Jesus Asks a Question: “Dear woman, where are your accusers?”
Jesus Asks a Question: “Dear woman, where are your accusers?”
The Grand Inquisitor. Messiah Jesus was a Master of asking questions: some were open-ended, others were very pointed; some were out of curiosity, others were challenging; some seemed rhetorical, others seemed painfully obvious; some were to reveal Himself, others were to guide the other into self-understanding; some were intentionally provocative, others were to kick-start a conversation; some questions were asked to explore a topic to deepen understanding and stretch toward the truth; some were leading questions that He designed to suggest a particular answer, and others were questions in response to questions asked of Him; some were hypotheticals to stimulate the imagination, other questions were used by Him as stepping stones to think logically from one point to the next. Jesus used questions to dignify the listener, letting that person know that He is taking that person seriously and listening carefully. Many of His questions were acts of friendship and used to pursue a more profound intimacy with someone. Jesus asked very few yes-no questions, and since time was usually irrelevant for Him when He was with people, He rarely asked a “when” question. Several biblical scholars have studied the gospels with Christ’s questions in mind, and they have literally counted a total of 307 questions in His various conversations and teachings. It seems that a worthy spiritual exercise when considering the many questions of Jesus is that we ask ourselves… should I take His questions personally, as if He was asking us that question right now?
The Question. “Dear woman, where are your accusers?” (John 8:10).
Context. “Jesus went to the Mount of Olives for the night. And early the next morning, He came back into the Temple Court and the people came to Him in crowds. They came to Him in swarms, and He sat down and was teaching them…” (John 8:1-2).
Mount of Olives. On the eastern border of Jerusalem, about two miles away from the city, is a small range of mountains known for all the olive groves flanking the hillsides of the mountains. This is the sacred place known as the Mount of Olives. It is a Sabbath’s walk from Jerusalem, and it has a rich biblical history. Because of its proximity to Jerusalem, Jesus and His disciples would often go there for fellowship, solitude, prayer, and a place to discuss important matters in peace. There was a special place within the confines of the Mount of Olives that ended up as the site of many momentous events in the life of Jesus, known historically as the Garden of Gethsemane.
“In the middle of Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts, the religious scholars and the Pharisees broke through the crowds and brought a woman who had been caught in the act of committing adultery. They made her stand in the middle of everyone. Then they said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we caught this woman in the very act of adultery…” (J. 8:3-4).
Shamed. Whether intentional or not, the story of Jesus and the adulteress has shame as a central feature. The woman was shamed from every angle of the story. She was caught while in the very act of adultery by the religious authorities. She must have been feeling a profound mixture of guilt and humiliation. The Pharisees then brought her directly to the Temple Court where Jesus was in the middle of a teaching session for the people. There was undoubtedly a large throng of people there listening to Jesus, and the Gospel reported that the accusers made her stand right there in the middle of the crowd. Shame must have been coming out of every pore. Complete shame.
“… Doesn’t Moses’ law command us to stone to death a woman like this? Tell us, what do you say we should do with her?’ They were only testing Jesus because they hoped to trap Him with His own words and accuse Him of breaking the laws of Moses…” (J. 8:5-6).
Accused by Hypocrites. And then comes the shame of being unfairly singled out by the mob of accusers. Where is the man who was also committing adultery? Why was she the only one who was humiliated and brought before the people, and not the man as well? After all, the authorities were basing their accusation on Leviticus 20:10, in which it is clearly stated that both the man and the woman committing adultery were to be stoned to death. So, the fact is that the authorities were disregarding the full Law, which makes them self-righteous hypocrites. Meanwhile, the woman is cowering, vulnerable and defenseless, in full view of everyone. She was looked at as a scandal and a sinner.
Setting a Trap? The Pharisees wanted to set a trap for Jesus, and the shamed woman was their perfect opportunity to put Jesus in a bind. If Jesus objects to the stoning, the authorities can accuse Jesus of breaking the Law of Moses. If He agrees to the stoning, He can be reported to the Roman authorities, since the Romans have outlawed execution for adultery. There is also the matter of mercy here. If Jesus approves of the stoning, He could be accused of ignoring the importance of mercy for repentant sinners. If He disapproves of the stoning, He is charged with being a Law-breaker. From all appearances, Jesus is stuck. But Jesus is playing chess while the Pharisees continue to play checkers.
“… But Jesus didn’t answer them, instead He simply bent down and wrote in the dust with his finger. Angry, they kept insisting that He answer their question, so Jesus stood up and looked at them and said, ‘Let’s have the man who has never had a sinful desire throw the first stone at her.’ And then He bent over again and wrote some more words in the dust…” (J. 8:6-8).
Jesus the Writer. At first it appears He simply ignored their question as He stooped down and began tracing some words in the dust. They persisted, so He rose up and spoke a simple challenge to them that struck their consciences and stopped them all in their tracks. They all knew that Jesus had seen through their trap, their sham charges against the woman, and that they were all guilty of sin themselves. What was Jesus writing in the dust? There is much speculation, since it’s not clear from the passage what He was writing. Many scholars say that He was confirming a prophecy from Jeremiah 17:13, “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame. They who depart from You shall disappear like writing upon the ground, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.” So perhaps Jesus was taking a symbolic action and wrote their names in the dust, which is quite the opposite of His writing their names in the Book of Life as described in Exodus 32:32 and Daniel 12:1.
“… Upon hearing that challenge from Jesus, her accusers slowly left the crowd one at a time, beginning with the oldest to the youngest, with a convicted conscience…” (J. 8:9).
Elders First. There was a Judaic tradition that in the case of execution by stoning, the oldest were compelled to throw the stones first. Also, of course, in that culture the youngest always deferred to the eldest. On top of that, it was probably the elders who were the first to come to their senses, do some soul-searching, and realize the truth of what Jesus was saying to them.
“… Until finally, Jesus was left alone with the woman still standing there in front of Him. So He stood back up and said to her, ‘Dear woman, where are your accusers? Is there no one here to condemn you?’ Looking around, she replied, ‘I see no one, sir.’ Jesus said, ‘Then I certainly don’t condemn you either. Go, and from now on, leave your sinful ways.’” (J. 8:9-11).
Jesus the protective Shield. Somehow I picture Jesus standing there in front of the woman, defending her against her accusers, defiantly standing with both arms outstretched around her in protection. In a moment of emotion and high drama in the Temple courts, Jesus wisely and calmly turned down the temperature. He even wrote in the dust with his fingers to give everyone a chance to take a breath and think about what’s going on. He pointed out that all the accusers have had their own moments of sinfulness, they are not without sin themselves, and they all ended up dropping the stones and slinking away. The Torah required two witnesses for an execution, and they all departed. There was no one left but Jesus and the shamed woman. The only truly sinless Person in this scenario, who thus could have actually thrown the first stone, didn’t condemn the adulteress, but neither did He condone what she did. He faced her and told her she was free to go, but that she was to leave her life of sin. Do not continue sinning, says Jesus. And that’s the last we hear of her.
Dear Woman. In His culture, the word used here was a combination of a term of endearment with a title of respect. Jesus often said this term in John to give dignity to womanhood: the woman at the well (4:21); the adulteress (8:10); Mary Magdalene (20:15); and once again to His mother, at the cross (19:26). Jesus always held up and honored womanhood, and always wanted to confirm His respect for them. “Woman” would not be offensive at all, and would not put any woman off-balance or embarrass her in anyway.
Healing the Shame. Jesus lovingly faced the shame and sin head-on. He didn’t ignore it. But in His grace, the shame was put to rest. It’s almost as if He scorned her shame, much like he did on the Cross. We can hopefully believe that since He didn’t condemn her, she didn’t condemn herself as well. Jesus restored her dignity so she could begin a new life. He gave her a divine vote of confidence and showed that He believed in her. In the presence of Jesus’ love, there was no room for shame. Instead of experiencing rejection and judgment, she became a beloved object of God’s grace. And her shame was healed in the process.
GRACE: (Hebrew, “chen” “chanan”) The centerpiece of God’s character that shows divine favor to those who don’t deserve it; the nature of God which prefers to show mercy to those who haven’t earned it; the heart of God which leans toward offering the free gift of love and acceptance to others, free of charge; God’s desire to restore and heal those who are broken whether or not they deserve it; the lovingkindness provided by God as a free gift for no apparent reason other than sheer compassion.
“I will show favor and grace to whomever I will, and display mercy to whomever I will.’ (Exodus 33:19). Divine grace is not logical in human terms, it has no reasonable rhyme or reason to it. The human mind cannot fathom the logic of grace and fails at making sense of it. Grace is the ideal time for each person to trust God and His instincts, His character, and to accept His way of thinking as best for us. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways, says the LORD Yahweh. As high as the sky is above the earth are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Jesus is our Grace. Grace is an undeserved gift of divine favor. Jesus is the Father’s undeserved Gift to us, to the world. What did we do to deserve this indescribable gift? Nothing. Can we do anything to earn this gift? No. We have no claim to Grace or to Jesus Christ. He is a free gift for the salvation of the world. When we believe into Him and are united in Him, we then receive all the spiritual blessings that were reserved for Him. Jesus is the only One who actually deserves divine favor and grace, God’s acceptance and love. So when we are inside Him, or as St. Paul would often say “in Christ,” we receive the grace due Jesus. By being in union with Christ, we are then in a position to receive the grace due Him. The blessings received by Jesus from the Father are offered to those who are “hid” in Him, a mutual indwelling, a double union with the Son of God… He in us, we in Him. Our union with Jesus through faith provides the divine favors of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life. The grace of Christ provides the divine acceptance needed to become children of God Himself. In Christ too, we receive the undeserved gift of the power needed to walk in obedience to God. “So then, be empowered by the grace that comes from the Messiah Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1). We didn’t earn that, we don’t deserve that, but we can only receive God’s special grace when we are inside the Gift of Grace in Christ.
“Jesus, the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth… From His super-abundant fullness we have all received grace in a place of grace already given, gift heaped upon gift, one spiritual blessing after another, one undeserved divine favor on top of another. From Christ’s full supply, we endlessly receive one grace stacked on top of another grace. For the Torah was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:15-18).