Christ & the Woman Caught in Adultery: A Jewish Perspective Part 1

I'll be the first to admit that a casual or superficial reading of this account does indeed seem to paint a picture of Jesus that virtually anyone can accept and even get along with. I mean, what's not to love? He stood up for the little guy. He was also a fearless advocate for sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. What's more, he openly ate and drank with them. And now he not only stands up to the wicked scribes and Pharisees, but beats them at their own game by forgiving the very woman they sought to have him condemn for adultery. Moreover, his decision not to condemn her is often seen as heralding a new age of grace and mercy that superseded the very law he said he came to fulfill. Or so the story goes. If this is your first time tuning in, please be sure to like, share, comment, and subscribe. In this series, we're going to look at one example of how mainstream Christianity's separation from and rejection of its biblical Jewish foundation in favor of pagan Hellenistic traditions has led not only to a false image of Christ, but a distorted view of the grace of God and disdain, even contempt for his law. The very law that Paul, the Apostle of Grace, described in the seventh chapter of Romans as holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. The very law of which Paul also wrote, Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means. On the contrary, we uphold the law. The exact same law, in fact, of which Christ himself said, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them, for truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Professing to be wise, multitudes of Christian theologians and Bible scholars, in their rejection of anything Hebraic or Jewish, have become darkened in their knowledge of Christ and of His kingdom, and as a result, key aspects of who He really is, why He came, and what He is offering to mankind have been ripped from their biblical moorings and transformed into what can rightly be called another gospel and another Christ. With that, let's look at one of the most well known yet greatly misunderstood passages in the entire Bible. Please turn with me to chapter eight of John's Gospel, where we find the account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, starting at verse two. 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. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery, and when they had set her in the midst, they said to him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say? 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. 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 again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 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. 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? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. Over the centuries there have been many different interpretations of this passage by Christian theologians such as Augustine, Jerome, Calvin, and John Wesley, not only about why Jesus declined to condemn this woman, but also about why he acted as if he didn't hear what her accusers were saying, what and why he wrote on the ground, and why he wrote with his finger. Not to mention countless sermons, Bible studies, and Sunday school lessons, which invariably see it as a quintessential example of Christ's infinite grace, mercy, and unconditional forgiveness. Some are closer to the truth than others, however. Many of them are nothing more than sappy expositions of what they believe to be Christ's limitless grace, mercy, and forgiveness towards sinners, while others rival the Jewish sages in their fanciful interpretations and allegories. Still others exhibit remarkable insight into various aspects of the passage. Almost all, however, miss the biblical key to unlock the real treasure and glorious revelation in this remarkable passage of Christ's true mercy, grace, and divine wisdom. Now I'll be the first to admit that a casual or superficial reading of this account does indeed seem to paint a picture of Jesus that virtually anyone can accept and even get along with. I mean what's not to love. Jesus had been going about the cities and villages of Israel, teaching in the temple and Jewish synagogues, astonishing the people with his wisdom and authority, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, feeding the multitudes and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. He stood up for the little guy. He was also a fearless advocate for sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. What's more, he openly ate and drank with them. The people not only held him in high esteem as a prophet, he had also been publicly confronting the Jewish religious leaders for their hypocrisy, hardness of heart, and unbelief. And to top it all off, he even forgave sins, and now he not only stands up to the wicked scribes and Pharisees, but beats them at their own game by forgiving the very woman they sought to have him condemn for adultery. Moreover, his decision not to condemn her is often seen as heralding a new age of grace and mercy that superseded the very law he said he came to fulfill. Or so the story goes, and really, what's not to love about this? In contrast to the austere, distant, and angry God of the Old Testament, here we see a softer, kinder, gentler, and infinitely more tolerant side of God in the person of Christ. Not only did he pay the price for our sins, this Jesus freely accepts us just as we are, and makes no demands upon us other than to simply believe He's the Son of God. A Savior who loves us unconditionally, a Savior who overlooks our sin and rebellion because after all, he knows what's in our heart, or has one Christian advertising campaign put it, he gets us. A Savior who does everything for us from start to finish, and of course, a Savior who will neither judge nor condemn us because we're no longer law under law, but under grace. Or so the story goes. And so we have an image of Jesus who not only unconditionally loves but freely accepts everyone. What's more, this Jesus has not only done away with the old, burdensome and heavy requirement of obedience to God's law, he also freely forgives sinners, just come as you are. No biblical repentance required, since no one, so the story goes, could keep the law. He came to our rescue by keeping it for us, thereby replacing obedience to God's commandments with a much simpler standard, one the most anyone can readily agree with. Simply love God and love your neighbor as yourself, or as it's also commonly taught, the law of love. Defining exactly what that means, however, isn't quite so simple, actually very far from it. There really doesn't seem to be a solid consensus about this among professing Christians, so I suppose it really depends upon who you ask. Much like ancient Israel, when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. Moreover, any mention of obedience to God's law is often viewed as legalism and likely to get you labeled as a Pharisee faster than you can say John three sixteen. After all, didn't Christ tell us his yoke is easy and his burden is light? Yes. He did. And didn't Paul say the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life? And that were not under law, but under grace? Yep. He sure did. As one modern ministry put it, Jesus forgave the adulterous woman, and he forgives us too. Again, what's not to love? But is this the whole story? Is it really that simple and more importantly, is this a true picture of Christ? You see, unless we not only know the scriptures, but Christ Himself, it's really easy to be fooled by slick, catchy sound bites like this. After all, Jesus