John 8:1-11 (the place in the Bible where the woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus) is actually dealing with a wicked and clever attempt to frame Him.  It is not about an honest and accurate attempt to carry out the death penalty on terms consistent with the Law of Moses.

The Law of Moses indeed commands that adulterers be stoned- yet it also commands that there be multiple witnesses, multiple impartial witnesses, who initiate the stoning after the accused is found guilty.  Moreover, it commands that all of the parties involved in the adultery be stoned rather than just one of them.

The woman’s accusers refused to do what the Law of Moses required by not also bringing the man.

Leviticus 20:10: “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” 

So when Jesus said in John 8:7 “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”, He would have been speaking against the Law of Moses if He had meant that its verdict about stoning was wrong or at least impossible to righteously carry out.  Saying such a thing would have actually provided an occasion for His enemies to accuse Him (like they were looking for) if that is what He meant.  But He obviously meant that those who were without sin in this matter should be the first ones to cast stones at her.  

Yet since the woman’s accusers were partial witnesses, and there were no impartial witnesses testifying against her, there was no lawful basis for anyone to stone her.

 It was Jesus who was speaking in accordance with the Law of Moses- simultaneously clearing Himself of any wrongdoing before both the Jews and the Romans.  

If these witnesses were so zealous to carry out the Law of Moses’ verdict about stoning adulterers (which they were pretending to be, but weren’t) then they should risk the wrath of the Romans in doing so (the Romans had forbid the Jews from carrying out the death penalty among themselves).  

And if the woman’s accusers were partial (and hence false) witnesses (like they were indeed) then they would be violating the Law of Moses by carrying out the stoning and they would also be risking the wrath of the Romans in doing so.   

No one can ever rightfully say that Jesus ever spoke or acted contrary to the Law of Moses. The entire Bible was inspired by His Spirit.

Jesus is left alone with the woman after her accusers have left.  He inquires where they are and asks whether any man had condemned her.  She tells Him that no man has done so.  He then tells her “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (in John 8:11).   In its context this meant that no man had stoned her and that He was not going to stone her now either.  He surely knew that this was a set-up.  He did not witness the adulterous act either.  He yet made sure to tell her to “go, and sin no more.”  

I think that people now are more likely to assume that verse 11 says “I will never condemn thee; go, and sin some more.”  Yet that’s not what it says.  

We all know what “sin no more” means in principle; and we know that it is a logical and reasonable demand which we must obey in order to be ready when we stand before Jesus the Ultimate Judge on the Day of Judgment.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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