Jesus Delivers the Adulterous Woman

John 8
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came
again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down,
and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a
woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They say
unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now
Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what
sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse
him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as
though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up
himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first
cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out
one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 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? 11 She said, No man,
Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no
more.

* * *

We see here two different approaches to the problem of the deadly sin
of adultery. Pharisees brought the woman caught in the act before
Jesus - in fact to test him. Pharisees knew they had no permission to
execute anyone (John 18:31), but they saw no problem if they did
it by a proxy and if Jesus would do the dirty work for them.
But this was very far from what Jesus intended with this woman.

Indeed, in the Old Testament an adulteress and a cheating wife is
a source of disgrace for her husband and peril for those who get
involved with her: "Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell."
(Proverbs 5:5).

The narrator of the Proverbs continues:

Proverbs 5
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey
and her speech is smoother than oil,
4 in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to Sheol. [Hades, Hell]
6 She does not consider the path of life;
she does not know that her ways are unstable.

Indeed, a woman can turn a man into her slave with
bonds that are not cut even in death, they are said to
"not return" from such kind.

Moreover, in Proverbs 2 he says:

16 To deliver thee from the strange woman,
even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth,
and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19 None that go unto her return again,
neither take they hold of the paths of life.

Why then Jesus refused to stone that woman?

One might argue that she the death penalty might force her to repent
for her act and return to God. This is not what always happens. Even in
the presence of Jesus, out of two crucified criminals, one was saved
and went to Paradise, the other one was hardened in his crime and sin,
mocking even Jesus on the cross, not recognising his Saviour and Messiah.

So, it is arguable that the death penalty would cause the woman to
return to God Creator. In fact, Pharisees might have thought that she
deserves also Hell, not only the capital punishment. Anyway, they only
did the Law of Moses. Or the part that suited them well. For Jesus said
they abolished the Commandment "Honour thy father and mother!" if
that could be converted into a financial gift to the Temple and the priests.
Meaning the Pharisees.

Now this woman was brought to peril only because she was an insignificant
adulteress, and Jesus knew that, for a powerful adulteress was their queen
and she caused his cousin John the Baptist to be beheaded. Naturally,
the Pharisees did not want to join John, so they made no objection on
the high ranking sin. But they scapegoated on insignificant adulteress.
Jesus saw in her the potential for good and reconciliation with God,
if she was forgiven now. But if she wasn't lost the the society first, she
might not appreciate that.

From the anecdotal sources we hear that this adulteress never committed
adultery again, which Jesus probably had foreseen as many things, for
he was also a prophet.

In fact, to this day, the law, whether religious like Law of Moses or the
Islamic Shariah law, or the civil law - acts as a deterrent for some not to
transgress, but has very limited potential for the restoration of the
offenders. We know from every day examples that but a few convicts
return from jail with resolve not to trespass again and endure all
of the temptations. Most notable being the temptation of returning
to the old environment that caused them to transgress in the first place.

This is why Pharisees could only stone the adulterous woman, while
Jesus could have mercy on her with the security that she will not sin again.

The other scene is the event when Jesus was at a dinner with a Pharisee.
Pharisee's sexual purity was the result of the discipline, fear of men and
repression of the Law. The sinning woman was an offence and a temptation
for him. By the Law, he would become unclean if he touched her.

Jesus acted in the grace of God: when the woman touched Jesus's feet,
the holiness from Jesus passed on her too, without Jesus having any
less or being anything less holy. Just as when he touched a leper or
the woman with the "flow of blood" (both were ritually unclean and
separated by the Law).

With the grace of God, Jesus was secure both that healed lepers were no
longer contagious, but also that the sinners he had forgiven like this
adulteress will never be caught in the act again, or will sin no more.

How could he do that? It is the gift of God that he as being conceived
without the original sin could have and behold normal, walking humbly,
as a servant, while we might think we were gods, because we have the old
nature.

Just like in the recent events the solution for sin, crime and terrorism
(perceived as such from one side) should best be dealt with by radical
execution, extermination, and summary executions without a trial,
deprivation of human rights, status of war prisoner and using torture
to extract information and confession.

While Jesus would see sinners in the need of the grace of God who can
be reconciled sand rehabilitated to the society, possibly by making amends.

But it is only possible by the will and the grace of God.

Indeed, just like with the convicted criminal on the cross, Messiah can
make atonement for the terrorists. For we know that he had a disciple
Simon the Zealot and Zealots were a Jewish sect known for radical
methods and assassinations of the figures of Rome, and yes, today we
would call that terrorism.

Jesus did not dismiss any such group - and they were really converting
and becoming like lambs who sinned no more and sung hymns before
the lions in arenas of Rome. He converted equally murderers of Romans
and later a Roman centurion Cornelius through the ministry of apostle
Peter.

The only group that remained apparently unaffected were the Pharisees
and the Saducees (who claimed that there is no spirit, angel, nor
resurrection of the dead).

Indeed, Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah:

Isaiah 53:12
He hath poured out his soul unto death:
and he was numbered with the transgressors;
and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Indeed, if this makes you feel like you have sinned and you
need to reconcile with God Creator, God the Father, you need
to deny Satan the Devil, confess your sins and accept Jesus as Saviour in
a simple prayer:

Dear Father in Heavens,
Forgive me, for I have sinned, done wrong, made mistakes, missed
my purpose in life.
Now I deny the Devil who had deceived me, I renounce him
and ask you in a prayer to become my Lord and Saviour.
In Jesus holy name
Amen

in the LORD God Creator of the Universe
Amen