John 8:1–11

¹ But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. ³ Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴ they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” ⁶ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. ⁷ So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” ⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. ¹⁰ When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

 Commentary

Vs. 1 “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.”

 Continuing on then from the dispute about the Lord Jesus Christ which ended with everyone departing to their own house. Jesus now also departs and goes to the Mount of Olives, which was not far from the Temple. For outside of its historic and prophetic significance, the Mount of Olives became a sort of refuge for Him when He wanted to pray, specifically the Garden of Gethsemane. Thus, many key events also happened, or originated from here, i.e. Jesus’ being proclaimed as King as He came down from the Mount of Olives and took the road to Jerusalem, and upon entering it cleansed the Temple for the finial time (Matt. 21:1-17). As well it was likely while coming down from here that Jesus foreseeing Jerusalem’s destruction wept over it (Luke 19:41-44). But the most significant before His being betrayed on it is Jesus’ having foretold of the Temples destruction (Matt. 24:1-2) will now give what has become to be known as His Olivet discourse. And so it was while being seated on the Mount of Olives with His disciples and observing Jerusalem in the distance, Jesus told the disciples of its destruction, the signs of the end of the age, the Great Tribulation, and His own Return, as well He gave us some critical parables to observe before His Return (Matt. 24:1-25:26). Finally on the night of His betrayal, after instituting the Lords Supper, (and thus ushering in the New Covenant), Jesus along with the eleven (Judas Iscariot having departed from them to betray Him), they went out from the upper room singing hymns because they were looking forward to His Coming Kingdom, and so coming to the Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knowing that His time to be betrayed and suffer and die on the Cross had come, came here with the eleven to pray for strength, and it was here that His praying became so intense that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground (Matt. 26:36-46; Mark 13:32-42; Luke 22:39-46, vs. 44). Therefore, having resolved within Himself to face the Cross that awaited Him, Jesus went out in boldness to face Judas Iscariot and the murderous mob assembled with him. Thus, it was there on the Mount of Olives, in the garden of Gethsemane, that Jesus was taken by lawless hands and later Crucified. Nonetheless it was from the Mount of Olives that the Lord Jesus Christ having Risen from the dead, three days later, would Ascend forty days later back to God in heaven in the Presence of His disciples (Acts 1:1-11)! The mount of Olives then was the scene of some of the most crucial events during Jesus’ time down here.

Vs. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.

 Coming down then from the Mount Olives very early in the mourning Jesus once again comes into the Temple, and all the people came to Him, not to their scribes and Pharisees gathered there, not to their priests and Levites serving there, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, because He alone has the Words of everlasting life! And so, it was when they came to Him, He sat down and taught them. Think about the informality of this wonderful gathering which was so unlike what took place inside the Temple, where male Jews were assigned one section, (and in this there would’ve been a hierarchal order), woman were assigned to another section, while the Gentiles were relegated to a court, the Court of the Gentiles, which was on the outer and lower most part of the Temple grounds. And so, it was when Jesus entered the Temple grounds and the people came to Him, Jesus seated Himself, and the people (not their leaders and rulers), but just ordinary people, sat all around Him and listened to Him teach. Just a beautiful and serene scene!

Vs. 3-6 ³ Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴ they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” ⁶ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

 However, its not long before the scribes and Pharisees grossly and rudely interrupt this peaceful gathering by forcefully presenting a woman to Him in the midst of the crowd, and saying to Him that they have just caught her in the act of adultery! Now obviously they chose this moment to interrupt Him so as to publicly undermine Him in the presence of all gathered there. For all the people knew the Law that adultery was to be punished by stoning death. And the Pharisees also knew that Jesus had a propensity for mercy not judgment, and so if He tried to pardon her then they would have immediate grounds by which they could accuse Him before the people. Thus, under the guise of upholding justice and righteousness they now recall to Him and the people there that Moses in law said that such an individual should be stoned, and having said as much they now ask Jesus, “But what do you say?”             However, as verse six makes it clear they were not seeking to uphold truth and justice, nor were they concerned about preserving the moral purity and character of the nation, they were only interested in entrapping Jesus in a judgment by which they could accuse Him. Now upon their finishing their accusation of her, Jesus being seated with the woman standing and very likely trembling before Him, stoops over and begins writing on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. Now what Jesus wrote on the ground we do not know, (it was not preserved in the Scripture for us), however if He wished it to be preserved it would’ve been! And in fact, it may already be, if Jesus was writing the Scriptures as many believe He was. For this was a common practice in ancient times to write out Scripture verses in this manner.

Vs. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”

And so with Jesus seemingly ignoring them they become even more adamant and continue to press Him for a response to either condemn her as they have, or release her, so they can accuse Him either way. Therefore, with their pressing Him for a response, Jesus now raises Himself and says to them all, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Which is such a righteous response to these wicked men’s plot and scheme, for Jesus not only upholds the Law but He also makes it clear that before they do so they need to examine themselves to see if they themselves are without sin. Now Jesus’ doing this was not done so as to normalize or rationalize people’s sins. But this as we will see He was saying so that by their own judgment and verdict of themselves He could release her.

Vs. 8-9 ⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

And so, having said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Jesus once again stoops down and begins to write on the ground again, (vs. 8) and so it was as the men who had brought the woman to her heard this saying from Jesus, being convicted by their conscience, they went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last! For no man can stand in the Presence of God on his own righteousness and feel confident to condemn another.

Vs. 10-11 ¹⁰ When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

 Notice that only after they all had departed then Jesus raised Himself up to speak with the frightened and publicly humiliated woman. For they had all raised themselves up for her judgment, but He only raised Himself up for her pardon. And so, it was when Jesus ask her if there were any accusers left to condemn her, and she said “No one Lord.” Jesus then said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.