Jesus Would Judge Righteously
The Woman Caught In Adultery, Part I
By Bill Blue
The Woman Caught In Adultery, Part I
By Bill Blue
In John 8, the scribes and the Pharisees (v. 3), seeking to test Jesus (v. 6), brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery (vv. 3-4), and asked the following question: “Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (v. 5). Jesus responded by saying, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (v. 7). “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one. . . . When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’” (vv. 9-11).
What are the lessons we can learn from this story? What does it say about sexual immorality; is adultery no longer a sin? Are we to conclude that it is wrong for Christians to judge behavior and condemn sin? Are there no longer any consequences to sin in the New Testament era? What would Jesus say?
JESUS WOULD NOT EXCUSE ADULTERY. Although Jesus said that He did not condemn the woman, she was unquestionably an adulteress (John 8:3-4). In other Scriptures, Jesus says that adultery is on par with things that are evil (Matt. 12:39) and wicked (Matt. 16:4), and, like murder, adultery defiles a man (Matt. 15:18-19). Jesus says that adultery is a sin that can cast you into hell (Matt. 5:27-30). Whatever the lessons of John 8 are, one cannot conclude that Jesus does not consider adultery a sin. Jesus, rather, unlike the scribes and the Pharisees, was not willing to condemn the woman to death by stoning.
JESUS DOES NOT CONDEMN JUDGING, BUT UNRIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. The woman in John 8 was an adulteress (John 8:3-4), but her accusers were not motivated by righteous judgment or disdain for sin, but a desire to test Jesus, “that they might have something of which to accuse Him” (John 8:6). The scribes and Pharisees sought to trap Jesus by His answer to their question. Jesus did not immediately answer the question, but gave the appearance of ignoring it (John 8:6). Not wanting Jesus to escape, the scribes and Pharisees repeated their question until Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” No one threw a stone and all of the woman’s accusers left her and Jesus alone (John 8:9-11). In their zeal to trap Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees had allowed their own improper motives to blind their judgment. With one statement (“He who is without sin among you…”), Jesus caused the woman’s accusers to be “convicted by their conscience” (John 8:7, 9).
Jesus’ statement to the accusers did not condemn judging, but caused the accusers to consider their own motives. The men came to realize that they were actually willing to kill a woman if necessary to discredit Jesus. Jesus did not fault the scribes and Pharisees for accusing the woman of adultery because the accusation was true. Rather, Jesus pointed out that the reason why they brought the adulteress to Jesus in the first place was hypocritical.
Jesus’ statement to the woman’s accusers is similar to His other teachings on judging:
What are the lessons we can learn from this story? What does it say about sexual immorality; is adultery no longer a sin? Are we to conclude that it is wrong for Christians to judge behavior and condemn sin? Are there no longer any consequences to sin in the New Testament era? What would Jesus say?
JESUS WOULD NOT EXCUSE ADULTERY. Although Jesus said that He did not condemn the woman, she was unquestionably an adulteress (John 8:3-4). In other Scriptures, Jesus says that adultery is on par with things that are evil (Matt. 12:39) and wicked (Matt. 16:4), and, like murder, adultery defiles a man (Matt. 15:18-19). Jesus says that adultery is a sin that can cast you into hell (Matt. 5:27-30). Whatever the lessons of John 8 are, one cannot conclude that Jesus does not consider adultery a sin. Jesus, rather, unlike the scribes and the Pharisees, was not willing to condemn the woman to death by stoning.
JESUS DOES NOT CONDEMN JUDGING, BUT UNRIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. The woman in John 8 was an adulteress (John 8:3-4), but her accusers were not motivated by righteous judgment or disdain for sin, but a desire to test Jesus, “that they might have something of which to accuse Him” (John 8:6). The scribes and Pharisees sought to trap Jesus by His answer to their question. Jesus did not immediately answer the question, but gave the appearance of ignoring it (John 8:6). Not wanting Jesus to escape, the scribes and Pharisees repeated their question until Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” No one threw a stone and all of the woman’s accusers left her and Jesus alone (John 8:9-11). In their zeal to trap Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees had allowed their own improper motives to blind their judgment. With one statement (“He who is without sin among you…”), Jesus caused the woman’s accusers to be “convicted by their conscience” (John 8:7, 9).
Jesus’ statement to the accusers did not condemn judging, but caused the accusers to consider their own motives. The men came to realize that they were actually willing to kill a woman if necessary to discredit Jesus. Jesus did not fault the scribes and Pharisees for accusing the woman of adultery because the accusation was true. Rather, Jesus pointed out that the reason why they brought the adulteress to Jesus in the first place was hypocritical.
Jesus’ statement to the woman’s accusers is similar to His other teachings on judging:
And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the
plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me
remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank
that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.
43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good
fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs
from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
(Luke 6:41-44; see also Matt. 7:1-5). Jesus does not condemn judging, but emphasizes the need for righteous, genuine, and sincere judgment (John 7:24; Rom. 2:1-3). One cannot know the difference between good and bad fruit without judging (Luke 6:43).
