The Adulterous Woman

“Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but He was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to Him. He sat down and taught them. The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?’ They were trying to trap Him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger in the dirt. They kept at Him, badgering Him. He straightened up and said, ‘The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.’ Bending down again, He wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. ‘Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?’ ‘No one, Master.’ ‘Neither do I,’ said Jesus. ‘Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.’”

(John 8:1-11)

Why this story has tension:

1) We donʻt know what to do with this.

2) The section of Scripture is…controversial

“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife – with the wife of his neighbor – both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.” (Lev. 20:10)

“You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” (Matt. 23:24)

“They were not looking on this woman as a person at all; they were looking on her only as a thing, an instrument whereby they could formulate a charge against Jesus.” – William Barclay

Neurophysiology of Shame

• Sympathetic drive (go mode)  “Accelerator”  We need a way to slow the engine

• Parasympathetic system  “Brakes”

• We need a “clutch”

Any time the break is applied and there is no clutch available, shame is what happens.

How do we heal the cycle of shame?

God keeps coming for us. “The gospel-if it is good news-does not begin with ‘I am more sinful than I believe! It begins, in fact, with ‘I am more loved than I can imagine! It is in that space of being loved incessantly, relentlessly, that we become aware just how sinful we are.” – Dr. Curt Thompson, M.D. Drop your stones. Go and sin no more.