And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
The scribes and Pharisees interrupt Jesus as He teaches in the temple at Jerusalem in the early morning after the feast of Tabernacles, dragging in and setting in the midst a terror-stricken woman caught in adultery whose life trembles in the balance. Their bringing of her is no sincere request for judgment but a deliberate plot to entrap Him, appealing to Moses' command to stone such offenders so that acquittal would charge Him with despising the law and condemnation would accuse Him to the Romans of assuming forbidden authority. The accusers come with pretended reverence for justice, yet they are arrogant and merciless, themselves worthy of condemnation and having even led their victim into sin to ruin Him. Jesus, knowing both her guilt and their greater hidden guilt, remains silent and stoops to write in the dust, then turns judgment back upon them until, convicted and exposed before infinite purity, they leave one by one. Left alone with her, He meets her with pardoning compassion that does not palliate her sin yet does not condemn her, bidding her sin no more and beginning for her a new life of purity, peace, and service to God.
Setting and Entrapping Plot
The setting is Jerusalem during the feast, in the early morning after the feast of Tabernacles, while Jesus is teaching in the temple. Spies are watching Him, and the priests and rulers are seeking to silence Him and publicly humble Him. The bringing of the woman interrupts His teaching.
The scribes and Pharisees drag in and set in the midst a terror-stricken, shamed, cowering woman taken in adultery, in violation of the seventh commandment. She feels the enormity of her crime, and her life trembles in the balance because a word could turn the crowd to stone her. Her case is pushed before Him with hard, eager voices devoid of even human pity and presented in the worst possible light.
The accusers come as pretended guardians of justice with hypocritical respect and show of reverence as Master. Yet they are arrogant, merciless, and themselves worthy of condemnation and punishment. They had themselves led their victim into sin in order to bring her.
The bringing is not a sincere request for judgment but a deliberate, agreed plot to test, tempt, entrap, accuse, condemn, destroy, and ruin Him and secure His silence. They appeal to Moses' command that such offenders should be stoned and demand His judgment. If He acquits her they can charge Him with despising the law of Moses, and if He declares her worthy of death they can accuse Him to the Romans of stirring sedition and assuming authority reserved to them and Rome alone and taking judgment into His own hands.
Exposure and Pardoning Mercy
Of stainless purity He shrank from the spectacle set in the midst, yet He knew the thoughts, purpose and intents of the accusers, and the character and life-history of every man present, as well as both her guilt and their greater guilt and hypocrisy. He gave no sign of hearing, remaining silent with eyes fixed on the ground, stooping to write with His finger in the dust and on the ground and sand. What He traced before them was the guilty secrets and record of their own lives, so that those who came near saw there the account of their own sins.
With divine wisdom He delayed judgment when pressed and then turned it back upon them, pressing conviction home upon their guilty consciences. By showing He knew their hidden secrets He proved His divine character and defended Himself against the design to destroy Him. With their robe of pretended holiness torn away they stood guilty and condemned before infinite purity, and left one by one for fear their hidden iniquity would be exposed, having failed to bring about His condemnation.
Those who are forward to accuse others, quick to detect wrong, and zealous that offenders be brought to justice are often guiltier in their own lives than those whom they accuse. The scene contrasts the pardoning compassion of Jesus with the unrelenting, merciless spirit of the Pharisees to whom mercy is a stranger.
Left alone with the woman, the pitying Saviour met her with tender compassion and did not condemn her. He did not palliate her sin or lessen its crime, yet He came not to condemn the guilty but to reach into the very depths of human woe and degradation to lift up the debased and sinful. He stooped in purity and holiness to address her with words of comfort encouraging her to reform her life, leading the repentant sinner into peace, security and eternal life and bidding her sin no more.
His refusal to condemn her and His call to leave sin began for her a new life of purity, peace and service to God. Her deliverance was a spiritual healing greater than healing a grievous physical disease, and her grateful response showed the transforming effect of forgiveness.
