The Gospel for Tuesday, February 10, 2004
John 7:53-8:11
They all went home, and Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in the middle they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?’ They asked him this as a test, looking for an accusation to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he straightened up and said, ‘Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle. Jesus again straightened up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go away, and from this moment sin no more.’-- The New Jerusalem Bible. 1995, c1985. Doubleday: Garden City, N.Y.
A Study
The Oxford Bible Commentary does not treat this passage in line with the rest of John's Gospel, but places its commentary in an appendix. Several scholars, as well, state that earlier manuscripts deemed reliable do not include the story of the woman, and that it must have been added after John finished his work. The mini-story could be called a "biographical apophthegm [or aphorism], in which a saying of Jesus has been developed into the story of a woman caught in adultery." -- Barton, J., & Muddiman, J. 2001. Oxford Bible commentary . Oxford University Press: New York.
There are other scholars who refute this argument. There is also a set of verses from Mark's Gospel that don't meet the "reliable sources test," and where the John excerpt doesn't show up, neither does the Mark. However, there are some 3rd and 4th century writers who cite Polycarp's quoting of a similar set of verses from Mark, ca. 150 A.D., predating the manuscripts which Oxford cites. The historian Eusebius recounts a story attributed to Papias, who lived shortly after 100 A.D., in which the essence of this woman's story is told. Augustine says that the story was removed from the authoritative manuscripts because it seems to treat adultery lightly. The verses describe a scenario that does not surprise us, and it remains in the lectionary of several mainline denominations without comment about its authenticity.
Jesus reveals his power not only in works of healing, but in works of wisdom. He is handed this "either/or" situation in which he must go against the Law by choosing not to stone her, or against the Romans (who were the only ones with the power to execute), by choosing to stone her. Either way, it was a one-way ticket to judgment by some civil authority.
But Jesus turns this one-of-two choice into a one-of-many and puts it right back into the hands of those seeking to trap him. Which one of those trying to trap him would publicly claim to be sin-less? That put an end to that particular attempt, but no doubt further frustrated and enraged the religious elite of the temple.
A Reflection
One of Uncle Screwtape's cleverest moves was the injection of human error into the writing and the translation of the stories about Jesus. The evil one thus can not only turn away the attention of students of the Word from the Word and toward controversy among humans, but he can spark pride and derision in the hearts of some of those students. Jesus resisted Screwtape for 40 days in a long stretch in the desert. Yet, we're ready to take Screwtape's cause after merely reading a few words of scholarly disagreement. It gets worse, of course, when irrational thought injects itself into what was begun as an intellectual skirmish.
But back to the woman. Can you remember anytime that Jesus really got upset? Perhaps the incident in the temple where he overturned the moneychangers' tables? There, he was attacking corruption of what was set aside to be sacred, and sacred to His Father, yet. Never do we see emotion past a groan, or a sigh, or weeping, when Jesus is dealing with humans in their relationships with each other.
Torah requires 613 laws to regulate human behavior, and there were probably fights over the exclusion of #614! Yet Jesus gave us only one to regulate human relationships. Love your neighbor as yourself. Neither of his two great commandments talks about retribution or judgment or punishment, but only about love. Matthew and Luke both recount the famous "Judge not, lest ye..." imperative that reinforces Jesus' behavior in this scene with the adultress.
"Neither do I condemn you," said Jesus.
6:11:11 AM 
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