The scribes and Pharisees had caught this woman in the very act of adultery. They brought her to Jesus and asked Him how He would judge this case: “Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” (John 8:5). They did this to trap Jesus. In their mind, the case was foolproof. If Jesus were to let her go, He would be accused of violating the 7^th commandment—“Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exod 20:14)—but if He were to let her be stoned to death, He would be accused of breaking the 9^th commandment—“Thou shalt not bear false witness” (Exod 20:16)—because He had earlier testified that He had come not to condemn but to save sinners (John 3:16-17). What would Jesus do? He seemed to have been cornered! But really it is like a kindergarten kid trying to stump the university professor.

Jesus was very patient with these crooks. He was not quick to expose the sins of these proud and self-righteous rabbis who had shamed this woman publicly and used her for their own sinister ends. He ignored them by doodling on the ground giving them a chance to retreat. But they kept on questioning Him in order to catch Him. Each question became louder and bolder. They were like a pack of hyenas closing in on their prey. When Jesus did not answer, they thought that He could not: “Now, we’ve got Him!” Jesus finally stood up and questioned them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). After this, He went back to His doodling giving them another chance to retreat. If they had persisted, Jesus would surely have exposed them publicly for their lustful liaisons and secret affairs. They were not clean! They were adulterers themselves. If the woman was guilty, so were they. If she had to be stoned, so must they. They knew this well, and were convicted by their conscience. One by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they slunk away. We see here the Lord’s “transcendent wisdom [as] the Judge of judges. Here is a greater than Solomon. Here is a wiser than Daniel. See how at a word from the lips of the Master-Lawyer the trap that the Jews had sprung on Him boomeranged. The accusers became the accused. They became the more guilty, being pricked by their awakened conscience. The executioners became the executed” (Rev Dr Timothy Tow).

He Judges Mercifully

In this account, we not only see the Lord’s wisdom but also His mercy. Jesus came to save, not condemn, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). He dealt with the woman gently. As much as He could see the hearts of her accusers, He could see hers as well. She must have been remorseful for the sin she had committed, and so did not receive the condemnation she so deserved. There is really nothing to stop us from concluding that she had placed her trust on Jesus her Saviour. The Lord then let her go but not without a warning, “sin no more” (John 8:11). A false Christ would say, “go and sin some more.” But we know this was truly Christ speaking when He said, “Go and sin no more.”

If you are in the same plight as this woman, you know you can go to Jesus. He will forgive and save you if you confess and repent of your sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The proud, pharisaical heart will never find forgiveness, but God will show mercy to the humble and repentant heart. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps 34:18). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps 51:17).

We must not be quick to judge and condemn people for there is always mercy with the Lord. “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Ps 103:8). Those who are quick to condemn, who have a Pharisaical holier-than-thou attitude are usually those who are truly unholy and sinful. They have many sins and faults of their own, but try to deny them by pointing to the sins and faults of others in order to make themselves look good. They are hypocrites. Let us always judge ourselves first before we start judging others. Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matt 7:1-5).

He Judges Truthfully

Jesus is the light of the world. Light represents Truth. He is Light in that He is Truth. He is the Answer to life’s questions and problems. In this dark and sinful world, full of confusion and death, Jesus is the Light that gives meaning to life. The Apostle John says, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Jesus is “the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). All the answers pertaining to our origins, our existence, our destiny are found in the Holy Scriptures which is His Truth. That is why Jesus said to those who believed on Him, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Did the world embrace this light? John said, “And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. … He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not” (John 1:5, 10). Man loves darkness rather than light. We see this in the self-righteous and hypocritical Pharisees who maliciously called Jesus a liar (John 8:13). But Jesus was the righteous and truthful Judge for He judged according to His omniscience and holiness. Jesus told the Pharisees, “Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgement is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me … I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him” (John 8:15-18, 26).

Jesus challenged and rebuked the Pharisees, “Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (John 8:46-47). The Pharisees bore false witness against Christ. There was no truth whatsoever in their charges against Him. They could not produce one shred of evidence against Him. Jesus was sinless, the holy Son of God Himself. The truth was so clear, but the Pharisees could not see the truth because they had for their father the devil who from the outset was a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). They were behaving just like him. Indeed obedient sons of the devil they were.

Conclusion

We thank God for this inspired and preserved account which teaches us that Jesus is God Himself who judges righteously, mercifully, and truthfully. Let us learn to do the same.

Do not be afraid of the judgements of men. Rather be afraid of the judgement of God. Jesus said, “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:24-28).