Only with great difficulty can we stay where life has placed us for we are constantly running away, seduced by our summer loves. In her freedom we see ourselves freed. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators. She is to go her way without sinning again. One of the best ways to enrich your experience at Sunday Mass is to pray the gospel reading personally. 5Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such. Last week, we looked at one of the most dramatic public statements Jesus ever made. She isn't the first to be guilty, she isn't the first to be entrapped, and she's not the first to be forgiven by the Savior...nor will she be the last! We do not know whether the scribes and Pharisees witnessed the adultery. John 8:31-32 He promises freedom through knowledge of the truth to those Jews who believed on him, John 8:33-47 confutes their vain boast of being Abraham’s seed, “he looked up and said to them” (v. 7b). John 8:1-11 — Jesus Does not Condemn ; The Adulterous Woman 8:1-12 ; Poster: Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. It also contains one of Jesus' most well-known statements (vs 7b). John 8:1-11 Neither Do I Condemn You "Pastor is it OK to sell a Bible to a prostitute?" Those who accused her realize that they have become the accused. It is difficult to imagine how any person could be more miserable than this woman is at this moment. 1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. From now on, sin (hamartane) no more'” (v. 11). Most scholars agree that the story is not Johannine in its origins and that it was added later. JOHN: PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT Precept Ministries International Inductive Study. It is really Jesus who is on trial here. • The story blends a lovely note of grace (“Neither do I condemn you”) with a challenge to high standards (“Go your way. The scribes and Pharisees see her, not as a human being, but as a tool that they can use to entrap Jesus. ; Read the daily readings. This story is rich in literary and theological themes interwoven with what has gone before in John’s gospel and with what is to come. Reflection on Adultery: We’re all guilty. Perhaps he was just doodling—stalling for time to enhance the drama of the moment. But Jesus stands up for her also: he that stands before her has already risen, he is the one that rises above death, it is he that has erased our sentence by defeating death. Having set her in the midst, 4they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery (Greek: moicheia), in the very act. From now on, sin, All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan. In her, every man sees his own sin. '” (v. 10). But if what I don’t desire, that I do, Office of the Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford - Wordsearch; Crossword Puzzle - He Who Is Without Sin Throw the First Stone, John 8:1-11 The adulteress woman thrown into the center becomes a projection of all the men that surround her. John 8:2-11 - "JESUS' WORK OF FORGIVENESS" Reading Sermon by Prof. H. Hanko. Includes Topical Study on the Feasts (Lessons 2-4) and Topical Study on … The question, then, is whether we Go your way. In her they see all of their inability to be faithful to the Law. Life in a prison cell may well be compared to advent. . All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. We must be careful to interpret this in the light of sin and forgiveness as they are portrayed in the rest of the New Testament. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. ; Listen to the daily readings podcasts; Find more information on the New American Bible; Daily Video Reflections getting a new look and feel. “Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, ‘Woman, where are your accusers? John Part 1 10 lessons covering John 1-6 with Lesson Six a study on Being Born Again and Lesson Ten a Topical Study on Jesus' Disciples; John Part 2 8 lessons covering John 7-11. Lectio Divina: John 8:1-11 "Lectio divina is an authentic source of Christian spirituality recommended by our Rule. This does not address what happened to “all the people” (v. 2) who had been listening to Jesus before the scribes and Pharisees appeared on the scene with the fallen woman. The scribes and Pharisees have seen him deal mercifully with sinners, and hope to show that he has strayed beyond the bounds of the law to do so. The last part of chapter 7 has the Pharisees trying unsuccessfully to figure out how to deal with Jesus. The *Word caused all things to exist. Play a sport? “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act” (v. 4). John 15:4 says: "Abide in me, and I in you. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,  and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. However, it is likely that other people (at least two people in accordance with the requirements of Deuteronomy 17:6) witnessed the offense and brought the woman to the attention of the scribes and Pharisees. He sat down, and taught them. John 8:1-11 Christ letteth go uncondemned the woman taken in adultery. