Monday 16th October
Read John 7:53-8:11
“Then they all went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered round him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ 11 ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”
This amazing narrative is missing from all but one of the early manuscripts of John’s gospel. This explains why most Bibles have it ‘in brackets’. Despite this, it is virtually certain that this is a true eyewitness recollection. We won’t work through this story in detail in this series but one can’t help but wonder why the later Christian scribes of John’s gospel chose to place it here.
This narrative is placed immediately after a passage where the Jewish leaders have made some abhorrent judgements of both Jesus and the ignorant crowds (John 7:45-52), and immediately before Jesus speaks at length about their coming judgement and the basis on which He will make it (John 8:12-30). Perhaps the early Christian scribes wanted both an example of, and a contrast between, the judgement of the Jewish leaders and the judgement of Jesus? The harshness and hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders is certainly on show. Equally the mercy and compassion of Jesus is front and centre.
Jesus’ brother perhaps explains why this narrative sits where it does most succinctly in his letter. “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13) (NIVUK)
Are we instinctively merciful to those around us?
