Will You Cast the First Stone?

 

John 8 "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This is one of my favorite stories in the bible. Why? Because we see the true nature of who Jesus is, and the true spirit of the Pharisees.  Perhaps it was a set up as the Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in adultery. This offense was punishable by stoning per the Law, although that rarely happened in Jesus' day.  Regardless the woman was certainly in a vulnerable position as the Pharisees and teachers of the law brought her out publicly to test Jesus.

Interestingly enough some ancient theologians like Ambrose and Augustine omitted this text because because it might appear as if Jesus approved of sexual immorality. But I believe far from approving of sexual immorality, Jesus reveals his radical grace and acceptance of all sinners that empowers them to go and "sin no more".  

The trap the Pharisees set was that if Jesus approved of the stoning, he would have seemed heartless.  But if he did not judge her for her sin, he would be said to have not acted accordingly to the Law.  So what did he do?  First, he "doodled" in the sand.  Some say Jesus was the recording the sins of all of her accusers.  Then He says something brilliant, "He who is without sin, you be the first one to throw the stone!"  Next, something interesting happens.  The people become aware of their sin and starting with the oldest (who would be well acquited with their sinfulness) down to the youngest they all left. This left only Jesus and the woman.  This is something  Hollywood couldn't script.

One can only wonder what the woman was thinking at that moment.  "Now I'm really in for it!", she might have thought.  Or, "I wonder what this new rabbi will say to me now?" Jesus then asks a penetrating question when he says, "Where are your accusers, is there anyone left to condemn you?" She realizes no one is left, and then Jesus stuns her by saying, "Then neither do I!"   Jesus, the only one who could judged her says, "Then neither do I."  

I often wonder what happened to this woman.  Many think she was the Mary who anointed Jesus for his death. Some think she was Mary Magdalene, who went early on Easter morning to the empty tomb.  There is no conclusive evidence, but not out of the question either.  My guess is at the very least she became one of Jesus' devoted disciples.  The story is a great one for us to remember Jesus' example when we are ready to cast the first stone. Instead of casting stones at other "sinners", we ought to spend more time thinking about how when we will stand one day before Jesus he will say to us,  "Who is there to condemn you.  Then neither do I"  My guess if you really understand your own sin and what Jesus has done for you, it is pretty hard to cast the first stone.