SERMON: "The Account of the Adulterous Woman" (John 7:53–8:11)
The Account of the Adulterous
Woman
(John 7:53–8:11)
Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name” Text: John 7:53–8:11
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: August
13, 2023
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
I.
Introduction
People in Western society today are moving away from any
kind of sexual ethic, making this account shocking to modern readers. Adultery is when, in this case, a married
woman engages in sexual intercourse with someone other than her husband, but
secular theories has caused people to question whether we should have any
problem with that. After all, if
evolution is true, then adulterous relationships simply spread DNA more, giving
particular strains a better chance of surviving than others. If worldly ideologies are to be believed,
then any kind of sexual limitation is repression and unhealthy.
However, if Scripture is true, then our Creator best informs
our sexual identities and activities.
Yet, that is the question before us.
Some unbelievers and skeptics will look at a passage like we have before
us today and note how there are questions about its reliability. They use such questions to ignore the
entirety of the Bible, writing off God’s Word as an invention of some outdated
human philosophy.
So, this story tests two, fundamental aspects of what we
believe: the reliability of Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ. That’s how we’re considering this passage
this morning. We’re going to have
another word about how this passage teaches us that we can trust our Bibles,
and then, we’re going to consider what this passage shows us about Christ.
II.
This Passage Teaches Us We Can Trust the Bible.
Last week, we noted some bad history that skeptics throw at
Scripture. In fact, I just shared a clip
this week on Facebook from a popular podcast personality, one who draws in an
audience averaging 11 million people per episode. He talked about how kings and others could
have tampered with the scrolls, and we’d never know. However, as we considered last time, we can examine
the homework in the critical apparatuses of the Greek and Hebrew texts to
verify that the original languages were faithfully transmitted. This is evidence against tampering from any nefarious
fellows in history.
This passage really shows us that. Many of your Bibles have this section in
brackets, footnoting that this passage is not in the earliest manuscripts. This is clear evidence that Christians care about
what we call Scripture.
This isn’t just a care for the modern Christian, either. Sixteenth-century Reformer John Calvin noted,
“It is plain enough that this passage was unknown anciently to the Greek
Churches.”[1] Such a comment was fitting with the time; if
you know your history, the Roman Catholic Church was launching its
counter-Reformation, which (in part) inserted whole books into the canon of
Scripture we know as the apocrypha.
Modern Christians have continued with the conviction that we must study
to know what does and does not belong in our Bibles.
When we examine the manuscript evidence, we see something
with this passage unlike we see with other passages. First, when the account of the adulterous
woman appears in a copy of Scripture, it’s often with a scribal note doubting
its authenticity. It also appears in
different places in the various copies of John — drifting through the book like
a ship without an anchor. As one
resource states, “Some place it after John 7:36, others after John 7:44, and
still others place it as a separate unit at the end of the Gospel of John.”[2] In at least one case, it appears in a
completely different Gospel entirely: Luke 21:38! That’s where it appears — in the oldest
manuscripts, it doesn’t appear at all.
No other account in Scripture floats through the Bible like this one
does.
Now, that alone isn’t proof positive. Yet, there are other external factors to
consider. I mentioned last week that the
apostolic and early church fathers quote nearly every verse of Scripture in
their commentaries, and that we could practically rebuild the whole Bible from
their works. However, no Greek pastor
comments on this passage until the twelfth century! When we consider that with the fact that no
early translation of the New Testament includes this passage, and its absent
from all the earliest Greek copies and commentaries, we have serious cause for
concern.
Internal markers also indicate that this passage is foreign
to John, with some unique vocabulary and grammar; as one commentary notes, it “would
be very difficult to justify the view that the material is authentically Johannine: there are numerous
expressions and constructions that are found nowhere in John, but which are
characteristic of the Synoptic Gospels, Luke in particular.”[3] Moreover, throughout chapter 7, we’ve been
considering the Feast of Tabernacles, and that is what we return to in chapter
eight. In 7:37–38, Jesus referenced the
water rite during the feast, and in 8:12, He refers to the next one — the
lighting of lamps. As we noted two weeks
ago, the Pharisees interrupted, and they said in v. 52 that “no prophet arises
out of Galilee.” Yet, Jesus’s
declaration to be the Light of the World in 8:12 references Isaiah 9:1–2, which
predicts a light which will shine in the Galilee of the Gentiles. As MacArthur notes here, “Interposing the
story of the woman taken in adultery obscures the Lord’s rebuttal of the
Pharisees’ false claim.”[4] Internally, then, it seems like this account
is the product of another man’s pen and shoehorned into the text.
All the evidence points to a certainty that this account
isn’t original to the John’s Gospel.
When the Greek New Testament committee examine such questions, they give
ratings to express their confidence that something should or should not be in
the text, and they give the exclusion of the account of the adulterous woman an
A rating. They also give all the
manuscripts they examined where the text is and is not present so we can look
for ourselves (they showed their homework).
Yet, I contend that the skeptics are wrong; such notes
should increase our confidence in the reliability of Scripture. We know that no king, or pope, or council
decided what should or should not be in the Bible on a whim. Why?
Because all of the evidence exists before us, and we can check for
ourselves.
