![]() These legal injunctions pointed out by Jesus caused the accusers to drop their stones and leave. He speculates that Jesus wrote words of the law on the floor of the temple, reminding the accusers that they must not serve as witnesses in a trial brought under questionable circumstances and that one should not even lend his support to such an affair. In collusion with the husband, Derrett believes, the men set the woman up to be caught in the act of adultery, which was contrary to the requirements of the law. 8 For example, what did Jesus write in the dust? And what prompted the accusers to retreat so quickly? Derrett believes the accusers must have had impure motives in bringing the woman to Jesus. Derrett attempts to answer some of the more difficult questions raised by the story. In his article “Law in the New Testament: The Story of the Woman Taken in Adultery,” J. What was the writer of the story trying to teach by showing Jesus Christ apparently defending the adulteress and allowing her to escape punishment - a punishment He Himself had pronounced? In light of all the evidence that follows, it seems most reasonable to conclude that this is not a story of tolerance for sin but one of respect for the law. 7 Furthermore, regardless of whether or not the story actually happened, the question of why it was written and how we should interpret it is an interesting and important one. 6 Of course, even if the episode was not an original part of the Gospel of John, we need not necessarily conclude that the story was apocryphal. It should be noted at the outset that much of the scholarly writing addressing this incident has examined the question of whether the story was authentic and an original part of the Gospel or was fabricated and inserted at some later time. It has been suggested that Christ was teaching that while “the letter of the law seemed to compel Jesus to condemn the woman, … his response shows that sometimes the righteousness of God is better served by redemptive and restorative grace.” 5 Was this Christ’s message? That the law should no longer be enforced since we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23)? There is nothing in the text to indicate that the reason the Pharisees left is that they suddenly became converted to the principle of redemptive and restorative grace. So what message did the Pharisees actually understand? Furthermore, the Pharisees did not believe that Jesus could forgive sins (Luke 5:21), and yet somehow they were “convicted by their own conscience” (John 8:9). However, He did not actually forgive the woman (John 8:11). He therefore had the divine right to condemn a sinner or to forgive a repentant offender. Christ, the only person who has ever been totally without sin (Hebrews 4:15), paid the price for our sins. Some may be inclined to resolve this incongruity on the basis that Christ was God, He who would pay for all sins on the cross and later stand in judgment of mankind (John 5:22 1 John 2:2). 4 It would be curious indeed if He who gave the law was now advocating that the law not be enforced. 3 Capital punishment for adultery was part of the Hebrew canon of laws at the time of Christ. He, as Jehovah, commanded that adulterers should be put to death. However, those who use the story as an example of how we should not judge others, that we should be forgiving of one another, or that Christ is against capital punishment, 2 fail to take into account the context in which the story takes place.įor example, it is important to remember that Jesus Christ gave Moses the law. As Raymond Brown has observed, “Some have used this to paint their portrait of the liberal Christ and have turned it in to a maudlin justification for indifference toward sins of the flesh.” 1 Of course, as Christ exemplifies perfect love and is the embodiment of mercy, it is tempting to use this story as an illustration of Christ’s love and mercy. ![]() ![]() The story of the woman taken in adultery is sometimes referenced as an example of the love and forgiveness of Jesus. However, when placed in its broader context, we can see the story is not one in which Christ shows indifference or contempt for the law, but rather utmost respect for it. Abstract: The story in John 8 of the woman taken in adultery is sometimes used to argue that Jesus was lenient toward sin and that we should be too. Complexities in the English Language of the Book of Mormon - 2015.Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.Robert Cundick: A Sacred Service of Music.
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