2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.

3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

1. (verse 4) What do you think the scribes and Pharisees had to do to catch this woman "in the very act" of adultery? Why do you think they didn’t bring the man who was involved?

Do you sometimes tend to point out sins in others?

Can you imagine the commotion this caused? Here Jesus is teaching an attentive audience about the truths of God, and suddenly they are interrupted by this raucous group of scribes and Pharisees dragging this unfortunate woman. Perhaps she was loudly protesting or fighting to get free.

How these men could have actually caught her "in the very act" of adultery is beyond me. And what happened to the man that was involved? But as we will see these men are not interested in justice. They are interested in trapping Jesus, and they don’t care who they have to hurt to accomplish their goal.

5 "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?"

6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

2. (verses 5-6) How were they testing Christ? What answer do you think they anticipated?

As we learn from verse 6, these Jewish leaders were not so much interested in punishing evil as they were in putting Jesus on the spot. This woman was only a pawn in their plan to embarrass Jesus.

Ray Stedman wrote, "They knew that Jesus was ‘The Friend of Sinners,’ that he was always on the side of the unfortunate and that he spent his time, not with the righteous, the wealthy or the respected, but with publicans and sinners. They obviously expected him to turn this woman loose. If he said that, he would be contradicting the Law of Moses and they would have him. They thought surely they had him trapped."

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

3. (verse 7) Why do you think he answered them this way? (verse 8) Why do you think he stooped down again to write on the ground?

What a dramatic moment. Jesus had not fallen into their trap. The Jewish leaders had fallen into Christ’s trap. They had brought the woman to Christ because they did not think he would dare say the words, "stone her." And yet that is precisely what he says.

They had spent all this time thinking only of the woman, of the Law, and of Christ. Now suddenly they were forced to think of themselves. They probably had no intention of stoning this woman, but now they were forced to face the consequences of their actions. As Jesus turned away from them, they began to examine themselves. They began to ponder the words that he had spoken. The light of Christ’s words revealed the dark areas in their own lives. They were shocked. They were speechless. And they were humbled.

9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"

11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

4. (verses 9-11) Why do you think Christ asked the woman the question the way he did? What do you think Jesus means when he said, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more"? What sin is in your life that you need to heed Christ’s words, go and sin no more?

Jesus stood up again, and all the accusers have left. Now for the first time he addresses the woman. Notice he doesn’t ask her if these men were right in their charges or if she were actually guilty of the sin. He already knew the answer to those questions. He only asked, "where are those accusers of yours." What a beautiful statement. Do you feel condemned and overwhelmed by guilt? Have people been telling you that you are worthless, no good, a hopeless case? Look around you. Jesus has caused the accusers to leave. They are no longer here. It is only you and Christ. No matter how incorrigible others may think we are, Jesus has chased our accusers away. And he is reaching out to us in love and compassion.

Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you." Jesus is saying to you, "Neither do I condemn you." Christ came not to condemn us but to save us. He came to rescue us from the entrapments of sin and to set us free from the bondage of our own evil desires. He doesn’t condemn us. He reaches out to us in love and mercy. As he said in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Jesus does not leave the woman there. Notice he ends with the words, "Go and sin no more." Christ does not condemn. He came to save us, to give us a new life. But when we commit our life to him, then we must go and sin no more. We cannot continue to practice sin. Jesus is reaching to you with love and compassion. He is asking you to come to him. He did not come to condemn you but to save you. Won’t you let him be Lord of your life today?

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

5. (verse 12) How does this verse tie in with the previous ones? What do you think Jesus means by saying he is the light of the world?

The woman was living in darkness, but now she has been set free. Christ has come to set us free from the bondage of sin, from the pain of those things that will cripple our joy and smother our peace.

13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."

14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.

15 "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

16 "And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.

17 "It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.

18 "I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."

6. (verses 13-18) What is the purpose of having letters of recommendation when applying for a job? How did the Father bear witness of Christ?

When you apply for a job, people want letters of recommendation so that they can find out what kind of person you really are. Christ said it was the Father who bore witness. The people were probably hoping for a visible manifestation of God or a voice from the sky. But God had already displayed his approval on Jesus through all the miracles that were being performed. It is a sad commentary that the Jewish leaders instead of seeing God working through the miracles, found fault because some were performed on the Sabbath.

19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."

20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

7. (verse 19) Do you think the Pharisees understood that Jesus was referring to God as his Father? (verse 20) Why wouldn’t the Jewish leaders arrest Christ?

The fact that John says, "no one laid hands on him, for his hour had not yet come," indicates that the Pharisees understood what Jesus was saying, but they were prevented from arresting him by divine intervention.

21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come."

22 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, `Where I go you cannot come'?"

23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

8. (verses 21-24) Where was Christ going? What did Jesus mean about dying in your sin in verse 21? What did he add about dying in your sins in verse 24? Why do you think he added this phrase?

I think that Christ is speaking about returning to heaven. But he is concerned that the people are rejecting him and will not be able to go with him to their eternal home. So he makes these statements about dying in their sins to try to help them understand that they must believe in him, instead of doubting his every word.

25 Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

26 "I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."

27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.

9. (verses 25-27) Why do you think they were so confused about his words?

Here in verses 25-27 we have the questions of the people. I believe the Pharisees have already made up their minds about him, but the common people are starting to wonder at his words. They did not understand now, but perhaps after the crucifixion they would understand and be willing to commit their lives to Christ.

28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

10. (verses 28-30) Who is Jesus addressing in verse 28? What did Jesus say in these previous verses that would cause many to believe in him (verse 30)?

Just as Christ gave Nicodemus the sign of being lifted up, so he also gives it to the people. They would most likely see him on the cross – lifted up on Golgotha’s hill. Maybe then they would recall his words, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he...." And like Nicodemus, they would believe in their heart what Christ told them is true. They would commit to follow him, and they would be added to the new church on the day of Pentecost.

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

11. (verse 31) What must we do if we want to be Christ’s disciples? What do you think that means? (verse 32) What truth is Christ talking about? What does this truth do for us? How?

Verse 31 instructs us that if we want to be Christ’s disciples, we must abide in his word. I think this means we need to spend time reading, studying, and meditating upon the Bible. We cannot know God’s plan for our lives if we don’t read his instruction book.

As we spend time in God’s word, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us God’s truth. As we discover the teachings of scripture, we will find that we are set free. We are delivered from the bondage of immorality, from the penalty of guilt, from the dark cloud of sorrow, and from the weight of sin. The more we learn about God, the more we understand his mercy and his grace toward us.

Footnotes:

This study on John 8:1-32 © 1998 by David Humpal. All Rights Reserved.
All scriptures unless otherwise noted are from the New King James Version © 1984, Thomas Nelson Publishers

Stedman: Judging the Judges, electronic version © 1995 Discovery Publishing