They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. John 8:9 WEB
Chapter eight of John’s gospel begins with Jesus teaching in the temple. A group of scribes and Pharisees interrupt Christ’s early morning service. Rather than receive the word of God from Jesus, they came to test his understanding of the law of Moses. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Christ. They point to the law of Moses which extends the death penalty for the sin of adultery and ask Christ in John:8:5, “What then do you say about her?
The Penalty for Adultery
Ready to impose the penalty of death, the religious zealots who brought the accused woman to Jesus had stones in their hands. It is clear that the law of Moses calls for the death of adulterers. We read in Leviticus 20:10, “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. WEB”
Also, we read in Deuteronomy 22:22, “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. So you shall remove the evil from Israel. WEB” Fortunately for the woman caught in adultery, Jesus did not come in that time to judge the world. Instead, he came to call sinners to repentance. Addressing the crowd, Jesus said in John 8:7, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her. WEB”
Convicted of their own sinfulness, the woman’s accusers dropped their stones and left. These sinful men who sought to kill the woman left one by one until only Jesus remained. In the temple that morning, Jesus was the only person who had the right to judge anyone. Jesus is “He who is without sin.”
Mercy Not Sacrifice
After the convicted crowd left, Jesus said in John 8:10, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you? WEB” The Lord then says to her in John 8:11 “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more. WEB” Christ desires our repentance from sin. He wants sinful men and women to come to him for salvation. As Jesus taught in Matthew 9:13, “But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for your love and patience. Thank you for each time you convicted my heart of sin. Guide me to live by your holy word. Give me wisdom to put what I learn from you into daily practice. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: A Complaint
