Read John 8
Bible teachers have discussed John 8 since the first century: As Jesus sat down to teach, the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in the act of adultery.
- Making a display of her, they asked Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
- In one of the more cryptic scenes in Scripture, Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground, not once, but twice.
- After the second writing, the men began to leave, until only Jesus and the woman were left.
- He asks who is left to condemn her.
- With no condemners left, Jesus states His lack of condemnation as well, dismisses her, and tells her to leave her life of sin.
Again, this passage has received much attention by the Church over the last 1900 years, and with good reason. For all the questions it answers, it fosters even more.
- Was Jesus on the Mount of Olives the night before, and if so, what was he doing there?
- What was the motive of the Pharisees in bringing the woman caught in the act of adultery?
- How did they know when and where to find her in the very act?
- What was their motive in pitting Jesus against Mosaic Law?
- What did Jesus write when He first stooped to the ground?
- If they kept on questioning Him as He wrote, what was the specific nature of their questions?
- What did Jesus write when He stooped down the second time?
- What was it about the content of that second writing that caused them to leave?
- Why did the oldest leave first?
- Had an accuser remained; would Jesus have affirmed the Mosaic Law requiring stoning?
- Is this passage about the arrogance of the legal experts, the sin of the adulteress, both, or something else?
If we want people to think deeply about their own issues, we do well to ask well-placed, Socratic, open ended questions that cause people to probe their own heart, their surroundings, and the larger world around them, helping them to see a positive, preferred outcome.
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