Jesus & Moses - the adulteress case

[wedsaddams]

Hi, I have problem understanding this particular case. It's about Jesus saving an adulteress from being stoned to death by pointing out that the witnesses (Pharisees) were sinful themselves. (John 8:4-11)

I understand that Jesus did not violate the laws of Moses, which are:
- stone adulterer to purge the evil out of Israel (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)
- malicious witness will be punished to full extension (Deuteronomy 19:16-19)

Because the Pharisee's pure intention was to trap Jesus, not bringing justice to the world by getting rid of the evil. In that sense, they were liars. They were 'malicious'. They said one thing but intended to get another thing. And since Jesus could read their mind, He did not punish the girl but pointed out their sins instead.

The question is: If it wasn’t the Pharisees but the Apostles of Jesus who brought the adulteress in, would the adulteress still be stoned to death? And if Jesus spared her from death sentence, what would be his reason? Because clearly, she violated the laws of Moses...

Thank you in advance.

p/s: I don't support killing anyone because they are sluts, I just simply want to understand this passage better. That's all.

[cslewislover]

That story is meant to teach things, as all things in the bible are. What you're asking is to change the meaning. Certain persons who had certain motives brought that woman to Jesus. That's a main point. You're asking to change one of the main points. Would the apostles have the same motives as the pharisees at some point, to do that? Who knows? And who cares? The point is, a person's motives. There are other places in the bible where Jesus rebukes his disciples, showing that they didn't always have motives that were in line with God's will.

Otherwise, Jesus would not change his mind. Are you trying to trick someone into answering that Jesus might change His mind or would be wrong in a different scenerio?

[sinnerbybirth]

It's interesting to read about the controversy this passage has sparked about the adulteress from John 7:53 to 8:1. The claim was, it's written and inserted after John 7:52 by an unknown author. I love strobels Interview with metzger about this in "The Case for Christ".

[cslewislover]

We had someone in the not-too-distant past use this same passage to make some really far-out claims about Christ. So I was reminded of that. Otherwise, it's a wonderful passage and one consideration for its inclusion in the NT is that it seems to fit in with Christ's other teachings so well. It points out man's hypocrisy and hard-heartedness, and God's mercy, but also God's command to try and live a sinless life. It has a carrot and a stick.