THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY

Fred Rhodes

 “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:10-11).

       The gems within the Holy Scriptures are wonderful to behold. God gives us many glimpses into His character and will. These are glimpses that provide insight into our duty as Christians. As you read and study His Word, always search for those gems.

       One of those glimpses can be found in John 8 where we read about a woman taken in adultery. In the text, the religious leaders of that day were trying to catch Jesus in the trap of sin. They had caught a woman committing adultery, in the very act. There was no doubt whatsoever as to her guilt. Under the old law, she was guilty of death by stoning. But, what was Jesus to do? He handled it perfectly as he did in every situation that came along. He knew the religious leaders were guilty of many sins and possibly even the sin of adultery. Incidentally, where was the man that she was committing adultery with?

       The religious leaders of the day only brought the woman, when the witnesses to this sin ought to have brought both the man and the woman.  “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). They were caught. Yes, and they were guilty of sin for only bringing the woman.

       Notice the seriousness of this sin, adultery. It is a terrible sin and it is easy for people to categorize sin as to its seriousness. We may think that talking evil of someone is not bad as adultery or fornication; or thinking that harboring a grudge is acceptable when fornication is not. Actually, neither is acceptable, and both, if continued, will keep us out of heaven.

       Notice what Jesus said to the woman in verse 11, “neither do I condemn you.” Keep in mind, this woman was taken in the very act of adultery. Can you imagine the pain that she had caused others, or the shame that she had brought on herself? What about the hurt that God felt when she committed this terrible sin? But, Jesus said, “neither do I condemn thee.”

       Let's stop and think. As we reach out to win lost souls to Christ, who are we trying to reach? Follow me back to the Jule Miller filmstrip series. It was an excellent tool to use in reaching the lost, but is there something present that resembles the way we are trying to win souls today? The young couple that is studying their Bibles is an upper-middle-class couple with nice looking, well dressed, and obedient children. What a pleasant picture. I do not want to take anything away from that series because it was good. But, when we compare the woman caught in adultery to the presentation of family in the filmstrip, there is the challenge.

       Today, we who have obeyed the Gospel have been blessed by following the guidelines found within the pages of the Bible. We have worked and struggled on getting sin out of our lives as we strive to live for the Lord. Our life has been changed. Sometimes, as we are blessed, we get farther away from sin and are less tolerant of people that have lives bound up in sin. We are offended by the filthiness of sin and can easily be incensed by those committing sins. Instead of seeing that woman taken in adultery as a soul that needs to hear the Gospel and be changed, we can make the judgment that she is not a prospect. Are we to judge whether or not a soul is worthy of the Gospel (1Corinthians 5:12-13)?

       Remember Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”  He saw her as a precious soul who was worth saving. Did not Jesus come to seek and to save the lost? Brethren, the lost have ugly lives: lives that are suffering from the depravity of sin; lives that cannot see any other way but a life of sin and at times not see their lives as wrong, because they have not been taught any different. These are lives that will take effort and work on our part, to be understanding, kind and loving to help them grow.

       Sadly, those upper-middle-class people with pleasant families are typically not very receptive to the Gospel. Some will be receptive, but very few. Go to the lost that have ugly lives. Look at them like the shoe salesman that went to a distant land and saw an open field because none had shoes, in contrast to the one who saw a useless field because none had shoes.

       We live in a world that is lost in sin. As Christians, we must make wise use of our time and efforts and be wiser than the son of darkness (Luke 16:8). Go where people need the Gospel the most, and help them to see that they need the gospel. The message is the power of God to salvation (Romans 1:16). Teach it.

             Like the Pharisees, we have the power of death and life. In our case it is the power to teach them about spiritual life and death. We share, and people will have the opportunity to escape death. Are you being like Jesus?