THEY SAW A WH**E BUT JESUS SAW A WOMAN

 Sir,

“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more,” John 8:11. The aforementioned text is found in the narrative of the woman caught in adultery. The scribes and the Pharisees had brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. And according to the law of Moses, they claimed ‘she was supposed to be stoned.’

There were serious loopholes in their accusations. Firstly, stoning was only directed in the Bible in a case where one of those accused was engaged (Deut 22:23-24). The only person who could press charges was the spouse of the adulterer and since it’s not the spouse who came to Jesus but the Pharisees, the case had no basis.

Apparently she and her partner were discovered in the act (vs 4) and the law that required the execution of the woman also required the execution of the man who was her partner in sin. However, in this story it’s only the woman who was charged; the man she committed adultery with is not even mentioned. Furthermore, during this period, only the Roman government had the legal authority to exercise capital punishment not anybody else.

The Bible makes it clear that; “They said this testing Jesus, so that they might have something to accuse him of,” vs. 6. Their motive was to entrap Jesus and they saw the woman as a tool that they could use to entrap Him.
If Jesus had said ‘stone her’ they would have dragged her outside the city, stoned her, then ran to the Romans to accuse Jesus of assuming authority reserved only for the Romans.

But if Jesus had said let her go, He would have been at fault for not upholding the law of Moses. In this case Jesus would have been stoned for being ‘anti-Moses’. It seemed like a perfect scheme; there was no way out.

After listening to their accusations, Jesus knelt down and began writing in the dust. He then rose to his feet and calmly said; “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone.” They all acknowledged their guilt and one by one, from eldest to youngest every accuser left. At last only Jesus and the woman remained.

“Woman,” Jesus started the conversation using a term of respect; “Where are those who accuse you? Has no one condemned you?” The woman replied; “No one Lord.” While all the other people called her a wh**e, Jesus called her ‘woman’.

He addressed her with the same title of respect that He gave to his own mother, who spoke with angels and gave birth to the Son of God. Jesus gave her back the sense of dignity and made her feel special. “Neither do I condemn thee,” Jesus tenderly responded. But then He added; “Go and sin no more.”

The woman had sinned! Jesus did not hide the fact. But His purpose was not to condemn her for sinning but to urge her to give up sinning. Dear reader; “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit,” Romans 8:1. When we fall helplessly at the feet of Jesus, there is no condemnation for us either.

 There was no condemnation for this woman at the feet of Jesus, and there is no condemnation for you and me, if only we kneel at the feet of Jesus.

Bopoto Gwinyai
(7663 8191)

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