Jesus left the city of Jerusalem in the evening after the Feast of Tabernacles and went to the Mount of Olives. This came after the people had returned to their homes for the night. It also came after the council's proceedings against Him were halted.
He turned from the excitement, crowds, confusion, and hostile leaders of the city to the quiet olive groves of the Mount, where He could be alone with God. That Mount was His favored quiet place for prayer, where He often withdrew at night to seek quiet and freedom from interruption. There He spent the night interceding for His disciples and seeking strength for the duties and trials of the coming day. His course shows earnest devotion to prayer even amid weariness and while possessing great power to bless others.
Early the next morning He returned to the temple to teach the people. The verse begins the account of mercy to a penitent woman, whom He does not condemn but calls to leave sin, so that her forgiveness and repentance begin a new life of purity, peace, and service to God. It introduces a scene in which He defends Himself against the designs of His enemies with wisdom, shows He knows the hidden secrets and sins of their lives, and presses conviction home upon their guilty consciences.
That wisdom and exposure of hidden guilt is sufficient evidence of His divine character. The scene teaches that those who are forward to accuse others, quick to detect wrong, and zealous to bring others to justice are often guiltier in their own lives than those they accuse. It contrasts the pardoning compassion of Jesus with the unrelenting spirit of the Pharisees, to whom mercy is a stranger. It presents Jesus as the pitying Saviour to whom beholders and repentant sinners can turn to be led into peace and security.
Jesus left the city of Jerusalem in the evening after the Feast of Tabernacles and went to the Mount of Olives. This came after the people had returned to their homes for the night. It also came after the council's proceedings against Him were halted.
He turned from the excitement, crowds, confusion, and hostile leaders of the city to the quiet olive groves of the Mount, where He could be alone with God. That Mount was His favored quiet place for prayer, where He often withdrew at night to seek quiet and freedom from interruption. There He spent the night interceding for His disciples and seeking strength for the duties and trials of the coming day. His course shows earnest devotion to prayer even amid weariness and while possessing great power to bless others.
Early the next morning He returned to the temple to teach the people. The verse begins the account of mercy to a penitent woman, whom He does not condemn but calls to leave sin, so that her forgiveness and repentance begin a new life of purity, peace, and service to God. It introduces a scene in which He defends Himself against the designs of His enemies with wisdom, shows He knows the hidden secrets and sins of their lives, and presses conviction home upon their guilty consciences.
That wisdom and exposure of hidden guilt is sufficient evidence of His divine character. The scene teaches that those who are forward to accuse others, quick to detect wrong, and zealous to bring others to justice are often guiltier in their own lives than those they accuse. It contrasts the pardoning compassion of Jesus with the unrelenting spirit of the Pharisees, to whom mercy is a stranger. It presents Jesus as the pitying Saviour to whom beholders and repentant sinners can turn to be led into peace and security.