Ep. 37: John 7:53 - 8:1-11 The Women Caught in Adultery

Jeff and his daughter Kelsey explore the story of the woman caught in adultery — why it isn’t in the earliest manuscripts of John, why the early church preserved it, and how Jesus’ response reveals the perfect balance of grace and truth. Together they walk through the text, the trap set by the religious leaders, and the transforming mercy Jesus offers: “Neither do I condemn you… go and sin no more.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Welcome to Engage the Scripture Podcast. So we dive deep into the Bible to its original historical context. Explore in the culture. Languages. And the events that's writing. We are excited to be with you today as we engage the scripture together. To learn more, visit our website at engagedscripture.com.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Welcome back to Engage the Scripture. Today we're starting a new chapter in the Gospel of John, and right off the bat, we're diving into the well-known story of the woman caught in adultery. Most of us have read this passage many times, but you've probably noticed a note in your Bible that says something like, The earliest manuscripts do not include John 7, verse 53 through John chapter 8, 1 through 11. And that note is not there to shake your confidence. It's there because the translators are being honest about the manuscript evidence. Today we're going to explore why this story wasn't in the earliest copies of John, how it later found its way into the text, and why the early church treasured it enough to preserve it. Then we'll walk through the story itself. Scholars call this passage the Pericope Adultra, and that's just a fancy way of saying this section is about the adulteress. And just to let our regular listeners know, Brent's still very much part of the show. He's just off for this week. And today, my daughter Kelsey is joining me for this episode. She's been here before, and it's always special when she's able to sit in with me. I'm excited to have her back.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Glad to be with you all today. I've been listening right along with you, following the series, enjoying the conversations, and honestly learning a lot myself. And for those who don't know, I actually did two years of Bible college, so it's fun to jump back into this kind of study with my dad. So, Dad, this story about the woman caught in adultery, it really wasn't in the earliest manuscripts.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Um, no, the earliest and best Greek manuscripts, P66, P-75, Codex Sineticus, and Codex Vaticanus, do not include it. That's why most modern Bibles either bracket the story or add a footnote. By the fourth and fifth centuries, though, the passage started showing up in manuscripts, sometimes in John, sometimes in Luke, and sometimes at the very end of John. Augustine even suggested that some scribes may have left it out on purpose because they were afraid it could be misused to excuse adultery.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

Okay, that makes sense. So the earliest manuscripts didn't have it, and later scribes weren't even sure where it belonged. We need to talk about what convinced the church to keep preserving it. What made them confident it was still worth passing down.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Because they didn't want to lose it. This was a well-known oral tradition in the early church, and it was deeply loved. That's why it floats around in different places. You'll find it inserted after John 736 or 744 in some copies. Dr. Harris and others have noted that the passage has a style more similar to Luke's gospel. In fact, Codex BZ, a 5th century manuscript, places it after Luke 21 and 38, and the Family 13 manuscripts do the same. Eli Lazorkin Eisenberg points out that the early church simply wanted to preserve this powerful memory of Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

Right, and as you and I have been taught by professors, finding the story in different locations doesn't make it unreliable.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Not at all. The varying placements show that the scribes knew this story was authentic to Jesus. They just weren't sure where it originally fit. What matters is that the church recognized it as a genuine reflection of his character, exposing hypocrisy, rebuking sin, and extending grace.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Right. And like I've heard you and Brent explain before, that's exactly what textual criticism is doing. Comparing manuscripts carefully so we stay faithful to the story's flow and the setting the author intended.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

That's right. Scholars compare the manuscripts side by side to see how the pieces fit together.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

So then the question becomes, how does all of that connect with what we mean when we talk about biblical inspiration?

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Here's the simple way to think about it. Biblical inspiration doesn't require every story to have been written in its final place by the original author. We've spoken about this many times. God worked through real people and real communities to preserve his word. Even if John didn't originally write this passage, the early church preserved it because it so clearly captured the heart of Jesus. That's why the story feels right at home here. It shows the same Jesus we see throughout John, full of grace and truth, exposing hypocrisy while offering forgiveness to sinners.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

That really does help. It shows that God was working through real people and real history, and the church could still recognize what truly reflected Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Exactly. The story belongs because it sounds just like Jesus. But because this story wasn't in the earliest manuscripts of John, we can't be certain it belongs exactly at this point. That's why most Bibles add that footnote or put it in brackets. Just remember this. Textual criticism reminds us to stay true to the character, the narrative, and the setting of the book we are reading. Without the story, John moves straight from the Feast of Tabernacles into Jesus declaring, I am the light of the world in John 8 12. With this in the story, we get this powerful example of grace. So either way, the message of John remains intact.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Okay, that helps set the stage. So with all that in mind, why don't we go ahead and read the passage? We need to start with the last verse of chapter seven, verse 53. It says they went each to his own house. Then moving to chapter 8, verse 1 through 2. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and taught them.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

