By Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

John 8:2-11    Early in the morning Jesus came again into the Temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.  Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

The LORD built forgiveness into the fabric of the Universe, and Yeshua demonstrated this fact by offering mercy to the adulteress woman. She did not deny her sin, so mercy came in an interesting way. Yeshua turned the question around and asked the crowd if there was anyone who had never sinned. It was no surprise to Yeshua that there would not be anyone who could say that. The reality of life is that all humans, except Yeshua, have committed a sin. Many times, a person does not even know that he or she did anything wrong. 

By not saying a word the woman was admitting her guilt. Had the Pharisees already held a trial for her? It is not known whether this happened. Perhaps they did hold the trial and found her guilty with the penalty of stoning to death. However, stoning was a capital offense and only the Roman government had the right to carry out capital punishment. If Jesus had allowed them to stone the woman, he would have been arrested for breaking the law, and he would have been labeled a terrorist against the state and executed. 

Before Jesus could decide what to do, he needed to contemplate. He bent down and moved his finger in the dirt. This was a custom of Jesus’ day. When great thinkers or judges needed to contemplate, they would bend down and draw on the ground while listening to the case’s particulars. Therefore, Jesus was following this custom. The decision of what to do with the woman could not have been easy. On the one hand, she was caught in the act of adultery for which the Torah demanded stoning to death. On the other hand, mercy and forgiveness need to be considered as well.

So, Jesus was placed in an awkward situation. Whatever he decided would cause him heartburn. However, the Messiah had all the courage necessary to do what was right. 

Jesus’ decision placed him in the House of Hillel. The House of Shammai would have said that the woman had to die. From a conservative-liberal religious view, Jesus’ decision was definitely liberal. In fact, most of Jesus’ ways were considered liberal and radical in his day. Today Jesus’ methods are considered conservative. 

I have said it before and will continue to repeat that Jesus gave us the best way to please the LORD by living through the Laws in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Everyone living on the planet should want to please the LORD. By following the conventions, words, and actions of Jesus, who lived through the Laws in the Pentateuch, one will live a healthy, safe, and pleasing life to the LORD. 

Yes, we sin from time to time. We need to acknowledge this as a part of living in this world. The greatest thing that the LORD did for us was to place repentance into the Pentateuch. To repent means more than acknowledging the sin; the biblical word means “to change”. Thus, the Messiah completes the fabric of the Universe by offering forgiveness of sin and salvation to those who follow his methods by performing the blessings of the Pentateuch.

Thank you, Jesus, for your forgiveness of sin and the offering of salvation.

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