What Does Jesus Mean When He Says, "Go and Sin No More"? - John 8:1-11

 John 8:1-11 "A Woman Caught in Adultery"

8 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said.And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

This is one of my favorite stories about Jesus because it shows the compassion he has on those who are caught up in a sinful lifestyle, like so many today. It is interesting to juxtapose Jesus' response to the leaders. who thought the had everything right, with this woman who knew she had everything wrong. We will also see how the religious leaders handled this woman, which is diametrically opposite to the way Jesus did. 

We see a pattern of the Pharisees trying to catch Jesus teaching something false to prove he is not from God. If Jesus let her off they would accuse him of not teaching the Law of Moses. If he did condemn her they would say he was harsh and unloving. 

The bigger the crowd the bigger chance they had to expose and embarrass him. In this case. they brought a woman who "caught in the act" of the adultery. I have always missed the importance of this detail in the story. Several commentators give helpful insights into this particular part of the story. These insights help us to dig deeper into the motives of the Pharisees and the shame the woman must have been feeling. 

"They cared nothing for true righteousness, for it was evident that they carefully arranged both the adulterous act and her arrest. They claimed that this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act – yet they did not bring the guilty man before Jesus. It’s possible that the man was one of them, and they simply used the woman as a weapon or pawn in their conflict against Jesus." (Guzik)

“Adultery is not the kind of offence that can be committed by one person in solitude; if she was caught red-handed, how was her guilty partner allowed to escape?” (Bruce)

“They were not looking on this woman as a person at all; they were looking on her only as a thing, an instrument whereby they could formulate a charge against Jesus.” (Barclay)

Then they quote the Law of Moses, saying she deserved being stoned for her sinful behavior. While the scripture is in there, they are using the scripture dangerously. 

"It is true that adultery was a capital offense under Jewish law, but the rules for evidence in capital cases were extremely strict. The actual act had to be observed by multiple witnesses who agreed exactly in their testimony. As a practical matter, virtually no one was executed for adultery, since this was a relatively private sin." (Guzik)

Rather than reacting to their challenges, Jesus stoops down and starts doodling in the dirt. Stooping down was an act of humility. Many have hypothesized what they think Jesus was writing down,. Some say he was writing down the sins of her accusers, especially after he says, "He is who is without sin can throw the first stone." We don't really know for sure.

Then, the story gets really interesting, as one by one the people are convicted of their own sinfulness and start walking away in a procession. The first men to leave were the oldest, presumably because they would be more aware of their own sin more than anyone else. 

"Instead of passing a sentence upon the woman, Jesus passed a sentence upon His accusers. He didn’t say, “Don’t execute her.” He simply demanded that justice be fairly and righteously applied." (Guzik)

Then the drama reaches its high point.

Everyone is gone except Jesus and the woman. I wonder if she was saying to herself something like. "Now I am really in for it. The only one without sin will surely give me the punishment I deserve. Well at least no one is going to be looking at him doing it!" 

Jesus gets up out of his position of humility and asks her where her accusers were. Of course, they were gone, leaving only one would could rightfully accuse and condemn her. They only one who could have carried out this sentence withheld justice and instead gave her mercy. The one who could have broughr condemnation withheld it. Importantly Jesus chose to do this because of his great love for this woman and by application all sinners. He knew her sin, but more importantly he knew her and what she really needed. 

"They knew the thrill of exercising power to condemn; Jesus knew the thrill of exercising the power to forgive.” (Barclay)

The last part of the story, we should never forget. Though Jesus offers her grace, unmerited favor, and mercy, he doesn't just dismiss her to go on her way back to her old ways. He loves her too much to let her wander away and possibly right back to her old lifestyle. He tells her to, "Go and sin no more". 

Jesus gave her a choice. She could go right back into her lifestyle and cheapen the grace Jesus he had just given her. Or, she could leave her life of sin because of the grace and love she had been given. 

We don't know for sure what happened to her after this encounter with Jesus.  Many think she is Mary Magdalene, who Jesus casted out seven demons from in Luke 8:2. We know Mary Magdalene became one of Jesus' closest followers, and followed him to the cross, where she witnessed Pontius Pilate condemning him to death. There is not really a compelling case she is Mary Magdalene. 

Whatever the case her encounter with Jesus must have changed her life forever. I hope she took Jesus' word to heart to go and sin more. As we receive Jesus' forgiveness and grace, we also have a choice. Do we go and sin some more, or use the freedom we have been given to love God and share His great love with others. Of course we all still sin in this life even after we come to Jesus, but that doesn't mean we have to make a lifestyle out of it! If we are set free from sin, why go back in bondage to it! 

How are you like the woman caught in adultery? Do you find yourself sometimes acting like the Pharisees, who wants to condemn others before they are given a fair trial? Why do we sometimes want to judge others so quickly, yet think we deserve the benefit of the doubt with a full inquiry into any wrongdoing we might have done?As you also are freed from condemnation, where do you need to sin no more? Meaning what behaviors in your life represent the way you acted before you became God's child. Where might you be cheapening his grace by your lifestyle?