and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act.They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act.
9 sermons cite this verse
… and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law… They're quoting Scripture. This must be God. In the law… They're talking about the Bible. This must be God. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say? That is a dangerous question to ask Jesus if you don't really want the answer. Don't ask him if you don't want to know, because Jesus might not agree with you. It is a dangerous thing when you have made a Jesus in your mind that only ever agrees with you. Jesus might think different about it than you. Jesus might see it different than you. Jesus is my jury. Jesus is my jury. So they asked the question, Teacher, what do you say about it? Hey there, what do you teach in all these wonderful things? But we're bringing you a woman who was caught. We caught her red-handed. We caught her in the act. …
without condemning her. Let's read the account of John chapter 8 verses 1 through 11. I invite you to open your Bibles to John 8. I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. Beginning at John chapter 8 verse 1. Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives. But early the next morning he was back again at the temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. Teacher, they said to Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say? They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer. So he stood up again and said, All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone. …
… This is John chapter eight. Woman is caught in the act of adultery and she comes, she's actually dragged before Jesus by the religious leaders. and they think he's soft on sin. And so they bring this woman, they throw her down in front of them and they say, Jesus, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. By the way, where's the man? They didn't bring the man there, just the woman. So caught in the act of adultery. And you know what the law says? The law says she has to be stoned to death. And there they are. They've got their rocks in their hands. They're ready to go. right? And you remember Jesus kneels down and he starts to draw in the dirt. Nobody knows exactly what he said. Different commentators have, you know, over the centuries, millennia have, you know, speculated what maybe he was saying. But this is what he actually says with his lips. He sees this woman there who's terrified. She's about to be put to death. And these guys all have their rocks there. And you remember what he says, the one of you without sin, you cast the first stone. Whichever of you has no sin, you cast the first stone. And you remember what happens one by one. …
… saw a traitor. He calls him a son of Abraham because he sees differently than most people sees. When the woman was caught in the act of adultery, they said they caught her in the very act, but he heard something that they couldn't hear. He heard the shame that she would experience by being caught in the very act. See, when the Lord changes our perception, where someone else may hear a troubled kid, we hear a cry for help. When the Lord changes our perception, some hear a headline and get afraid, while others hear a headline and decide to start praying because I hear things the way God hears them. God, help me to hear the way that you can hear that I won't just hear a blind man begging on the side of the road. I'll see a demand for my anointing. Foolish of you to think that we're looking at headlines to be slowed into terror and lulled into fear. You ought to hear something on the news that makes you the God in me has got to stand up because I heard something. …
… Don't you get hitched up to some weasel. Don't you marry no Niner fan, giant fan. You marry somebody from L.A. La cucaracha la bamba. And said to Jesus, teacher, this woman was caught in the middle of that. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. But what do you have to say, Jesus? And they were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis for accusing her. Sorry, accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. And when they kept on questioning Jesus, he straightened up and said to them, okay, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground, playing tic-tac-toe. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first. I like that. The Bible's so good, isn't it? The older ones first. Why? Because when you're young, you think you're moral and righteous. …
… What does it say about the love of God? That the woman was caught in the act of adultery and he shooed everyone away and said, who now condemns you? What does that say about the love of God? What does it say about the love of God that he was still there with Cain and Abel and trying to tell them, don't be upset because if you get upset, sin. What does it say about the love of God that he prepares us and helps us to understand the world that we live in? What does it say about the love of God? So ask yourself that question so that you can have a full picture of who God is. Yes, there will be consequences. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. The scripture, if you read any bit of Bible, you'll see that everybody got it. You know, this idea that we was going to be living life and no harm would come our way and we wouldn't have any issues and any struggles, that ain't nowhere in here. …
He sat down and taught them. The religious scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. Moses in the law gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say? They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, The sinless one among you, go first, throw the stone. Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away. one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you? No one. Neither do I, said Jesus. go your way and from now on do not sin this is the word of god for you the people of god thanks be to god Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. …
… Yeah, I got side order scripture for you. That's why the Bible says that when that woman was caught in the act of adultery and they brought her to Jesus. Jesus says, I can't work on you till I get rid of all the people who are trying to condemn you. Bible says that when it gets to Jairus's house and Jairus's daughter is laying dead, Jesus has to kick some folk out the house because everybody can't be in the house when God is trying to work on you and fix you and mold you and make you better. It's kind of like when you go for surgery and you get to the hospital in the waiting room, all your family can be there. Then they escort you into a family room where only a few people can go. But when it's time for the surgery, when it's time for the healing, when it's time for the doctor to lay his hands on you, All the people you brought with you have to stay where they are because in order to change you, I've got to get you alone. …
And then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say? this they said, testing him, that they might have something of which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear. And so when they continued asking him, he raised himself up and said to them, He is without sin among you. Let him throw a stone at her first. And again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. And those who heard it being convicted by their conscience went out one by one, beginning with the oldest, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst. And when Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? And she said, no one, Lord. …