All right, let's look at these first few verses. Chapter 7, verse 53 says they went each to his own house. That little line closes out the Feast of Tabernacles. The crowds head home for the night, but Jesus doesn't. He goes up to the Mount of Olives. Verse 8 and 1. That ridge east of Jerusalem was a special place for him. It was where he often went to pray and spend the night. It's the same mountain tied to Messianic hopes in Zechariah 14 and 4, and later would be the place where he was betrayed. And verse 8 and 1, where Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, this shows us his rhythm. He pulls away to pray, then comes back to serve. Luke's gospel tells us that Jesus regularly spent nights there. Then verse 2 says Jesus came early in the morning to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and taught them. Early in the morning, rabbis would gather in the temple courts to teach. Notice it says Jesus sits down. He's taking the official posture of a rabbi with authority. Even after all the division and arguments in chapter 7, people still flocked to hear him. Interestingly though, some of the wording of these verses sound more like Luke than John, which is another reason why scholars believe this story may have originally circulated in Luke's tradition before landing here in John. Anyway, here's the big picture. This scene sets the stage. Jesus, the true light, is teaching early morning in the temple. The scribes and Pharisees are about to interrupt with a trap. But the contrast is already there, light breaking through darkness, truth confronting hypocrisy, grace meeting sin. It all prepares us for what Jesus will declare just a few verses later, I am the light of the world.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

That really sets the scene well. So picking up the story, verse three, it says, The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and placing her in the midst. They said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? They said this to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. And Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Here comes the scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were legal experts, lawyers, theologians, all rolled into one, but they were not just legal experts. They interpreted how the law applied to moral behavior. Many were Pharisees by conviction.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

I noticed they called him teacher, and that wasn't just a courtesy here, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:35

The word used here in everyday Jewish usage or its equivalent would be rabbi, but used here it's a false respect. They're not seeking justice, they're setting a trap. Then they apparently bring in a woman who they say was caught in the act. But where was the man? According to the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 22, 22 through 24, and Leviticus 20, verse 10, both guilty parties were to be punished. So where is the man? Nothing about this scene feels right. The fact that the man is nowhere to be found exposes the unfairness of the whole situation.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah, it's pretty clear this wasn't about justice. Everything about the way they handled it shows they were really trying to trap him.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Then they quote Moses. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women, so they think they got him. If Jesus rejects the law, he can be dismissed as lawless. If Jesus upholds the law, he risks contradicting his reputation for mercy, and he would also be breaking Roman law, because only the Romans have the right to carry out executions. Either way, they think they've cornered him. Now, historically, Dr. Carson notes that while the law prescribed death, there is little evidence that it was carried out very often in the first century Palestine, especially in urban areas. Rabbinic tradition made the condition so strict it was more theoretical than practical. Josephus mentions stoning as a prescribed penalty, but there are very few records of it actually being carried out in first century Palestine.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Then verse 6, this they said to him that they might have some charge to bring against him.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

The brilliance of the trap is that any answer could be weaponized. Either he was soft on sin, rejecting Moses, or dangerous to Rome, authorizing execution. The woman, she was just simply bait to force him into a no-win situation.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Okay. But I have to ask, because I know a lot of our listeners are wondering the same thing. When it says Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger, what was he writing? I remember this being a big debate in class.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Some think he wrote out a verse from the law, maybe something from Deuteronomy or Leviticus, reminding them that both the man and the woman were supposed to be brought forward. Others suggest he was writing down the sins of the accusers, exposing their sin right there in the dirt. Then a few even say he may have been writing their names. And then again some believe he was simply drawing in the dust to slow the momentum down and refuse to play their games. But here's the thing the gospel never tells us what he wrote, and maybe that's the point. The silence itself forces them to confront their own hearts.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Or like the old saying, give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

You got it, yes, Jesus doesn't answer right away. He just bends down and starts writing with his finger in the dust. And that silence is powerful. It gives them time to think, and in the end, it helps expose their double standards. Whether he wrote scripture, sins, names, or was just doodling in the dirt, the act itself shifts the whole momentum. It sets the stage for one of the most famous lines in the Bible Let the one without sin among you be the first to throw a stone.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Verse seven through nine. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Now look at Jesus' answer in verse seven. Let the one who is without sin among you cast the first stone at her. The law was clear. Both the man and the woman caught in adultery were supposed to be put to death. But Jesus doesn't answer their question directly. Instead, he reframes the whole situation. In the Torah, the witness had to throw the first stone. Deuteronomy 17 and 7. That was supposed to be the guarantee they were not lying. Jesus takes it further. He says the witness must be completely innocent of this same sin. He cuts straight to their hearts. This is powerful. Scholars have pointed out how Jesus is doing something beautiful here. Dr. Carson says he reframes the issue. Others see it as an ethical radicalization of the Torah, similar to the Sermon on the Mount. He's not weakening the law. He's intensifying it with mercy and truth. Notice that Jesus bends down again and doesn't answer them right away. Ron Johnson makes a good point on this. He says the silence is on purpose. It gives the men time to keep pushing, and as they push, they end up exposing themselves. By saying, Let the one without sin throw the first stone, Jesus adds a new condition. He basically puts the whole execution on hold. He's not weakening the law. He's making it deeper. He takes it straight to their conscience. With his silence, the writing in the dust, and the one powerful line, Jesus completely turns the tables on them.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

This is almost like the echo of the guards that you guys spoke about in chapter seven. Never has anyone spoken like this man.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Great point. His silence, his writing, and then that one line carry a weight no rabbi or magistrate ever had. It's the voice of God's mercy and truth colliding in one moment.

