A.Adultery is one of the most destructive sins in any society.
1.Adultery tears apart husbands and wives as well as children and parents.It erodes the moral fiber of a nation, and the effects of it are seen throughout our society today.
2.For the individual who commits adultery, he stands to lose his marriage, his family, his home, his life, and his soul (Prov. 5:1-14; 6:20-35; 7:1-27).
B.However, the story of the woman caught in adultery is not really about adultery.
1.The woman who was brought to Jesus had been caught in the very act of adultery, but she was used by the Pharisees as a convenient tool against Jesus.
2.Let us read the story recorded in John 8:1-11.
II.THE PHARISEES’ PLOT
A.The Pharisees were determined to stop Jesus from influencing the Jewish people.
1.The Pharisees were strictest sect of the Jews (Acts 26:5).They had the most power and influence in Judea during the life of Jesus, and their power was threatened by the Lord and His teachings.
2.All four of the gospel accounts record the efforts of the Pharisees to destroy Jesus.
a.“But the Pharisees went out, and counseled together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Matt. 12:14)
b.“The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Mark 3:6)
c.“When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.” (Luke 11:53-54)
d.“So from that day on (the Pharisees) planned together to kill Him.” (John 11:53)
B.On this occasion, the Pharisees devised a plot whereby they could find grounds for accusing Jesus.
1.These things happened during the Feast of Booths (John 7:2) when Jesus was teaching in the temple.
a.When the Pharisees heard that the multitude was considering that Jesus could be Christ, they sent officers to seize Him (John 7:31-32).
b.However, the officers returned without Jesus, saying, “Never did a man speak the way this man speaks” (John 7:46).
2.Therefore, the Pharisees approached Jesus in the temple with a question designed to trap Him.
a.They brought with them a woman caught in adultery, and asked of Jesus what should be done to her (John 8:1-6).
i.They cited to Jesus the Law of Moses, which required an adulterous woman to be stoned to death (Lev. 20:10-13; Deut. 22:21-22).
ii.However, they also knew that the Roman law under which they lived did not permit the Jews to put anyone to death (John 18:31).
iii.Therefore, if Jesus said to stone her, they could accuse Him of rebelling against the Romans, but if He said to let her live, they could accuse Him of denying the Law of Moses.
b.Notice the complete insincerity of the Pharisees.
i.They feigned respect for Jesus, calling Him “Teacher.”
ii.They had no desire for the truth.They were only seeking grounds upon which to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing.
iii.They had no interest in justice according to the Law of Moses.If they had, then they also would have brought the man who was caught in adultery with this woman.
III.THE LORD’S ANSWER
A.Jesus would not be trapped by the workings of the Pharisees.
1.These kinds of tactics were used against Jesus by all of His enemies.
a.The Pharisees, scribes, and chief priests were constantly trying to catch Him in something He said (Matt. 12:14; Luke 20:20).
b.Once the Pharisees tried to make Him stumble with a question about paying taxes to Caesar (Matt. 22:15-22).
c.On another occasion, the Sadducees tried to trap Him over the issue of the resurrection (Matt. 22:23-33).
2.Every time, Jesus turned the trap back on His enemies, and rather than being caught, He was justified.
a.“And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.” (Matt. 22:22)
b.“And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.” (Matt. 22:33)
c.“And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and marveling at His answer, they became silent (Luke 20:26).
B.Rather than being trapped on this occasion, the Lord exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees (John 8:7).
1.At first, Jesus did not answer, but the Pharisees continued to press Him.
2.Then the Lord gave an answer that drove every one of them out of the temple – “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
a.Not one of the Pharisees dared to take up a stone, but instead they left one by one until Jesus was alone with the woman (John 8:8-9).They had been caught in their own trap.
i.None of them were bold enough to portray themselves as sinless.As Shakespeare wrote, “Conscience doth make cowards of us all.”
ii.Even if some were self-righteous enough to think they were sinless, they could not take up stones and violate the Roman law.
iii.Because they allowed the woman to live, they could not accuse Jesus of breaking the Law of Moses without accusing themselves.
b.The Lord’s answer does not prohibit us from exposing sin in others, for this we must do (Eph. 5:11-12; 2Tim. 4:2).Rather, it is a prohibition against hypocrisy, which is to overlook our own sins while we mercilessly accuse others.
IV.THE CHARGE TO THE WOMAN
A.Jesus knew the truth about the woman.
1.Whether the woman was guilty of adultery was not questioned by Jesus.Certainly, the Lord knew that she was a sinner.
2.However, Jesus did not pronounce a judgment against her, for this was not His present purpose.
a.The Lord did not excuse the woman’s guilt, but He did not condemn her because He had come to save sinners, not condemn them.
b.“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.” (John 3:17).
B.His charge to her was, “From now on sin no more” (John 8:10-11).
1.Rather than a harsh condemnation or a sentence of stoning, Jesus mercifully instructed the woman to change her sinful ways.
2.One can only hope that the woman went away changed and obeyed the mercy of the Lord.
V.CONCLUSION
A.There are many lessons to be learned from this story.
1.From the Pharisees, we learn lessons against hypocrisy, injustice, self-righteousness, and insincerity toward God.
2.From Jesus, we learn lessons of wisdom, mercy, and love.
B.Perhaps the most important lesson for us is that the story of the adulterous woman is really our story.
1.Satan, like the Pharisees, approaches the Lord for his own evil purposes and accuses us of violating His law, pointing out that we are worthy of death (Rev. 12:10).
2.We, like the adulterous woman, are guilty as charged and powerless to defend ourselves (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).
3.Jesus, having full right to execute judgment against us, instead mercifully tells us to sin no more from now on, giving us a second chance (Rom. 6:1-13; 1Cor. 6:9-11; Col. 3:3-8).
C.Therefore, let us take hold of the opportunity that we have to repent and obey Christ while we can, for when He comes again, we will all be judged by Him (Acts 17:30-31; 2Cor. 5:10).