forgave the adulterous woman, and he forgives us too does sound a whole lot like the so called gospel of grace that's proclaimed week in and week out from pulpits around the world. As is very often the case, the deception isn't so much in what is being said, but rather in what is not said. And so it is here. Remember, deception is one of the defining hallmarks of the last days. Christ and the New Testament writers warned us more about being led astray by false Christs, teachers, prophets, apostles, and shepherds than any of the other dangers we will face as believers, and all the more so as we approach the end of the age. So if we're going to be able to escape these traps and persevere till the end, which, by the way, Christ said is a prerequisite for salvation, you and I must be able to not only recognize but also see through this kind of linguistic and theological sleight of hand. And in order to do so, we must not only know the scriptures, we must also know the man, Christ Jesus Himself. And this account in John's Gospel provides us with an excellent opportunity to see him as he truly is. Simply put, it is a fabulous example not only of Christ's wisdom and majesty, but also of the surpassing greatness of his true grace and mercy. And as we'll see, it is far more glorious and majestic than the cheap counterfeits that have permeated Christian teaching and tradition for centuries. Every detail in this remarkable passage is important and must be carefully read and understood within the context of the law of Moses and the entire biblical record from Genesis to Revelation. So with that in mind, let's take a closer look at this well loved and greatly misunderstood passage. As John chapter eight opens, we find Jesus sitting and teaching in the temple. Now what is often overlooked is that when this happened, the Mosaic Covenant was still in full force and effect, and that included the law of Moses. The new covenant had not yet been inaugurated, and would not begin until Christ had died for our sins and risen from the dead. Now let me say it again, as this is most important. When this incident occurred, the Mosaic Covenant, including the law of Moses, was still in full force and effect. The new covenant had not yet been inaugurated and would not begin until Christ had died for our sins and risen from the dead. With some exceptions, the law of Moses was the law of the land. Please take careful note of this and keep it firmly in mind as we examine John's account. And with respect to religious customs, ceremonies, and practice, the law of Moses was binding upon the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, as the apostle Paul wrote, but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. However, Israel, like much of the known world at that time, was part of and subject to the laws of the Roman Empire. Within that geopolitical structure, Judea and Samaria were under the authority of Pontius Pilate, while Galilee and Perea were under the rule of Herod Antipas. And while the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish judicial body at that time, did have a measure of autonomy when it came to religious, civil, and criminal matters, the authority to carry out capital punishment rested solely with the Roman governor. Just as it was when the Jewish religious leaders had to go to Pontius Pilate to ask him to have Christ put to death, so it would have been with this woman if, that is, she had been lawfully tried and found guilty of adultery. Now let me repeat this important fact, and please keep it in mind as we proceed. When this incident happened, the Sanhedrin had no authority to carry out capital punishment. Just as the chief priests and elders had to go to Pontius Pilate to ask him to have Christ crucified, so it would have been with this woman, assuming that is she'd first been lawfully tried and found guilty of adultery. So before we get back into John's account, let's lay a proper foundation by looking at the relevant parts of the law of Moses, beginning with adultery. It may be difficult for us in the twenty first century, and especially here in the West, to appreciate this, but under the law of Moses, adultery was a capital crime, and not just any capital crime. It's expressly forbidden in the Ten Commandments, as we first see in Exodus twenty, fourteen, and later reiterated in Deuteronomy chapter five, verse eighteen. So how do we know adultery was a capital crime? Well please turn with me to Leviticus chapter twenty. If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. Notice carefully how the law require both the man and the woman to be put to death. The importance of this requirement will, or should be evident shortly. Furthermore, no one could be convicted or put to death for a capital crime solely upon the testimony of one witness. The law of Moses required the testimony of at least two or three witnesses. Let's now look at Deuteronomy chapters seventeen and nineteen. On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses, the one who is to die shall be put to death. A person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. Notice also that the accusing witnesses were to be the first ones to put the guilty party to death, according to Deuteronomy seventeen seven, the hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. Not only that, if there were any allegations of false or malicious testimony, the law required the judges to carefully investigate the matter. If a witness was found to have given false testimony, the punishment that was intended for the accused was to be done to him or her. Turn with me again to Deuteronomy chapter nineteen. If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, then both men in the controversy shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days, and the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother. So you shall put away the evil from among you, and those who remain shall hear and fear, and hereafter they shall not again commit such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. Life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. The law further prohibited circulating a false report, bribery, and joining in with others to pervert justice. Let's now look at two more passages from the Torah, one from Exodus twenty three, and the other from Deuteronomy chapter sixteen. You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you. This, by the way, is what Christ was referring to when he said, He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone. Contrary to popular belief, he was not taking this woman's side, at least not directly, but neither did he say this at a vacuum. Rather, he masterfully meant fire with fire. Remember, these men were experts in the law, and as we just read, the law not only required them to throw the first stones at her if she was found guilty, it also required that same death sentence to be turned on their heads if they gave false testimony or otherwise attempted to pervert justice. And you can be absolutely sure every single one of those men knew exactly what Jesus meant. As it is written, He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. If this is your first time tuning in, please be sure to like, share, comment, subscribe, and ring the bell so you can be notified whenever we post new episodes. If you like what you've heard today, please also leave a review wherever you're listening to this podcast. Tell us what you loved about this episode, how it may have helped or encouraged you, or you can simply leave a comment about any other topics you'd love to hear us cover in the future. Finally, remember to always keep your lamps trimmed, lit, and full of oil. Shalom, see you next time.