Their hypocrisy was truly stunning. Yes, when Jesus’ enemies brought a woman to Him for judgment, one who had been caught “in the act of adultery” (John 8:4) they were trying to see if his kindness would overrule His righteousness. For if He said they should release her, that would mean going against the clear teachings of the Law of Moses, which prescribed the death penalty for such behavior (Deuteronomy 22:22).

They thought they had Him in a trap, but Jesus knew the Law much better than they did. For Deuteronomy 22:22 says that if a couple were to be caught in adultery, both were to suffer the death penalty – and the act does, after all, require at least two people. It was thus obvious to Jesus that His enemies were guilty of exactly the same thing of which they were trying to accuse Him – by excusing the man while convicting the woman, they were ignoring the part of God’s law they didn’t like.

But Jesus would have none of it. And so He bent down and wrote on the ground – maybe He even wrote the words of the Law out just so there would be no misunderstanding. But then He paused and asked the woman’s accusers where the man was that they considered to be without sin – the man that they had obviously excused of adultery even while they condemned the woman. He was the one, Jesus said, who should cast the first stone at her. It was this clearest evidence of their own lawbreaking that caused all of them to walk away, leaving the accused woman alone.

But if Jesus rejected their hypocrisy, if He insisted that women be treated as fairly as men, He also upheld God’s Law about marriage. No, He didn’t condemn the woman who was left before Him – after all, no one remained to accuse her, and He hadn’t caught her in the act. And, as John 3:17 points out, it wasn’t Jesus’ job to condemn anyone during His earthly ministry. He had come to save sinners at the cost of His own life.

But Jesus also told her to “sin no more” (John 8:11), thus making clear that what she had done was in fact sinful. Thus, while insisting that women be treated fairly and justly, Jesus did not excuse either of this particular couple in their breaking of marriage vows.

And modern Christians are called to maintain the same perspective. While it is not our job to condemn anyone for whatever desires they may have, we are called to affirm God’s standard that human sexuality is to be expressed exclusively within the marriage of one man and one woman for a lifetime. We are to hold everyone to this standard equally, even while we promise God’s grace and mercy for those who repent of failing to meet it. For no matter how any of us may think of ourselves, the fact is that all of us are sitting with this woman at the feet of Jesus, guilty sinners in need of His blood to wash us clean and make us new.

John 8:1-11 (ESV)

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst
4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.
5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.
9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”