Matthew 7:1-2 is often misquoted by people who believe judging is unscriptural. “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Verse 2, however, emphasizes the importance of sincere, non-hypocritical judgment. Verse 6 goes on to show that judgment is required: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” (Matt. 7:6). One cannot know who is a “dog” or “swine” without judging.
Righteous judgment is a necessary activity for a spiritually healthy Christian. The Christian first looks inward and judges himself (1 Cor. 11:28-29; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 6:4), and removes “the plank from his own eye” (Luke 6:42). Then the Christian uses his judgment to avoid temptation and immoral and evil company (1 Cor. 5:9; 1 Cor. 15:33).
In next week’s article, we will examine Jesus’ statement to the, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:12).
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1 comment:
I agree with your statements about judgment. I have some additional thoughts which I think are worth pondering.
Logically, it's impossible for a person to criticize another person for being "judgmental" without engaging in self-contradiction, since such criticism is in itself a judgment.
By definition, a self-contradictory doctrine is an untenable, nonsensical doctrine.
In my experience, "don't judge" (the contemporary version of "judge not") is often quoted in an unthinking kneejerk fashion by unbelievers and spiritually immature Christians seeking to rationalize their sinful behavior and to insulate themselves against legitimate criticism. But the success of such a strategy relies on a simplistic view of judgment which is not biblical, no matter how many people have been seduced into thinking it is.
Whether we are Christians or not, we all judge other people. The specific standards by which people judge one another can vary widely from one person to the next, depending on their views about matters such as religious doctrine, but judging other people is a universal human trait.
Of course, it could be argued that the mere fact that a human trait is universal does not mean that it's right. After all, sin is a universal human trait, too.
That's true. But a careful reading of the scriptures reveals that from a Christian standpoint, it's simply false to assert that the Bible tells us that we ought not to ever judge between right and wrong (and between righteous people and wrongdoers).
However, we do need to be careful, when we judge others, that our judgments meet certain criteria (which I believe are based on sound biblical principles):
1.) Our judgments of others should be without hypocrisy, knowing that God will judge us using the same standards with which we judge others. We must be as vigilant about judging ourselves as we are about judging others. Our primary priority ought to be to improve ourselves first. Then, and only then, do we dare to shift the focus away from our own shortcomings onto the shortcomings of others. That doesn't mean that we have to achieve perfection in this life before we dare to criticize others, but it does mean that we need to be conscientiously seeking to grow in wisdom and righteousness on an ongoing basis, so that we can honestly claim to be people of integrity.
(Admittedly, that's easier said than done! It contradicts the natural instincts of spiritually fallen men and women to be honestly introspective about their own flaws. But we have the Holy Spirit to help us in our pursuit of that spiritual ideal, if we will sincerely seek the Lord's help with the various temptations which daily beset us.)
2.) Our judgments of others should be made on the basis of criteria which are biblically defensible, and which reflect an understanding of the fact that God is primarily concerned with matters of the heart, not with matters pertaining to superficial things such as a person’s appearance, a person’s material wealth and so forth.
Our own personal value judgments may be of use to us insofar as our own personal walks with the Lord are concerned, but it diminishes the authority of the scriptures when church leaders cannot distinguish between teachings which make sense to them even though those teachings cannot be found in the scriptures and teachings which are taken directly from the Word of God and which are therefore applicable to all believers.
3.) All of our judgments should be tempered with a heavy dose of humility, knowing that none of us is sinless or immune to sin. Such humility requires that we always acknowledge that unlike God, we are fallible human beings, and our judgments may therefore be in error. Nevertheless, knowing that we are capable of rendering imperfect judgments ought not to ever be used as an excuse for refusing to take a stand on particular moral issues.
4.) Our judgments should be made in the context of a generous willingness to extend the same grace and mercy to repentant sinners that God has extended to us (on the condition that we repent of our sins).
Seen from the proper biblical vantage point, judgment and mercy are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it is precisely because God is the ultimate judge that God's mercy is so badly needed.
5.) Our judgments should be made with the recognition that God’s prerogatives are far more extensive than our prerogatives when it comes to punishing unrepentant sinners. We do have a responsibility to speak what we believe to be the truth, even if it seems harsh at the time. But only God has the ultimate prerogative of sorting the wheat from the chaff, because only God can accurately see the human heart.
Our prerogatives when it comes to punishment are limited to actions (such as sending convicted murderers to prison) which are necessary for the maintenance of a well-ordered and reasonably safe society, or to actions (such as excommunication, in extreme circumstances) which are necessary in order to maintain the credibility, integrity and moral authority of the church.
6.) Our judgments should serve legitimate and biblically defensible purposes which could not be served without rendering such judgments. Such purposes might include protecting others from harm, or strengthening and purifying the Body of Christ so as to enable the Church to more effectively fulfill the great Commission and to more effectively represent Christ here on earth. But judgments which are motivated solely by a desire to put other people down or to look good at the expense of others are contrary to the spirit of brotherly love we Christians ought to exemplify.
There may be other criteria I haven't thought to include in the above list, but in my judgment, it's a good start.
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