Considering the scripture never actually says this woman believed in Jesus, or that her sins were forgiven, I am always bothered whenever these scriptures are used in this manner: as there are far better verses that actually emphasize forgiveness and non-judgement.
The emphasis of this story is that the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus- if they had actually wanted to stone this woman, they probably would have done so... in secret, perhaps, but we do see they are willing to cast stones later on, in spite of the Romans.
I think these verses are best understood in light of the preceding chapter, and the rest of John 8. Jesus is in the process of being rejected as Messiah by his people. In John 7 the people are amazed and everyone is debating about Jesus, and the Pharisees, who want to take Jesus say:
47“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. 48“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.” 50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked, 51“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?” 52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”g
The problem is not the Pharisees Judging this woman (The Pharisees were
using her as a prop, and I'm not even sure that they would have stoned her without Jesus)... the problem is they are pre-judging Jesus and saying the people listening to him are under a curse!!!
So in Chapter 8 Jesus is in fact
teaching the people, (like they should be doing) and he demonstrates to the Pharisees that he will not be fooled by them. He IS the Messiah, and everything he claims to be, and there was nothing the Pharisees were going to be able to say or do that would throw him off- like everybody else, they needed to repent and follow him.
Then the rest of chapter 8, even the some Jews that believed in him ran into the same problems as the Pharisees once he convicted them of sin... and they tried to kill him, just like the Pharisees were plotting to do. They were willing to believe, up to the point they were told that they were not right with God. So, I think the real lesson of this- John 7, 8, 9... is summed up pretty good at the end of ch.9.
“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.” “If you were blind,” Jesus replied,
“you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” When we have blind-spots we don't want to shy away from conviction, we want to seek the Lord, so he will heal our bling spots.
“Actually it was Jesus who gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai, and it was Jesus who wrote the Ten Commandments twice on tablets of stone! And Jesus does not contradict Himself.”
according to the Bible Moses gave the law
“For
the law was given by Moses,
but grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ.”
John 1:17 KJV
According to the Bible Moses spoke with an angel in the similitude of God on Mount Sinai
“This is that
Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness
with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:”
Acts 7:37-38 KJV
moses spoke with a
similitude of the lord
“With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches;
and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant
Moses?”
Numbers 12:8 KJV
according to the Bible the law was added because of sin , was ordained of angels and given by Moses mediation
“Wherefore then serveth
the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and
it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”
Galatians 3:19 KJVa
according to the Bible God gave israel
Over to worship angels
“And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices By the space of forty years in the wilderness?
Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Figures which ye made to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.”
Acts 7:41-43 KJV
according to the Bible the law came from the
disposition of angels
“Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.”
Acts 7:52-53
about the simplest understanding is to compare what Jesus taught with what Moses taught it’s not complex it just takes us being able to acknolwedge the truth
I showed you moses law of marriage and divorce and what Jesus the lord said
can you acknowledge it’s different even when you look directly at it ?
“And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him,
Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them,
What did Moses command you?
And they said,”
Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. ( absolutely what Moses commanded )
And Jesus answered and said unto them,
For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. ( Jesus is telling them nope don’t follow what Moses taught you )
And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them,
Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.”
Mark 10:2-12 KJV
If I obey Moses I’m going to commit adultery
“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.”
Deuteronomy 24:1-2 KJV
If you can simply
acknowledge it’s not the same which anyone who reads can do, it’s not the same to have a law saying go ahead and get divorced and re marry
and another word saying “ don’t get divorced and remarry that’s adultery “
Then we don’t have any argument but if your saying it’s to same to get divorced or start married we would t have much agreement
a once you realize it’s different and you already know Jesus doesn’t contradict himself it Keats you understand all th scripture telling us about the laws ordainement of angels and mediation of Moses but you’d have to acknolwedge the simple truth that it’s
contrary to stay married or get divorced and remarry
once you acknolwedge it’s not the same command everything else starts making sense you can actually see
Jesus quote what Moses taught and teach the opposite like this
“And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt
give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,”
Exodus 21:23-24 KJV
It’s a principle in the law equal and exact repayment
“And thine eye shall
not pity; but
life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
Deuteronomy 19:21 KJV
this is Jesus speaking the
contrary truth of God
“Ye have heard that
it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (that’s a quote from Moses law )
but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Matthew 5:38-39 KJV
That’s the opposite it’s not and can’t be made I not the same it’s equal repayment for sin v pardon of sin and not retaliating not holding it against the person
The two testaments are contrary one is for making us guilty without excuse the other is for remitting sin and washing us clean
