Without Sin (John 8:1-11; Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 20:10; Hosea 4:13-14)

John 8:7 says, '' He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

This portion of scripture, in John 8:1-11,  is one of those revelations of the compassion of Jesus that demonstrates, as did all His actions, the will of the Father, for everyone.

John 8:2 - The setting of the story is the temple, where the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. It was early in the morning, or more accurately, from the Greek, the dawning of the day, when the light was just breaking through. It is amazing that "... all the people came to Him...", at such an early hour, unless they were looking for Him, or anticipating His moves, to be near him and hear from Him.

John 8:3 - It is at this juncture in the narrative, that the drama unfolds, with the Scribes and Pharisees bringing to Him a woman taken in adultery. The English word "taken" hardly describes the shame and violence of the Greek word. In this setting, the word, which is intensified by a Greek prefix, ( meaning from the top to the bottom, or completely), conveys the idea of totally overcoming this woman, and with violent action, apprehending her. This was a violent , hostile, and forceful act, which as the next verse states, occurred while she was having sex with a married man.

John 8:4 - Two insights concerning this verse beg for comment.

1) Where was the man with whom the woman was committing adultery?

2) Perhaps this an accurate picture of "taking" the name of the Lord  God in vain ,(Ex.20:7), when feigned respect and honor are offered , in calling Him master, but the actions demonstrated, convey the opposite sentiment.

John 8:5 - The quotation that the religious leaders referenced, is Leviticus 20:10, which states that "... the  man  who commits adultery with another man's wife,...the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."  It should be noticed that the major burden of responsibility, in this verse, lies with the man, who was conspicuously absent.

What is also missing from their argument, is the fact that:

1) There is absolutely no scriptural record, that this just punishment was ever carried out.

2) There is also no Jewish historical record, that anyone was ever stoned, or put to death by other means, for committing adultery.

3) Rome had outlawed any Jewish authority from carrying out  capital punishment; meaning any such action would be an act of rebellion against Rome.

What is also lost in the English translation is the irreverent and sarcastic inference in the Greek, in the phrase "...but what sayest thou?", which reads more  as "...you, therefore, what do you say?", implying that His opinion would be of little value and obviously in contrast to Moses, but that they would still hear His worthless comments. 

John 8:6,8 - These two references have puzzled commentators for years offering various conjectures as to what Jesus wrote. 

The phrase for " wrote on the ground", is only found here in the NT, and could mean to draw, to write down, and leaves the question as to whether He was writing words or drawing pictures. Some have suggested that He was writing out the 10 commandments, though there is no evidence to confirm that. Two things are certain:

1) The temple was made out of stone, so it is uncertain that whatever He wrote would have made an impression; only that He wrote.

2) His actions of ignoring the obvious hypocritical questioning of the Scribes and Pharisees, would have conveyed, in the Jewish culture, extreme disrespect and contempt, for those who put themselves forward as spiritual leaders of His people.

John 8:7 - "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her"

This verse is the crux of this story upon which everything stands or falls, and offers almost shocking revelation as to the spiritual climate in which Jesus came.

The words "without sin" are only used here in the NT, and refer to a specific sin, namely, adultery. What Jesus was saying to these self-righteous leaders, was " which ever of you are without THIS SIN of adultery, you be the first to cast a stone at her."

Rabban Jochan Ben Zacchi, a member of the Sanhedrin, and very likely one of those present questioning Jesus that morning, had put forth the counsel, which the rest of the Sanhedrin adopted, that according to Hosea 4:14, God no longer expected them to condemn adultery.

In the passage in Hosea 4:13-14, God was actually saying that because the whole nation had given themselves to whoring after other gods, which involved temple prostitution, He would not pass judgment on their wives and daughters, when they too involved themselves in whoredom and adultery, because everyone was guilty.

Historically, adultery and prostitution was so commonplace, as was implied by Jesus' words, that it was rampant in those that claimed to be spiritual leaders of the people. The Sanhedrin no longer condemned adultery, but were themselves involved in this fornication. This also may explain why the man was not "taken", as he may have been one of them.

Sexual immorality, rampant  in a society, is a departure from God, and offers a substitute, and therefore idolatry, to the true intimacy that can be found in fellowship with the Father.

Nothing could be more tragic, then when the spiritual leaders of society, are engaged in this form of idolatry.

John 8:9 - Notice that all the spiritual leaders, starting from the oldest to the youngest, were convicted and left.

John 8:3,9 - The story ends where it started, with the woman standing in the midst, and very likely, due to her violent abduction, scantly clothed and in abject shame.

John 8:10-11 - Jesus did not condemn her, though He was the only one that rightfully could have, but said "...go and sin no more..."

These words are only recorded twice in the NT, here, and in John 5:14. The phrase in the Greek is more accurately "...no longer go on sinning...''

The meaning from the Greek, however, is right now, it is imperative, crucial, that you actively, do not go on sinning! This is obviously, because spiritually and physically, sin has consequences.

No matter what we have done, Jesus compassion, and therefore the Fathers, offers us forgiveness, and hope for a fresh start with Him, free from sin.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours.