Adulterous Woman

The Adulterous Woman

Scripture References: John 8:1-11

Read John 8:1-11

Jesus conversed with at least three adulterous women: woman of Samaria (John 4), woman who broke her alabaster jar at His feet in the house of Simon (Luke 7) and the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8).

Jesus was tender, gentle and loving with each of these women. We never see Him act harsh or cold with them.

HER SIN

(v. 1-3)

Adultery

Seventh Commandment “You shall not commit adultery”

The penalty of committing adultery was death (Leviticus 20 and Deuteronomy 22).

Deuteronomy 22:22 ESV “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.”

God is holy and just and He must deal with sin.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 -The Bible says adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God unless they have been justified by Jesus.

Proverbs 6:23 ESV “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.”

“Sin is not bad because it is forbidden, it is forbidden because it is bad.”

God loves His children and His Word and His ways are for our good.

Adultery comes not from the outside but from the inside. Read Matthew 15:10-20

Matthew 5:27-28 ESV “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

James 4:4 -talks about spiritual adultery. Isaiah 54:5 ESV “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.”

1 John 5:21 ESV “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

HER IDENTITY

(v. 4)

“caught in the act”

The enemy wants us to feel that our identity comes from what we have done or what we are doing….good or bad. God wants our identity to come from who we are in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:3 ESV “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So much of our identity comes from what we clothe ourselves in.

You are what you wear.

Physical

• the garments Adam and Eve created after they realized their sin (Genesis 3:7)
• the garments the priests would wear (Exodus 40:13-14)
• being clothed in sackcloth as an act of mourning (Esther 4:4)
• clothed with rags as a consequence of drunkenness (Proverbs 23:21)
• clothed with fine linen and purple, a royal color (Proverbs 31:22)
• clothed by God (Matthew 6:30 -speaking of God’s provision)

Spiritual

• clothed with salvation Psalm 132:16 NKJV “I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.”
• clothed with shame Psalm 132:18 NKJV “His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon Himself His crown shall flourish.”
• clothed with rich, clean robe (Read Zechariah 3:1-5)
• dressed for action, dignity and splendor (Job 40:7-10)
• clothed with violence (Psalm 73:6)
• dressed with strength and dignity (Proverbs 31:17, 25)
• wearing Christ Himself (Romans 13:14)
• clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53)
• clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12)
• clothed with humility (1 Peter 5:5)
• clothed with righteous deeds (Revelation 19:8)

HER ACCUSERS

(v. 5-9)

A SET UP: If they were truly interested in justice...then where was the man? The law demanded that both the adulteress and adulterer be brought (Leviticus 20:10). Most Bible scholars believe that it was a set-up to entrap Jesus.

“All they hoped to do was to snare Jesus into making an answer contrary to the law. If He had said, ‘Let her be stoned,’ His tenderness and kindness in dealing with the sinful and degraded would have been shown as being false. Had He said, ‘Let her go,’ there might have been a revolt among those who, although they were favorable to him were yet staunch defenders of what Moses taught.” -Herbert Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible

**It has been properly translated “Let he who is without the same sin cast the first stone.” -J. Allen Blair

“Here they were condemned as being guilty of the very sin they cast against the woman. Not one of them was innocent of the sin of adultery they brought against the woman, even the eldest man among them.” -Herbert Lockyer, All of the Women of the Bible

“Could anything have been more cruel or harsh than that of setting this sinful woman ‘in the midst’ of the Temple, exposing her to the gaze of the multitude?” -Herbert Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible

People who are judgemental seek to have dominion over others.

Read Matthew 7:1-5 concerning judging

judge “krino” -in this context it means “to form and express a judgement or opinion as to any person or thing, more commonly unfavorable...in an absolute sense.”

Matthew 5:7 ESV “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Revelation 12:10 NKJV “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’”

HER SAVIOR

(v. 10-11)

When Jesus called her “woman” it was the very same word that He called his mother.

Jesus did not call her “adulterous woman” but viewed her with eyes of grace and without partiality. He was indeed the friend of sinners.

The Pharisees addressed Jesus as “teacher” but she addressed Him as “Lord”.

“go and sin no more” -Jesus the One who could condemn did not...He set her free.

The enemy only gets the victory when we stay down.

“go” -move forward...go on to what God has for you. Don’t stay living stuck in a sin of your past that Jesus already said He was not going to condemn you for.

Romans 8:1 ESV “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Remember the sinful woman who broke her alabaster jar at the feet of Jesus and He said to her accusers, “Therefore I tell you , her sins, which are many, are forgiven -for she loved much. But

he who is forgiven little, loves little.” -Luke 7:47 ESV

James 2:10 NKJV “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Life Lesson

“Our obligation is to glean these lessons so patent from the episode, namely, be slow to condemn every human judgement of another’s sin; to condemn every sin in our own lives; to declare to every sinner God’s forgiveness.” -Herbert Lockyer, All the Women of the Bible

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the manifestations of living as if we are condemned?

2. What are the manifestations of living as if we are free?