and I trust that God will continue to reveal more truths to your heart as you continue to think about this passage.

1. Sin is gender neutral. The Bible says the woman was caught in the act of adultery. One has to wonder why the man was not brought to Jesus as well. Under the Law they were both guilty and both were to face the same punishment. Gary Burge, in his commentary on John points out that even in the first century women who committed sexual sins were treated differently than men. (They were frequently viewed as the cause of sexual sin.) Sexual sin is sin for both men and women. We should never get caught-up in overlooking the seriousness of sin for any reason.

2. The truth is not a tool for entrapment. John 8:32 says, ‘the truth will set you free.’ In this story the woman is nothing more than a means to an end. The Religious leaders wanted to trap Jesus and the woman is simply collateral damage: expendable and disposable. We read nothing about concern for how this woman is destroying her life and the lives of her family. No counsel for repentance, only a call for death. Correctly handling the Word of truth will not have entrapment for it’s motivation; it will always be transformation.

3. Hypocrisy hurts the work of Christ. How many times have we seen people set themselves up as a Christian example to follow and then fall to the very things they say they stand against? Perhaps the best thing we can do is think twice before we make an accusation about what someone else is doing or not doing. We might be guilty of the same thing.

4. Grace demands personal responsibility. Jesus declared, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Apparently this woman willfully chose to participate in the adulterous act. An act that almost got her killed. But instead of being stoned, she experienced the grace of a forgiving God. How could she ever express her gratitude to God for what He did for her? Live in a manner that is pleasing to Him.

The primary focus of this text is not about a woman-gone bad...it’s about a gracious God that is willing to forgive. A God that also expects to see the fruit of His grace personally demonstrated in the everyday actions of our lives.

All of us will stand day one right where that woman stood...alone in the presence of the Lord. We’ll be asked to give an account of how we did, ’leaving our life of sin.’ Be prepared!