John: Woman caught in adultery

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A woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11)

In this passage, Jesus was interrupted in his teaching by the Pharisees. The case could have been presented to Jesus without the presence of the woman and without a detailed accusation. The man involved should have been present also. This was clearly a trap, because Jesus would be in the wrong whichever option he chose:

(a) If he did not condemn the woman, he would be seen to be disregarding the Old Testament Law and he would lose the confidence and favour of the people.

(b) If he did condemn her, he would be assuming an authority which belonged only to the Roman rulers; he could then be accused as a usurper.

Questions to consider:

1) How do you think the woman felt when she was publicly accused in this way? What were her accusers trying to do? Were they concerned about her feelings? (vs3-5)

2) Although the woman may well have been guilty, why is this situation so obviously a trap? What would you have done if you had been part of the crowd?

3) What do you think Jesus was writing on the ground and why (vs6-8)?

4) The Pharisees and religious teachers often boasted loudly about how much better they were than other people. Why do you think they left? Who left first? (v9)

5) What was Jesus' attitude to the woman (vs10-11)? Does this mean that he is condoning adultery?

Notes:

v6-8 One suggestion is that Jesus wrote the word He later spoke. In Roman criminal law, the judge would first write down the sentence before reading it aloud. Thus, Jesus defeats those who wanted to trap him by going through the form of pronouncing sentence in the Roman style, but the wording was such that it could not be executed.

v10-11 Jesus always showed great compassion and care for women. At that time, women were regarded as little more than servants for their husbands, so Jesus' attitude was amazing. Jesus was not condoning the woman's sin - He forgave her, giving her the freedom to change without the fear of punishment. This unconditional forgiveness is available to all of us today when we confess our sins and trust in Jesus.

(a)	If he did not condemn the woman, he would be seen to be disregarding the Old Testament Law and he would lose the confidence and favour of the people.
(b)	If he did condemn her, he would be assuming an authority which belonged only to the Roman rulers; he could then be accused as a usurper.

1)	How do you think the woman felt when she was publicly accused in this way? What were her accusers trying to do? Were they concerned about her feelings? (vs3-5)
2)	Although the woman may well have been guilty, why is this situation so obviously a trap? What would you have done if you had been part of the crowd?
3)	What do you think Jesus was writing on the ground and why (vs6-8)?
4)	The Pharisees and religious teachers often boasted loudly about how much better they were than other people. Why do you think they left? Who left first? (v9)
5)	What was Jesus' attitude to the woman (vs10-11)? Does this mean that he is condoning adultery?