Spring Warrior Church of Christ

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Perry, FL 32348
584-5176

WHAT wOULD JESUS dO? No. 23

JESUS WOULD JUDGE RIGHTEOUSLY

THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY PART I by Bill Blue

In John 8, the scribes and the Pharisees (v. 3), seeking to test Jesus (v.
6), brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery (vv. 3-4), and asked
the following question: “Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should
be stoned. But what do You say?” (v. 5). Jesus responded by saying, “He
who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (v. 7).
“Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one
by one. . . . 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?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her,
‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’” (vv. 9-11).

What are the lessons we can learn from this story? What does it say
about sexual immorality; is adultery no longer a sin? Are we to conclude that
it is wrong for Christians to judge behavior and condemn sin? Are there no
longer any consequences to sin in the New Testament era? What would
Jesus say?

JESUS WOULD NOT EXCUSE ADULTERY. Although Jesus said that He did not
condemn the woman, she was unquestionably an adulteress (John 8:3-4). In
other Scriptures, Jesus says that adultery is on par with things that are evil
(Matt. 12:39) and wicked (Matt. 16:4), and, like murder, adultery defiles a
man (Matt. 15:18-19). Jesus says that adultery is a sin that can cast you into
hell (Matt. 5:27-30). Whatever the lessons of John 8 are, one cannot
conclude that Jesus does not consider adultery a sin. Jesus, rather, unlike the
scribes and the Pharisees, was not willing to condemn the woman to death
by stoning.

JESUS DOES NOT CONDEMN JUDGING, BUT UNRIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. The woman in
John 8 was an adulteress (John 8:3-4), but her accusers were not motivated
by righteous judgment or disdain for sin, but a desire to test Jesus, “that they
might have something of which to accuse Him” (John 8:6). The scribes and
Pharisees sought to trap Jesus by His answer to their question. Jesus did not
immediately answer the question, but gave the appearance of ignoring it
(John 8:6). Not wanting Jesus to escape, the scribes and Pharisees repeated
their question until Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him
throw a stone at her first.” No one threw a stone and all of the woman’s
accusers left her and Jesus alone (John 8:9-11). In their zeal to trap Jesus,
the scribes and Pharisees had allowed their own improper motives to blind
their judgment. With one statement (“He who is without sin among you…”),
Jesus caused the woman’s accusers to be “convicted by their conscience”
(John 8:7, 9).

Jesus’ statement to the accusers did not condemn judging, but caused
the accusers to consider their own motives. The men came to realize that
they were actually willing to kill a woman if necessary to discredit Jesus.
Jesus did not fault the scribes and Pharisees for accusing the woman of
adultery because the accusation was true. Rather, Jesus pointed out that the
reason why they brought the adulteress to Jesus in the first place was
hypocritical.

Jesus’ statement to the woman’s accusers is similar to His other

teachings on judging:

And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but
do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can
you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck
that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank
that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank
from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove
the speck that is in your brother's eye. 43 "For a good tree
does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
44
For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not
gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a
bramble bush.

(Luke 6:41-44; see also Matt. 7:1-5). Jesus does not condemn judging, but
emphasizes the need for righteous, genuine, and sincere judgment (John
7:24; Rom. 2:1-3). One cannot know the difference between good and bad
fruit without judging (Luke 6:43).

Matthew 7:1-2 is often misquoted by people who believe judging is

unscriptural. “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment
you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be
measured back to you.” Verse 2, however, emphasizes the importance of
sincere, non-hypocritical judgment. Verse 6 goes on to show that judgment
is required: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before
swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in
pieces” (Matt. 7:6). One cannot know who is a “dog” or “swine” without
judging.
 Righteous judgment is a necessary activity for a spiritually healthy
Christian. The Christian first looks inward and judges himself (1 Cor. 11:28-
29; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 6:4), and removes “the plank from his own eye” (Luke
6:42). Then the Christian uses his judgment to avoid temptation and
immoral and evil company (1 Cor. 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:33).

In next week’s article, we will examine Jesus’ statement to the,

“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:12).

This article is reprinted online at http://www.bibleweb.com.