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“A PORTRAIT OF FORGIVENESS”
John 8:1-11

WHILE there is some question as to whether or not this incident recorded in John
8 is a part of the original Gospel of John many scholars believe that it is
nonetheless an actual incident that happened in the life of Jesus. Not only does
it do justice to His character—but it also fits the character of the scribes and the
Pharisees who were constantly trying to discredit Jesus and His ministry. It is a
story that paints a beautiful picture of Jesus’ wisdom—grace—disdain for
hypocrisy—and especially His willingness to forgive.

DESPITE the fact that only John’s Gospel has this story—Jesus’ defense of the
woman caught in adultery is one of the more familiar stories of the New
Testament. As such, many an artist has put to canvas his impression of this
confrontation between Jesus and His critics concerning what should be done with
a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery.

ROBIN CALAMAIO is rather simple in his modern presentation. He depicts Jesus

kneeling and writing in the dirt—the woman is rather casually sitting on the
ground looking towards her accusers. The artist doesn’t depict the faces of the
accusers—only shows their forearms and hands with fingers pointing towards the
woman. The letters J-E-S-U-S form a an X going from the top left hand corner to
the bottom right and then from the bottom left hand corner to the top right. The
artist’s on explanation is that, “Although these men’s hands are all pointing at
the adulterous woman, make no mistake about it… their eyes are fixed upon
Jesus.”

BY this time in Jesus’ ministry the scribes and Pharisees were intent on
discrediting Jesus in whatever way they could. This whole scene has the stench of
another one of those attempts. The scribes and Pharisees were not really all that
concerned about enforcing the commandment against adultery. If they were they
would have brought the adulterous man along with the adulterous woman and we
would have the story of the adulterous couple and not just the adulterous woman.
It takes two to commit adultery—and the Mosaic Law the scribes and Pharisees so
arrogantly put before Jesus commanded that both be stoned—the man and the
woman—not just the woman. Are we to assume this man somehow made an
escape even while in the very act of adultery? Rather it seems more accurate to
assume that he was part of the scheme to discredit Jesus.

THEIR plot seemed fool proof. If Jesus consented to the stoning He would risk
loosing the support of the outcasts of society who were rallying around Him as
their only hope. His reputation for compassion upon sinners would be destroyed.
Besides that, He would put Himself in jeopardy with the Roman government who
reserved for itself the right of capital punishment. On the other hand—if He set
her free then He would be opposing the Mosaic Law—bringing discredit to His
teachings and His claim to be Messiah.

WHEN the accusers thrust the accused in front of Jesus surrounding them with
shouts of self-righteous piety Jesus begins to write in the dirt. What He wrote is a
question for the ages. The suggestions are many.
• THE 10 Commandments
• THE sins of the accusers
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• THE names of the accusers—and the names of their girlfriends from either
yesteryear or perhaps even the present—making their act even more
hypocritical
• MAYBE it was Jeremiah 17:13: “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who
forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be
written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of
living water.”
• MAYBE He was just doodling buying time to think—or better—buying time
refraining Himself from an outburst of anger at the obvious hypocrisy of the
accusers

WHATEVER Jesus wrote and why-ever He wrote it—He stood to make a

pronouncement—“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone
at her.” Then He stooped to write again (makes me think He was doodling—or
else He went back to listing other sins—after all adultery is the 7th in the list of 10).

THE accusers’ conscience had been singed. Suddenly it was evident that Jesus
knew that this woman’s sin was no worse than their own—different maybe—but
nonetheless no worse. One by one the stones began to drop—not near the
woman—but at the feet of the accusers. Some probably toss their stone away in
disgust. The older ones walk away first. Probably because they had been the
leaders of the treacherous scheme. They knew Jesus had won—again. Then the
younger ones follow. Soon none are left. By law, without two accusing
witnesses the stoning could not take place. Jesus asks the woman who is left to
condemn her. Her reply: “None.” Jesus states that neither does He condemn her
—i.e., judge against her. Then He challenges her to go and sin no more.

IRONICALLY, the only one without sin who was qualified to throw the first stone
was the one who offered forgiveness and was the one who kept the others from
throwing stones. Jesus offered forgiveness for the accused and in the process
convicted the accusers of their own sins.

THIS story is one beautiful picture of the forgiveness that Christ’s offers to all
who are caught in the very act of their sin—and that my friends in God’s sight is
all of us. Before God, we have all been caught in our own sin. Therefore, we can
make some observations about forgiveness based upon this wise and
compassionate response of Christ.

