John 8:3-5 “And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women; now what do you say?’”
Observation: Jesus had retreated the previous night to the Mount of Olives, and had come to the temple “early in the morning” to teach the people. A great crowd (v.2) had gathered to hear more of his teaching.
So it was into this setting, into the midst of a large crowd, into a temple-turned-classroom, that the faith leaders brought the adulteress.
Application: Although she could not have imagined it at the time, this was to become her lucky day. The Scribes and Pharisees had interrupted Jesus’ teaching with the hope of accomplishing two things: one was to see that the woman would be utterly humiliated by public exposure of her sin, and that she would receive the severest of punishments: death by stoning. But their larger purpose was to have grounds for accusing Jesus of not fulfilling Moses’ teaching. (v. 6)
What is lost in all this is how oblivious the adulteress must have been to her great good fortune, for the finger-pointing accusers were actually doing her a great favor. Fearful and humiliated on the surface, she could hardly have considered what a blessing her exposure would turn out to be.
I think of situations or even repeated patterns of sin in my own life that might have continued unabated had exposure not intervened. Sometimes such exposure is imposed by others, as was the focus in this story, while other times it has been self-motivated as Holy Spirit conviction has led to confession, whether to men or to God. Regardless how it comes, such revelation always carries with it the potential for turning away from sin.
If our adulteress, or if I, had continued down sin’s destructive path it would have led inevitably to a heart hardened beyond repair. But confession interrupts that slippery slope and gives me the freedom to turn away from destructive patterns. The turning, though, is always a choice. All I really know of our adulteress is Jesus’ admonition to “go your way, from now on sin no more.” (v. 11) I know nothing of her long-term response. And even now, my own responses are still being written.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, your compassionate response to sinful behavior is an unmerited opportunity for me to write a new story, to celebrate a life turned toward freedom. Thank you, Lord, for patiently working to expose hidden patterns that my flesh is loath to reveal. I love you Jesus. In your precious name, Amen.