So, is that the sermon on this text? Should we take a black highlighter to this
section of Scripture? No!
First, there is evidence that this could have been a true
story that some people kept alive outside of the Bible. Perhaps this is one of the instances John
mentioned in John 21:25 — “And there are also many other things which Jesus
did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself
would not contain the books that would be written.” As one study notes, this is “widely believed
to be a true story about Jesus that was preserved in the oral tradition and
eventually added by well-meaning scribes.”[5] If it was remembered in church tradition, it
is certainly possible that some copyists believed it should be in the Gospels
somewhere.
Second, we should note nothing in this passage contradicts
anything we know about Jesus or the rest of Scripture. In fact, the opening verses parallel Luke
21:37–38, “Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He
would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet. And all the people would get up early in the
morning to come to Him in the temple
to listen to Him.” (This may be why one
manuscript places this story after Luke 21:38.) Moreover, the interactions here are
believable with Scripture, and we do see a precious scene with our Lord Jesus
Christ.
So, I agree with pastors and theologians who have come
later. Even though this is an uninspired
story, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t truth to it. As such, it would benefit us to consider what
it teaches us. That will be where we
turn next.
III.
This Passage Teaches Us about Our Trusted
Savior.
We call this the story of the adulterous woman, but she is
not the main character in this drama.
It’s ultimately not about her, nor is it about the scribes and
Pharisees. Instead, this is a narrative
about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
To keep this outline simple, we’ll consider the facts that Jesus teaches
God’s ways, He deals with everyone’s sin, and He forgives and transforms
sinners.
A.
Jesus Teaches God’s Ways (7:53–8:2)
[Everyone went to
his home. But Jesus went to the Mount of
Olives. Early in the morning He came
again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down
and began to teach them.
So, the insertion of this story creates a new day which
doesn’t seem to have existed in John’s narrative. Still, this is a plausible retreat — the
Mount of Olives was just outside of Jerusalem and a place where Jesus and His
disciples often gathered. Moreover, as
everyone goes home except Jesus, we’re reminded of His words in Matthew 8:20 —
“The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” It’s an abrupt change in the text, but it
isn’t implausible.
The next day, the text has Jesus returning to the temple to
teach. Again, this parallels His
activity in the other Gospels, particularly, in His final week. He was often in the temple teaching, just as
we saw throughout John 7. And here, He
is sitting, rather than standing, assuming the standard position of the rabbis
as they taught.
We often think of Jesus as a miracle-worker, but He was
primarily a teacher. The signs that He
performed were just that — signs of the authenticity of His message. Back in John 5:36, He said that “the works
which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify
about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
The healing of the paralytic, the feeding of the five thousand, turning
water in wine — these were all indicators that He had a true message from God.
That means that the teaching, not the miracles, was the main
thrust of His ministry. He was here to
reveal the Father to us. This is why
it’s so important to know what belongs in Scripture! We would do well to listen to Christ’s Words
if we want to know God.
In teaching us God’s ways, He has to say more than the world
would have Him say. That brings us to
the next point.
B.
Jesus Deals with Everyone’s Sin (vv. 3–7)
The scribes and
the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the
center of the court, 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; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that
they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His
finger wrote on the ground. But when
they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is
without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Here, we see the religious leaders setting a two-fold trap:
one for the woman, and another for Jesus.
Let’s consider the woman first.
The language here seems to indicate that they are themselves witnesses
to an act of adultery, so they arrest the woman and bring her before Jesus.
We should know, at least, that God’s seventh commandment is,
“Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exod. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). The commandments are summations of God’s
commandment. So, this addresses sexual
purity, which is why entire chapters like Leviticus 18 are devoted to
abstaining from all manner of sexual sin, including liaisons between unmarried
people, adults and children, people and animals, and same-sex
relationships. Positively, this is a
command for a men and women to get married and express their sexual lives
there, where they practice a commitment one to the other.
So serious was God when He gave the Law that He prescribed
civil punishments for lawbreakers. In
the case of adultery, both the man and the woman were to be brought out before
the congregation of the people. There
had to be at least two eyewitnesses to the act (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). They would then take them outside the camp,
and the Lord commanded capital punishment for both parties in such cases (Lev.
20:10 and Deut. 22:22). The message was that
God’s people should see marriage as holy and inviolable.
Now, the Pharisees bring this woman before Jesus to get His
opinion on the matter, but that is a red flag.
Why do they only have the woman?
Where was the man? Such a glaring
omission has caused many minds in Christian history to wonder. Perhaps one of the accusers here had tempted
this woman, something akin to entrapment.
Maybe the male offender was known to the Jewish leaders, perhaps one of
their number, and so they “neglected” to bring him forward to avoid
embarrassment. We just don’t know.
What we do know is that they bring her to Jesus for one
purpose: to test Him. One of the
evidences that this could be a true story is that we see the Pharisees and the
Sadducees setting up religious tests for Jesus like this elsewhere (cf. Matt
22:15–23). Roman law did not condemn
adulterers to death like the Torah does,[6] and the Jewish leaders knew
this (John 18:31). As such, if Jesus
affirmed the Torah, they could accuse Jesus of sedition and murder under Roman
law; if He denied the Torah, He would prove Himself to be a false prophet and lose
the respect of the people. The conundrum
they put before Jesus is believable in that they have demonstrated such tests
before.
