The woman caught in adultery is brought as a weapon in an argument about Jesus, and what happens next reveals more about the accusers than it does about her.
Mar 23, 2026
The Gospel: John 8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
Today’s Focus
They brought her to trap him and left having convicted themselves. The law they invoked condemned them too. And the only one in the room with the actual authority to issue a verdict chose not to use it that way. Augustine said it best: two were left, the miserable one and mercy. She came in as an object in an argument and left with a new direction. That is what an encounter with Jesus does. It does not minimize what needs to change. It makes the change possible.
In the Margins
This passage requires a note before we start to dissect it. It is quite unique because it does not actually appear in the older manuscripts, first being seen in the fourth and fifth centuries, and sometimes after Luke 21:38 rather than here. The passage has a different vocabulary and style from the surrounding chapters of John. The Council of Trent affirmed the Vulgate, which contains the passage, as authoritative Scripture and the NAB and NABRE both include it with a note about its textual history. Augustine and Ambrose both cite it as authentic tradition even while acknowledging it was absent from some manuscripts.
In this passage, the scribes and Pharisees bring the woman explicitly to test Jesus in a legal trap. The question is not sincere, it is meant to put Him in an impossible situation. If Jesus says to stone her, He would contradict His reputation of mercy and associating with sinners. If He says not to stone her, He would be in contradiction of Deuteronomy 22:22-24. The irony is that the Law in this case calls for both the man and the woman caught to be put to death. Here, the man is missing, those bringing the claim are not actually upholding the Law themselves. A second note on the violation is that these people calling for death are in violation of Roman law, as the Sanhedrin had lost the authority to carry out capital punishment. This is why Jesus would have to be turned over to the Romans for execution.
The Gospel says that Jesus was writing on the ground, which is significant in the fact that it is the only Gospel of Jesus writing anything. No one knows for sure what Jesus was writing. It is possible that Jesus writing with his finger may be a deliberate echo of God writing the law. Others believe that He may have been writing the sins of those that were there. Another connection that could be made is that to Jeremiah 17:13 where we hear that those who forsake God are written in the earth. While it is not provable, everyone immediately departing is where many of these beliefs get some weight.
Jesus’ response is perfection. He does not abolish the Law, rather shifting the guilt to the qualification of the accusers. When Jesus uses the word “anamartētos” (ἀναμάρτητος) it means totally without sin, not just the sin of adultery. It is rarely used in the Greek New Testament. He isn’t asking for those that have not committed adultery, rather for those entirely without sin, of which the only one present is Jesus Himself.
Jesus and the woman are left alone and no legal condemnation has been issued. The accusers are gone and the legal case has collapsed. The only one there with authority to condemn her is Him, He reaffirmed this in John 5:22 noting that all judgment has been given to the Son. He tells her to go and sin no more, the call to change her ways.This passage is a template for how we can model our own lives.
Jesus routinely explains that the standard we use to judge is the standard that we will be judged by. This is shown in Matthew 7:1-2. He tells us that judgement is ultimately for God. There is not one amongst us that is perfect, but it does not mean that we should just stop trying. Just as Jesus addresses the woman, telling her to go forth and do better, essentially. We have a standard to strive for. We have a goal and benchmark that was set. Just as we watch others not meet this standard, the Lord watches us not meet the standard as well. Just as God has shown mercy, we are expected to show mercy. We strive for a more holy way of life, knowing that we will have shortcomings, but that through the mercy and passion of Christ, we can still be saved and forgiven for our shortcomings as we try to do better every day.
Reflection Question
Is there someone you are holding a stone over, and what would it cost you to put it down?
