The scribes and the Pharisees, looking for a chance to trap Jesus, thought that they had found a situation that would serve their purpose perfectly. They thought that they had Jesus caught between the demands of Mosaic law and the law of the occupying Roman forces. If Jesus pardoned the woman caught in adultery, how could he claim to be faithful to the tradition of Moses? On the other hand, if Jesus advocated stoning her to death, he would be liable to prosecution by the Romans, who had taken away from the Jews the right to put anyone to death. There was no way they could lose in this situation.
What the Pharisees did not take into account was Jesus’ deep love and compassion for people. They did not understand his claim that God did not send his Son into to the world to condemn the world, but to save it. Jesus knew that every person in the world had been deeply tainted by sin. Jesus knew that every person was in slavery to sin and desperately needed the salvation that he came to offer.
Jesus’ words to the woman: “Go and do not sin again” should encourage us. Our desire is often to avoid sin. But we sometimes feel powerless in rejecting temptation and overcoming sinful patterns. To know that Jesus believes that we are capable of overcoming sin, through him of course, should give us great encouragement. He knows our hearts, but he also knows his transforming power.
Let us open our hearts to Jesus so that we might know him more intimately, love him more fully and follow him more faithfully. We will find that the same power that freed Jesus from the grave will strengthen and free us from our sinful patterns and enable us to walk faithfully with him.
