The woman caught in the act

To appreciate the John Gospel, a reader must set aside the idea that the book was written by an eyewitness who was describing events that really happened. The long verbatim speeches presented by the author and put in the mouth of Jesus were never spoken by Jesus. The John gospel nevertheless speaks great truths and rightly instructs Christian behavior. A great example is the story of the woman taken in the act of adultery. It is a great story and has made its mark on Christian behavior.

The story itself has some difficult history. Similar stories can be found in antiquity but the story cannot be found in the text of the John gospel until the fourth century some three hundred years after the incident supposedly took place. The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery makes for great theatre; however, it is almost impossible to make it into history with a full cast in believable time and place.

How did the story become a part of holy writ? Speculation abounds but I have not found a credible answer. I have reached a tentative conclusion. The story is so good that it cannot be denied its place in human moral discussions. All the literary and historical criticism of the story does not take away the issue of the story. The issue is NOT adultery. The issue is much broader than adultery. Human beings are obsessed with finger pointing and placing blame on others. This act of accusing is usually done without the accuser admitting his own shortcomings. Accusers typically use accusation as a way of covering their own sins and promoting their own righteousness. The key words of the story confront us all. “Let the person without fault cast the first stone.”

Most all of us are theologians/moralists of a sort. We all think (or should think) about moral issues and ponder the best way of living the lives we have been given. In my case I am a devout follower of Jesus from Nazareth. Jesus is the context of my thinking and pondering, I identify myself as a Christian. I claim life eternal in my Lord Jesus. The meaning of “eternal” I gladly leave in the hands of Jesus’ God. My every day task is the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth. Jesus prayed for this to happen and I am obligated to work toward that end.

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery is excellent commentary on our task of creating the kingdom of God on earth. The story as told in chapter 8 of the John gospel has scribes and Pharisees bringing a woman before Jesus. Their words were to the point. “We caught this woman in the act of adultery, and Moses says she should be stoned to death.” After a pause, Jesus replied “Let the person without fault cast the first stone.” The woman’s accusers disappeared, leaving the woman alone with Jesus. “Where did your accusers go?” asked Jesus. Jesus continued “I have no condemnation for you.” She went her way, a woman free of accusers.

The lesson of the story is simple. The kingdom of God on earth cannot be built with accusations, blaming, condemnation, rejection or finger pointing of any kind. This is a very difficult lesson to learn. I am an Evangelical believer. I love John 3:16. God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have life eternal. We Evangelicals should embrace the words of John 3:17 as vigorously as 3:16. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery puts that statement into real life circumstances. Throwing stones and condemning has never resulted in a positive outcome.

The temptation to become a part of the chorus of accusers and blamers is very real. Every day I read about the horrors of the civil war in Syria. I have two reactions. I am angry with those who choose war. My heart is moved with the plight of the millions of refugees that are being created. How is the kingdom of God to be built in such a circumstance, in such a world? The kingdom of God will not be built by joining either side of the senseless war. The kingdom of God can be built with open doors, not words of condemnation.

If we as a nation set aside our stone throwing ways, we have the capacity to welcome every refugee that is being created in Syria. The first step toward such an outcome is for followers of Jesus to get rid of their piles of stones.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.