The lady and the law-keepers.

© 2023 Jeffrey M Pearce.

The story goes like this. Yeshua (Joshua or Jesus of Nazareth) is teaching people early in the morning within the Temple complex in Jerusalem as He sat amongst them. Suddenly He is interrupted by a crowd of scribes and Pharisees dragging with them a wretch of a woman. And they say to Him, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the ve act.

John 8:5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what do you say?” They were trying to trap Yeshua by using the Law of Moses against Him.

[Actually the Law of Moses says in Leviticus 20:10 “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death” The emphasis is on the man who commits adultery, not the woman, still both of them must be eradicated from the people of Israel for their sin against God. Both the man and the woman were caught in the act of adultery, and both should have been put to death. But the man, who was also caught in the act, was missing. Where was he? Had he been let go free by the keepers of the Law?]

Yeshua looked at them and the woman, summed up the situation, then just ignoring them He wrote upon the ground as though He had not heard them. They saw that He ignored them, and raised the same charges against the woman again, as He continued to write upon the ground. John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

John 8:8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

Yeshua doesn’t bother arguing with them. This is no local yokel from Galilee passing himself off as a Teacher or Rabbi. This is the master-stroke of a highly intelligent speaker used to debating and psychology. In one sentence Yeshua has cornered them, accused them of sin, shown them that He has a more complete understanding of the Law than they, and dismissed them without a further word! Not one remains to accuse the woman. Not one!

After a while Jesus looks up and sees only the woman standing in the middle of the people He had been teaching. So then He says to the adulteress Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?”

John 8:11 She said, “No man, Lord”. And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more”.

There are several more points of interest to make in this true story.

First, the scribes and Pharisees do not address Yeshua as Teacher or Rabbi, but as Master. Teachers and Rabbi’s had the distinction of being honoured as superior to others in that they taught the people. A Master was like a Leading Hand, or possibly a lower-grade Foreman.

Second, the wretched woman addressed Yeshua as Lord. She acknowledged His superiority over everyone who had gathered there that morning. Not Teacher, not Rabbi, but LORD.

Third, Jesus does not accuse the woman, He does not mention the name of her sin, nor does He condemn her. How many of us with our superior knowledge of the Law and the Prophets, as well as the understanding of the New Testament, would have given her a real wringing over, and then hung her out to dry? But Yeshua doesn’t! He is quiet, speaks calmly and with respect to her, does NOT accuse her or condemn her, but lays one thing upon her. Don’t do it again!

As a young boy of 7 or 8 years, I remember Reverend North in the Methodist Church in Gladstone, South Australia, giving a Children’s Talk before us kids went out to Sunday School. I don’t remember what he said, except for the following. “If you become a Christian, you stop doing bad things, and start doing good things!” That’s all I remember. And here is Yeshua saying to this woman the same thing.

At my age now, I would say “REPENT”, but a lot of people nowadays don’t seem to know what repentance is. It means you stop doing bad things and start doing good things, that which is right in the sight of God!

Yeshua set all Christians an example, a precedent to be followed, and it is this. As far as I am able to find out, whenever Yeshua had to face up to a person who had sinned, or if He told a parable of a similar situation, He did not accuse them or denigrate them. Rather He spoke to them with respect, benevolent love, and without condemnation, encouraging them to repent and turn to God in repentance.

Only the high minded, self promoting, and excessively powerful, felt the lash of His righteous anger. Luke 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” A person who “needs no repentance” is unwise, because they do not recognise, or rather do not WANT to recognise, their need of a repentant relationship with God the Father through faith in Jesus Christ and His blood!

The modern christian church is ready and willing to “face up sinners to their sins”.

That is NOT the job for Christians.

We are called to show benevolent love to our neighbours (or whoever we come in contact with), wanting the very best for them, no matter the situation or circumstance, Luke 10:25-37.

It is the job of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to convict (reprove) the world of sin, John 16:8.

My final observation is:

We take on more than we are permitted to do if we presume to do the convicting work of God’s Holy Spirit and God’s position as Judge over the whole Earth!