A Woman Caught in Adultery

Today's Reflections

 

A Woman Caught in Adultery

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Jn 8:1-11

¹Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. ³Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. ⁴They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. ⁵Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” ⁶They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. ⁹And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. ¹⁰Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” ¹¹She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.”

Reflection:

Go, from now on do not sin any more. Hate the sin but love the sinner: this is best illustrated by the story of the woman caught in adultery. The law is clear, and the scribes and Pharisees who ask Jesus’ judgment know it. But what they do not know is the heart of the lawgiver—God—that Jesus knows better than they.

And so, Jesus does not impose the demand of the letter of the law. He rather confronts people with their conscience and their sinfulness. He does not condemn the woman, but opens for her a new future. She thinks it is the end of the road for her. But Jesus tells her, in effect, “May bukas pa!” (You have a future). He lets her go with the words, “Go, from now on do not sin any more.”

Note that Jesus does not tell her, “What you did was not really that bad. Others do that, too, but they manage not to get caught. Next time, be careful.” Jesus tells her not to sin again. Sin is sin, and God’s mercy should not encourage us to be lax and sinful, but should move us rather to love God more.

Picture yourself in the woman’s place

and hear Jesus tell you, “May bukas pa!”