I. FORGIVENESS DOESN’T CONDONE THE SIN.

RODNEY WHITACRE in his commentary rightly notes that Jesus grants pardon—
not acquittal. Regardless of the circumstances regarding her being brought to
Jesus—she was guilty. Jesus did not let her off on some kind of legal technicality.
Rather He forgave her for a sin she had committed and then challenged her to not
do it ever again.

ENCOUNTERING Jesus and receiving the forgiveness He offers is always

followed by a decree to turn away from sin and turn to a new and holy lifestyle.
To the woman caught in adultery Jesus declares such a change with the words,
“Go and sin no more.”
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JESUS is the master of keeping a balance between hope and despair. Despair
enters when I realize I’ve broken God’s law and a price has to be paid. Hope,
however, enters when I realize God offers forgiveness through faith in Christ
because He paid the price for my sin. However, God’s law also reminds me that
God takes sin seriously and that His forgiveness does not give me a license to
sin at leisure but rather His law is a reminder to the kind of life He wants me to
live—a life that doesn’t enjoy sin—but rather rejects sin. In fact, the forgiveness
of Christ reveals the depths of the horror of sin.

THINK about it. If living a life according to God’s moral law were not so
important—then God’s forgiveness would not be necessary. And if forgiveness
were not necessary—then Christ died in vain.

KARLA FAYE TUCKER was executed by the state of Texas on February 3, 1998 for
her part in the brutal murder of a Houston couple in 1983. While in prison she was
introduced to the gospel by a puppet ministry program which she attended
because she was bored. At that program she stole a Bible (not knowing they were
free) and after reading some of it later that night in her cell she gave her life to the
Lord. She would later write in a letter to Governor George W. Bush and the Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles, “When I did this, the full and overwhelming
weight and reality of what I had done hit me. I realized for the first time that
night what I had done. I began crying that night for the first time in many years,
and to this day, tears are a part of my life.”

DESPITE the daily tears she also had an ever present radiant joy. When her
execution date was set she appeared on Larry King with that same great attitude
of joy even though it was just weeks before she was to be executed. Perplexed,
King was convinced hers was nothing more than a jailhouse conversion. He said,
“You have to explain to me a little more. It just can’t be God.” She replied,
“Yes it can. It’s called the joy of the Lord.”

SEE, the forgiveness of Christ did not CONDONE Karla Faye Tucker’s sin—rather
the forgiveness of Christ CONFRONTED her with the heinousness of her sin. And
when confronted with the heinousness of her sin she was broken in deep remorse
—but she also came to realize the hope and joy that was found in the forgiveness
Christ offered.

FRIENDS, if you and I saw our sin as heinously as Jesus Christ sees our sin then
tears would be a part of our lives just like they were a part of Karla Faye Tucker’s
life. But then if we saw our sin as Jesus sees our sin—then we would see our
forgiveness as Karla Faye saw hers—and our lives would be filled with a radiant
joy. And then there would be no doubt that forgiveness doesn’t condone sin—but
it does pardon sin.

II. FORGIVENESS ISN’T EASY.

THERE is a tense moment as Jesus pauses to kneel and write in the dirt. Maybe it
is not what He writes that is so curious—maybe He was just doodling—buying
time as He thought through the situation. Or better yet—maybe He is just taking
His time in order to let the people—and the accusers—and the accused—know who
is really in charge here—and who is really in control. Jesus would not allow
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bullies to bully Him. They wanted to put Jesus on the spot—but He is the one who
puts them on the spot.

MEANWHILE, the people had to be thinking: What will He do? Will He agree with
the scribes and the Pharisees and thus send the mob into a stoning frenzy? If so
the common people—the sinners and the publicans—will then see Jesus as being
no different than the religious leaders who despised them and they despised
back. His ministry to the outcasts of society would be jeopardized. Will He
slough adultery off as no big deal and thus ruin His credibility with the Law of
Moses? If so—what authority would His teaching have from this point forward?

WARREN WIERSBE rightly observes that we must not interpret this event to mean
that Jesus was “easy on sin” or that He contradicted the Law. For Jesus to forgive
this woman He had to one day die for her sins—just as He died for your sin and
mine.
HOWEVER, in order to be able to die for our sins He had to be sinless Himself—He
had to fulfill all the requirements of the Law—something you and I could never do.
Then, having fulfilled the Law Jesus could offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice—
without flaw or blemish—so that you and I—and the woman caught in adultery—
and even the scribes and Pharisees who accused her—could be forgiven if only
we would accept and believe.