What we read in v. 6 is that Jesus responds with silence. He simply stoops down, not looking at any of
them, and writes or draws in the dust underfoot. Some have speculated on what He writes or
draws, but the text doesn’t say. What’s
more interesting is that He refuses to answer them at first, or even continue
looking at them!
Some have suggested that there may be some shame on the part
of our Lord here. He wouldn’t condone
adultery (He calls it a sin in v. 11), so He isn’t looking at the woman. He also sees how the religious leaders are
full of pride and using this poor woman for their gain.
It’s interesting how some religious people do this. Matthew Henry notes here, “It is common for
those that are indulgent to their own sin to be severe against the sins of
others.”[7] There are Christians today who see (or
perceive) some impropriety in others, some sin or shortcoming, but they don’t
handle God’s way and talk to the person about it. Instead, they gossip and slander. That is just as much a sin, but some
Christians think it is okay. When you
engage in gossip, you are harming the reputation of others, which may also
damage that person’s ability to gain or retain employment and feed
himself. You might not think you stand
with the Pharisees, ready to physically stone an adulterer, but you are ready
to murder a brother or sister in your heart and reputation. Confess such sin and self-righteousness and
repent.
The Lord would call us all to self-examination. He will not countenance anyone’s sin — He
turns away from it. And if that message
isn’t clear to the Pharisees, who “persisted in asking Him” (v. 7), He
responds, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” He can see their hypocrisy and pride as
clearly as He can see her adultery. And
He sees all our sin, as well.
He doesn’t point out our sin, though, for the mere purpose
of condemnation. If that were the case,
we might say that He is no better than them.
Instead, He calls out sin so we can be changed, which is the final
point.
C.
Jesus
Forgives and Transforms Sinners (vv. 8–11)
Again He stooped
down and wrote on the ground. When they
heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and
He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman,
where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I
do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”]
He leaves them with His words as He stoops over again to
write. Some think that He is writing
something for them, but that’s not stated here.
What is said is that they heard what He said, and then they slowly began
to retreat from their own challenge to Him.
One by one, beginning with the oldest (and perhaps somewhat more
introspective), they realize that they cannot condemn the woman without
condemning themselves.
So, all the accusers leave the woman with Jesus. He looks upon her now, setting His gaze not
just on a sinner, but on the one He intends to save. He then speaks to her — “Woman” — which we’ve
noted in the past is just a old way of saying “ma’am.” He calls her to see that that there are no
accusers, for as Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.”
They don’t condemn, so neither does He. He did not come to condemn the world, but to
save it (John 3:17). Jesus has the right
to forgive sins and to condemn them (Mark 2:5).
What a blessed word to hear from Jesus, that He does not condemn you!
This is justification, where the record against us before
God is expunged. He then calls us to
walk as those who have received such a forgiveness, in newness of life. In Christ, we can give up sinful patterns,
whether it be sexual sin like this woman experienced, or self-righteousness
like that of the scribes and Pharisees.
He can sanctify or transform our lives through the Holy Spirit just as
much as He can save our souls from the wrath to come.
IV.
Conclusion
I hope you see today that you can trust Scripture. I hope you see that not simply because it’s
the book we use, but because it’s a book about our Savior. If you can’t trust that Scripture accurately
represents the word of God, you might fall short of trusting in the Savior for
the forgiveness of our sins.
You might say, “Yes, but this account has been added.” That’s true, and we know that, which should
bring you comfort. We know what changes
have occurred, and we openly publish that information in your Bibles so no one
can claim to be hoodwinked. The reality
of this story, though, truly represents the message of Scripture — Jesus will
forgive and transform all kinds of sinners.
Do you believe that can be true for yourself? Call upon the Lord of Scripture today and be
saved!
If you are a Christian, I hope that you will walk away with
more than just a trust of the Bible or knowledge as to whether this account
belongs in it. I hope you will consider
the fact that our Lord doesn’t tolerate sin, even sins smaller than sexual
sins. He does not want us standing in
self-righteousness, ready to accuse others with gossip, slander, or anything
like that. He calls us all to repent. Thankfully, He still forgives all our sins,
so let us rest in that and walk in His newness of life.
[1] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel According to John, (Bellingham, WA: Logos
Bible Software, 2010), 1:319.
[2] Rick Brannan and Israel Loken, The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible, Lexham Bible Reference
Series, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), Jn 7:53.
[3] D. A. Carson, The
Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Leicester,
England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 333.
[4] John F. MacArthur Jr., John 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody
Press, 2006), 322.
[5] Ted Cabal, Chad Owen Brand, E. Ray Clendenen, Paul
Copan, J. P. Moreland, and Doug Powell, The
Apologetics Study Bible: Real Questions, Straight Answers, Stronger Faith, (Nashville,
TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1587.
[6] John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael
S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R.
Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study
Bible, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Jn 7:53–8:11.
[7] Matthew Henry, Matthew
Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume,
(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1964.