The scribes and Pharisees interrupt Jesus as He teaches in the temple at Jerusalem in the early morning after the feast of Tabernacles, dragging in and setting in the midst a terror-stricken woman caught in adultery whose life trembles in the balance. Their bringing of her is no sincere request for judgment but a deliberate plot to entrap Him, appealing to Moses' command to stone such offenders so that acquittal would charge Him with despising the law and condemnation would accuse Him to the Romans of assuming forbidden authority. The accusers come with pretended reverence for justice, yet they are arrogant and merciless, themselves worthy of condemnation and having even led their victim into sin to ruin Him. Jesus, knowing both her guilt and their greater hidden guilt, remains silent and stoops to write in the dust, then turns judgment back upon them until, convicted and exposed before infinite purity, they leave one by one. Left alone with her, He meets her with pardoning compassion that does not palliate her sin yet does not condemn her, bidding her sin no more and beginning for her a new life of purity, peace, and service to God.
Setting and Entrapping Plot
The setting is Jerusalem during the feast, in the early morning after the feast of Tabernacles, while Jesus is teaching in the temple. Spies are watching Him, and the priests and rulers are seeking to silence Him and publicly humble Him. The bringing of the woman interrupts His teaching.
The scribes and Pharisees drag in and set in the midst a terror-stricken, shamed, cowering woman taken in adultery, in violation of the seventh commandment. She feels the enormity of her crime, and her life trembles in the balance because a word could turn the crowd to stone her. Her case is pushed before Him with hard, eager voices devoid of even human pity and presented in the worst possible light.
The accusers come as pretended guardians of justice with hypocritical respect and show of reverence as Master. Yet they are arrogant, merciless, and themselves worthy of condemnation and punishment. They had themselves led their victim into sin in order to bring her.
The bringing is not a sincere request for judgment but a deliberate, agreed plot to test, tempt, entrap, accuse, condemn, destroy, and ruin Him and secure His silence. They appeal to Moses' command that such offenders should be stoned and demand His judgment. If He acquits her they can charge Him with despising the law of Moses, and if He declares her worthy of death they can accuse Him to the Romans of stirring sedition and assuming authority reserved to them and Rome alone and taking judgment into His own hands.
Exposure and Pardoning Mercy
Of stainless purity He shrank from the spectacle set in the midst, yet He knew the thoughts, purpose and intents of the accusers, and the character and life-history of every man present, as well as both her guilt and their greater guilt and hypocrisy. He gave no sign of hearing, remaining silent with eyes fixed on the ground, stooping to write with His finger in the dust and on the ground and sand. What He traced before them was the guilty secrets and record of their own lives, so that those who came near saw there the account of their own sins.
With divine wisdom He delayed judgment when pressed and then turned it back upon them, pressing conviction home upon their guilty consciences. By showing He knew their hidden secrets He proved His divine character and defended Himself against the design to destroy Him. With their robe of pretended holiness torn away they stood guilty and condemned before infinite purity, and left one by one for fear their hidden iniquity would be exposed, having failed to bring about His condemnation.
Those who are forward to accuse others, quick to detect wrong, and zealous that offenders be brought to justice are often guiltier in their own lives than those whom they accuse. The scene contrasts the pardoning compassion of Jesus with the unrelenting, merciless spirit of the Pharisees to whom mercy is a stranger.
Left alone with the woman, the pitying Saviour met her with tender compassion and did not condemn her. He did not palliate her sin or lessen its crime, yet He came not to condemn the guilty but to reach into the very depths of human woe and degradation to lift up the debased and sinful. He stooped in purity and holiness to address her with words of comfort encouraging her to reform her life, leading the repentant sinner into peace, security and eternal life and bidding her sin no more.
His refusal to condemn her and His call to leave sin began for her a new life of purity, peace and service to God. Her deliverance was a spiritual healing greater than healing a grievous physical disease, and her grateful response showed the transforming effect of forgiveness.