The Woman Caught in Adultery
The scribes and Pharisees dragged a woman caught in the very act of adultery before Jesus in the Temple, citing the Law of Moses that commanded such women be stoned, hoping to trap him into either contradicting the Law or contradicting his reputation for mercy. Jesus stooped and wrote on the ground, then stood and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." One by one, beginning with the eldest, her accusers left until only Jesus remained with the woman. He asked her where her accusers were and whether any had condemned her; when she said none had, Jesus replied, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." The episode stands as one of Scripture's most powerful demonstrations of Jesus holding both justice and mercy together without compromising either.
Biography
- Era
- New Testament
- Nationality
- Jewish
Did You Know?
The law required both parties to be put to death - the accusers brought only the woman, exposing the trap's selective justice.
This is the only passage in the Gospels that records Jesus writing anything - and what he wrote in the dust has been debated for two thousand years.
The eldest accusers left first - the order Scripture notes, suggesting the longest memories found the least standing to throw stones.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
Brought Before Jesus
John 8:3-6
The religious leaders use the woman as bait in a legal trap, caring nothing for her fate but everything for discrediting Jesus.
3nd the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
"Neither Do I Condemn Thee"
John 8:7-11
Jesus exposes the accusers' own guilt without excusing the woman's sin, offering forgiveness paired with a call to change.
7o when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.