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. After the Scribes and Pharisees have left, Jesus can take up his role again as the authentic judge of the woman before him. And yet God has given it to us. He is the event that we come across, seemingly by accident, that reveals the truth about ourselves, whether we like it or not. This story makes no mention of the man. Life is like a constant game of mirrors: we project our frustrations onto others, we condemn them for things we don’t dare see in ourselves, yet we care for others when they display our most fragile features. Then they will present him with a problem that they believe will impale him on the horns of a dilemma. The Scribes and Pharisees seemingly force Jesus into the role of judge, but it is actually he who is being judged by them. Did no one condemn you?”, “Neither do I condemn you. Those are self-condemned who judge others, and yet do the same thing. But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger. The same would be true if someone were to tell us that we can be forgiven for past but not future sins. She has sold Avon products for years in the town to supplement the family income. It is quite possible on this occasion that Jesus went to Gethsemane or the Mount of Olives for prayer, and thenceforth to Bethany, where he would be welcome overnight at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. That isn’t Good News—it isn’t faithful to the New Testament—and it isn’t true. We find ourselves in an ambiguous situation in which we don’t know who is being charged. – At this point in your life, who or what are the mirrors that you see yourself reflected in? We should not, therefore, make a ‘big deal’ over such a trifling and personal matter.” Others “paint” with an … That seems unnecessarily abrupt—a bit of scholarly conceit. In chapter 7 the gospel narrative describes for us the time Jesus spent at the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast that was celebrated in the nation to commemorate the years of wandering in the wilderness. So he was left alone with the woman before him. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. Then the Pharisees went to their homes, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. What did Jesus write? Once again, Jesus arises from the bent posture that he assumed so that he could write on the ground. John 8:1-11 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) 8 1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. His statement acknowledges her guilt, but simply challenges her to abstain from sin in the future—offers her a chance for a new life. * a 2 But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts: ... John 8:6, Fr. ), which the WEB has updated. In her, every man can see the destiny that he deserves and that which he is delivered from. His popularity with the common people is one of the reasons that the religious leaders fear him (12:19). But if he says that she should be stoned, his decision will cost him the support of the common people who would be offended by the strict adherence to this Mosaic Law—a law that we have reason to believe was honored mainly in the breach at this point in time. A daily Catholic homily by Fr. This woman’s adultery is their own potential adultery, their own inevitable infidelity to God. We love your feedback! Visit friends while you take a road…, I saw all the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world, and I said groaning, ‘What can get…, “Doll Face” is a video published by Global Short Film Network and made by Andy Huang. by John Zokovitch Pax Christi USA Director of Communications Most, maybe all, biblical scholars agree that John 8:1-11 is not original to John’s gospel, and that it actually reflects Lucan artistry and themes much more. If it were important for us to know, surely God would have inspired the author of this story to tell us. ); teaching of his heavenly origin (John 8:21-30); and the passage on the true children of Abraham (John 8:31-59).THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY. Sinless in the Eyes of God - word-sunday.com ; Bible Study Lesson Plans, Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Picayune, Mississippi ; Agape Bible Study - The Gospel According to John - Chapter 8, The Light of the World Discourse - 2 Handouts Structural Outlines of the Fourth Gospel by Rev. Commentary on John's Gospel, 33,5). Apparently she and her partner were discovered and interrupted while having intercourse, a traumatic event in itself. Has no one condemned you?”, She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Verse 1. “They said testing (peirazontes—from peirazo) him, so that they might have something to accuse him of” (v. 6a). “Everyone went to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives” (vv. We are more than 40 young professionals from around the world, putting our gifts to the service of The Church. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. If Jesus says that the woman should not be stoned, they can bring charges against him for subverting Mosaic Law. 7But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin (Greek: anamartetos) among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Commentary on John 1:6-14 (Read John 1:6-14) John the Baptist came to bear witness concerning Jesus. Adam McMillan, a reflection on the Scriptures from the daily Mass. The Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus will soon go for prayer (Matthew 26:30), is located on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives. Heavenly Help from the Lord The Gospel of John John 8:1-11 Sermon by Rick Crandall Grayson Baptist Church - December 21, 2016 (Revised September 3, 2019) BACKGROUND: *Here in John 8 we are still in one of the most important seasons of Christ's ministry on earth. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. We therefore practice it every day, so that we may develop a deep and genuine love for it, and so that we may grow in the surpassing knowledge of Christ. 3 Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. During this period, only the Roman government had the legal authority to exercise capital punishment, but there is some evidence that Jewish authorities, in violation of Roman law, executed women for adultery (Keener, 736). 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