5th week in Lent, Monday – 30th March 2020 – John 8,1-11
Judgmental accusers
The woman’s accusers state that she has been “caught in the very act of committing adultery” (8,4). But the religious leaders clearly have no real concern for the fate of the woman. They were out to get Jesus. They neither cared about the injured husband or the partner in adultery, who has been left free apparently. The Law of Moses, to which the accusers refer, prescribes the death penalty for both the man and the woman involved (Lev 20,10; Deut 22,22-24). Although the scene focuses on the woman and issues of sexual sin, the text demonstrates equally the motivation and the judgmental attitudes of the accusers. Their concern for the woman is not the issue here, while she merely supports the scene. They wish to exhibit Jesus at the trial. But Jesus not only challenges the leaders to think about their sinfulness, but looks beyond the sin of the woman.
