Caught in Adultery
. . . Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. John 8:4 NASB
Where is the guy? If this woman was caught in the “very act” of adultery, why is the man not present? Why is he not answering for his culpability? This question plagued me for years. Honestly, the whole story seemed random . . . unrelated to the context. This morning, in a shaft of divine inspiration, God revealed to me the “why.”
The “why” of the Jewish religious leaders was clear from the start. By dragging only the woman before Jesus, they were hoping to trap Him. The Law states that both the man and the woman are to be killed (Lev. 20:10). By bringing only the woman, they were hoping to discredit Jesus before the crowd. Yes, we know the “why” of the Jewish leaders.
My shaft of divine inspiration is that we are all that adulterous woman. She represents everyone of us. The Old Testament is full of allusions to Israel as the unfaithful wife of God (especially the book of Hosea). The adulterous woman in this story represents all of sinful humanity who choose to go their own way, who want to be their own god. If the man had stood with her before Jesus, that symbolism would have been lost. You see, we all stand before God . . . alone. We cannot blame our lack of faith on our spouse or our parents or anyone else. Each of us decides for ourselves in whom we believe . . . and to whom we will be faithful.
With that idea in mind, the “why” makes perfect sense of the context too. The people that Jesus miraculously fed on the mountainside left Him because they were offended at His teaching. Jesus’ own brothers hadn’t yet believed in Him. The crowd at the feast was divided over Him. And, of course, the Jewish leaders did not believe in Him . . . and sought to kill Him!
Here it is: the religious leaders (the enemies of God) brought the adulterous wife (you and I) before Jesus, and asked Him what He will do with her (us). Are you following me? The woman is brought, alone, before Jesus because she is a picture of satan accusing you and me before God. Now, I am much more involved with this story!! My life hangs in the balance as I wait for Jesus’ reply . . . just like the adulterous woman!
Praise God!! Jesus did not condemn her. Jesus does not condemn you and me. In fact, Jesus suffered the cross to take that condemnation from us. Now, just like the adulterous woman, we can “Go. And sin no more.” Our condemnation has been washed in the Blood of Jesus, and He has given us His Spirit to help us “sin no more.”
Thank You, Jesus!!!! Amen and Amen!