“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12
Jesus had been teaching in the temple when the Scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. Now the way this reads there were actual witnesses to this act which would lend thought to the fact that she was set up. The act of adultery is not something that people would commonly be caught in the ACT of. When they brought the woman to Jesus they pointed out that she was “caught in the act”. Well first of all, if she was “caught in the act” where was the man she was caught with? Also when they want to bring up the Law of Moses which commanded she be stoned for such an act, what they are saying is there were at least 2 witnesses to the act. It is true this was a law of Moses, but it couldn’t be speculation in order to legally carry out stoning. There had to be at least the 2 witnesses of the very act. Meaning they couldn’t just see them leaving a private place together they had to actually witness it. They brought this woman to Jesus to get Him to accuse her. They were using her as a weapon to use against Jesus. Adultery is not a solitary sin. There would have had to be another offender. And with this being a set up against her, they were obviously not without sin themselves.
Jesus, the only one in the crowd who had the right to point out everyone’s sin… the woman’s sin, He could have asked where is the man, He could have asked them how on earth they witnessed such a private sin, did nothing. He stooped down and wrote in the dirt. Now I have heard many sermons and teachings and read many lessons where people wonder what was He writing. But the point here not what He wrote, the point is He did not condemn her.
They didn’t get it. So Jesus stood up and He told them.
“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7
And he just bent down again and wrote in the dirt. I wonder was the man who she was caught with the first to walk away. It says in scripture, they all walked away starting with the older ones. Well isn’t that fitting, I know the older I get, the more I realize the grace that has been on my life. And I don’t want to, and I know I don’t have the right to throw a stone at anyone. My sins are no worse than anyone else’s. I have things that I realize had it not been for the grace of Jesus to lead me out of them, there is no telling what kind of person I would be now. Eventually it was just Jesus and the woman.
“Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one Lord,’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.’” John 8:10-11
The next line in scripture is Jesus going right back to teaching. His teaching had been interrupted by this event and He seemingly picks up right where He left off. But after such an event, it spoke volumes.
“Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12
Jesus was again speaking to them of things they knew as He resumed his teaching. Light was an important symbol to the people. They would have known the significance of the Israelites following a pillar of fire during their years in the wilderness and they used light in their Feasts to signify this. Jesus just applied it to himself when He told them I AM LIGHT OF THE WORLD!
The Scribes and Pharisees wanted to condemn this woman’s dark sin. Jesus shone His light on her and gave her a reason to put away that sin and follow Him, the Light of the World!
Restore 