FORGIVENESS is free—but it didn’t come cheap—and it didn’t come easily. It

cost Jesus Christ—the only begotten Son of God—His very life. He had to die a
gruesome death on a rugged cross in order to be the One—the only One—who
could say, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

III. FORGIVENESS IS FOR ANYONE WHO HAS DONE ANYTHING.

TO be caught in the act of adultery was a serious offense in the world of the Jews.
Unfortunately our culture has so minimized sexual sins that we don’t necessarily
see them as sin. Oh, to be sure there is still a staunch taboo placed upon those who
would cheat on their spouses—but aside from that—our culture pretty much sees
any sex as being okay as long as it is between consenting adults. Such was not
the case among the believers of the 1st century. Such should not be the case
today.

ACCORDING to the Mosaic Law adultery was not some petty indiscretion between
consenting adults. Adultery was a capital offense. To be sure by Jesus’ day easy
divorce had taken the place of public stoning so that the capital punishment was
seldom meted out—but nonetheless, the law was still on the books. Besides, in
the ancient world there was nothing that a woman could do that would be any
worse than to commit adultery. So, regardless of the circumstances that may
have led to the entrapment of this woman—or regardless of the cultural practices
of the day—this was no light matter being brought before Jesus.

I EMPHASIZE the seriousness of the accusation because it is imperative to the

story and a lesson taught. If Jesus is willing to forgive this woman of this sin—
then Jesus is willing to forgive me of my sin—no matter what that sin is nor what
I have done.
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IV. WHEN WE ARE FORGIVEN WE ARE FREE TO FORGIVE.
SOMETHING tells me this woman had been used all of her life. Again—where’s the
man? The whole situation has the smell of entrapment and a well conceived
plot. Not that the woman was innocent—she wasn’t—and her reputation may have
made her an easy mark for such a devious scheme. Some scholars believe she
was a prostitute. Nonetheless, she was nothing more than a tool to be used by
others for their own selfish gain. What about her lover—he must have been part
of the scheme as well. Can you imagine the betrayal—the hate—the anger she
must have felt towards her lover and her accusers who were the masterminds
behind the scenario that found her on the verge of being stoned?

BUT now she has been pronounced forgiven. And Jesus challenges her to go and
sin no more. The sin no more obviously included the sin of adultery—but it had to
mean more than just the sin of adultery—otherwise Jesus would have said “Go and
commit adultery no more.” But He said, “Go and sin no more.” That had to
include other sins as well. The sins of vengeance—and hate—and anger—and all
other sins. His challenge to her was not to just quit being an adulteress—but to
have an entire change of lifestyle and of attitude.
FORGIVENESS set her free from all the baggage of her past and gave her hope for
the present and the future. Forgiveness set her free not only from her own sin—
but also free to forgive those who had sinned against her.

IN the book Mike Singletary One-On-One the hall of fame linebacker of the
Chicago Bears writes about an incident that happened when he visited a women’s
prison. He was the guest speaker. The chaplain had warned him that the women
inmates were hardcore. Most had been hurt by men—boyfriends and husbands
were common culprits—but fathers had done most of the damage. Rape—abuse—
abandonment—and neglect had put these women in an emotional prison without
bars. The chaplain told Singletary that even though the women did not know him
most would hate him just because of his gender.

SURE enough, as he began to speak he could tell the women were disinterested—
disconnected—and bored. He knew he had to do something different. He felt led
to do something unusual in order to show the women how much God loved them.
He fell on his knees and began to pray aloud. Even though he was not the one who
had hurt them he began asking for forgiveness. He said, “I’m sorry for what I did.
I didn’t know how much I would hurt you. I guess I didn’t care. But, I want you to
know that from the bottom of my heart, I’m really, really sorry. Will you forgive
me? I know you want to hurt me and spit on me, but I’m asking you instead to
accept my apology and forgive me. Put it on me and look toward God. He sent
me here to tell you that today you have a choice to make. Will you forgive me?
Will you accept your freedom?”

SINGLETARY writes that as he prayed tears flooded from nearly every eye in the
room—even his. He remained on his knees as the women came forward to pray
and to hug him. It was a powerful moment that he will never forget.

WHEN we are forgiven—we are free to forgive.

I CLOSE with 2 thoughts.

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• DO you need to forgive someone? If so—you will find freedom when you
do. When we forgive those who have wronged us a big burden is removed
from our hearts and our souls and we are set free to live—and to laugh—and
to love once again.
• WE all need to be forgiven—more than likely we need to be forgiven by
someone we have hurt—but especially by God—for all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. When we seek forgiveness we find
freedom there as well. It is when we rejoice in the freedom of forgiveness
that we also find the joy of forgiving.

WHEN we find FORGIVENESS in Christ then we can hear those sweet words He
said to the woman caught in adultery: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and
sin no more.”