Lesson Citation #3: John 8: 1-11: The Woman Taken in Adultery
The Pharisees and scribes tempted Jesus by asking him if the woman should be stoned. This question was posed in order to trap him by having him say something contrary to the Law. If he refused to condemn her, he could be charged with contradicting the Law, which would put him in the position of being condemned also. If he pronounced judgment on her, he would appear to usurp the Roman’s right to execute her – i.e. he could be accused of claiming power which belonged to the Romans. This was a “no win” situation for Jesus. However, with divine guidance, Jesus basically ignores them and writes something on the ground. There is an article in the CS Sentinel (9/22/1908) by Samuel Greenwood, entitled “The Writing in the Sand.” In this, the author refers to an old manuscript about John 8:9 that was found by Prof. Caspar Rene Gregory, of Leipzig (a great New Testament textual critic, apparently – see “The Handwriting in the Sand,” 7/17/1900 CS Sentinel), which suggests that what Jesus wrote on the ground were the past sins of the woman’s accusers, that he was cognizant of, just as he was able to discern the five past husbands of the woman at the well in Samaria. According to the old manuscript, as the accusers looked down at what Jesus wrote, one-by-one they left the scene as their past sins were exposed in the sand.
The Greenwood article makes several instructive comments:
• Too many of us are prone to find fault with all whose manner of life and conduct does not conform to our ideals, and to harshly condemn those who have yielded to temptations
• While the Christ-law condemns sin, and does not exempt the sinner from the punishment that may be necessary to bring him to repentance, it calls for compassion rather than condemnation
• St. Paul says, ‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted’ (Gal 6:1)
• The Christian’s work is to ‘restore’ the sinner, bring back the prodigal, unloose the prisoners of material sense, and not to bind their bonds closer about them by pharisaical denunciation or repudiation
• [Mrs. Eddy’s] patience with and love for her enemies, should make our own lips mute when tempted to exploit another’s errors and hide our own.
• Sin is not overcome by condemning the victim, but by tenderly showing him its illusive nature, and lifting his thought to perceive the allness of God; this redeems the sinner and destroys the sin
• The charity that ‘thinketh no evil, and is kind’ must become spontaneous in Christians ere they can be wholly Christlike
• We must love as Jesus loved if we would live as he lived. We also must become ‘the friend of sinners’ if we would heal them of their delusions
• The tendency to dwell constantly upon others’ faults or failings, even in the privacy of our own thoughts, springs from our own mental defilement, since all that we accept of sin in another comes from our own concept thereof
• We must not exclude others from the possible attainment of perfect spiritual sonship
• If we are spiritually stronger than our brother we shall be compassionate of his weakness and help him as we have opportunity. This was Jesus’ way.
• We must grow to reflect that selfless, Christlike love whose work is not to accuse, but to make whole, – to heal and to save.