SPEAKER_00 15:41

They came to shame him, but they're the ones who end up walking away in shame.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Exactly. One by one, beginning with the older ones, they start slipping away. The men who came to trap Jesus and shame this woman end up convicted by their own conscience. Picture this in your mind. The circle around her gets smaller and smaller until she's standing there alone with Jesus. His silence, his writing in the dust, and that one powerful line turned the tables completely.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Okay. Then we have verses ten through eleven. Jesus stood up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, sir, and Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, sin no more.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Now Jesus speaks directly to the woman. He calls her woman, the same respectful word he used for his own mother. Notice he doesn't ask if she's guilty. He simply asks, has no one condemned you? When she replies No one, sir, this takes us back to John three seventeen. God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it. And here we see Jesus living that out. Imagine this beautiful moment. Jesus turns and speaks directly to the woman. The very same voice that just cut through the hearts of her accusers, the voice that exposed their hypocrisy and caused them to walk away in shame, it now turns to this trembling woman with incredible tenderness and says, Neither do I condemn you. Those words still ring in our ears today. Just like those guards the day before, when they said never a man spoke like this man. The words that brought judgment to the proud now bring mercy to the broken. The same voice that convicted them now comforts her.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

That's beautiful. The same voice that convicted them now comforts her.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Yes, but the story doesn't end there. He doesn't just show mercy. He also says to her, Go and from now on sin no more. That's the same pattern we saw with the healed man in John 5. Mercy always comes with a call to change. But it's more than just a command to behave differently.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

Yeah, it's an invitation into new life.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Yes, Jesus came to bring new creation life, the life of the kingdom breaking into the world. When he says go and sin no more, he's not laying a heavy burden on her shoulders. He's opening the door to freedom. He's saying step out of your old story and into mine, leave behind shame and destruction, and walk in the new life I'm giving you.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Forgiveness clears the past, but new creation opens the future.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Wow, yes, that's right. And that's why Paul later says, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. That's 2 Corinthians 5 17. So the men who came to shame her walked away ashamed, but she walks away with hope, restored dignity, and a new path ahead. So Jesus doesn't just forgive, he transforms. Mercy for the past, holiness for the future, and the power of new life in him.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

That's the gospel in miniature. Mercy for the past, holiness for the future, and the power of new life in Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Yes, grace and truth held perfectly together. In closing, I want to take a minute to talk to those that may be listening right now. No matter who first wrote this story or where it originally belonged, it clearly reflects the heart of God, and by God's inspiration, it has found its place in Scripture. Now, I don't think you're listening today by accident. God knew that you would be listening to this story today. Think about what you just heard. In this encounter, we see something beautiful. Jesus refuses to condone sin, but he also refuses to crush the sinner. He offers real mercy, and he calls us toward real change. And if we're honest, that's exactly what every one of us needs. Think about that woman. She was caught in shame, abandoned, and used as a trap. The men who dragged her there wanted to expose her, but Jesus ended up exposing them. Then came those gentle but powerful words neither do I condemn you. And right after that, go and sin no more. Mercy for her past, a new direction for her future. So here's the question I want to leave with you guys today. Where are you in this story? Maybe you feel exposed and ashamed, like the woman standing there alone. Or maybe you've been more like the religious leaders, quick to point fingers at others while protecting yourself. Wherever you find yourself, listen closely. Jesus is speaking those same words today. Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. That's the beautiful tension of the gospel. Unearned mercy paired with a loving call to walk differently. And the good news is this God's power is strong enough to truly transform. He has the power to forgive and to give you a brand new start. And here's the last thing I want to leave with you today. You will never know just how far God can take you until you yield your life to Him. So I encourage you to walk with Him. Mercy is already yours, and a transformed life is waiting.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Dad, that Was such a needed word today. And I just want to say, if this moment has stirred something inside of you, please don't rush past it. John's gospel is full of these encounters where Jesus meets people right where they are and leads them into something new. There is so much more ahead in this book that can heal you, comfort you, and draw you closer if you'll just slow down and soak it in. Thank you all for letting me be a part of this episode. I'll be listening right along with you in the weeks ahead, and I can't wait to be back.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Shalom friends.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

You've been listening to Engage the Scripture Podcast, where context reveals the meaning. The Spirit reveals truth, and together they illuminate God's Word. If you have questions or want to dive deeper into today's topic, visit engagethescripture.com. Click on the link, podcast notes. This podcast is for educational and devotional purposes only. The views expressed are those of the host and guest and do not constitute professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to study scripture and seek guidance from trusted spiritual leaders. Used under a royalty free license.