Exegetical Study of John 8:1-11 - Research Paper Example

An Exegetical Study of John 8 11 Introduction This narrative is about the woman who was caught in adultery, by the Scribes and Pharisees, expecting Jesus to side with them that she be stoned to death according to the Law of Moses. Jesus dealt with the accusation against the woman in a way that has made the narrative famous, and though it has been omitted in various translations, it portrays the grace and wisdom that were inherent in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God (Boring, Berger, and Colpe 37). It reveals the tendency of the haste in which many people pass judgment on others while not seeing their very own sins. It also exposes the wicked plan of the Scribes and Pharisees to trap Jesus, whereby they got what they thought they had the perfect opportunity by using this woman as evidence to trap, discredit and arrest Jesus. These men are exposed as not seekers and upholders of the truth as they pretend, but as hypocrites. Background of the Text In the first instance, as we examine verse 8-5, it is important to understand what was the motive behind the action of the Scribes and Pharisees, which is to be found in John 8:6 that explains that this was done to test Jesus so as to get evidence, with purpose of accusing Him. They did not accuse the woman to Jesus because they were concerned about the Law of Moses but because of the hidden motive to accuse Him (Patte, Daniel et al, 13). They had reasoned and planned that whatever answer Jesus gave, whether to stone the woman or not to stone her, they would get the evidence of their accusations. If Jesus would have concurred with them and given the go ahead that the woman be stoned, they would have accused Him before Pilate of making Himself King, more so because of the Jewish authorities did not allow for the death penalty. If this had not been the case and he refused to side with the accusation, he would have been discredited by the people as a person who did not side with the law. Theological Reflection on the text Examining verses 5 brings out the understanding that the Scribes and the Pharisees in this instance were bringing forth matters that were a misinterpretation of the same law that they were claiming to uphold. In the book of Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22, the Law they claimed to uphold states that both the man and woman who engage in the act of adultery were to be put to death, while in this case, only the woman who they claimed had been caught in the act was brought to Jesus so that she could face judgment (Boring, Berger, and Colpe 56). The Scribes and Pharisees told Jesus that the law stated that such women should be stoned, whereas according to the aforementioned scripture, this was a misinterpretation. It can be rightly assumed that this could have been a scheme, hatched between the adulterer and the other men in the Scribe and Pharisee group to trap the women, in their wider scheme to ultimately trap Jesus. This can be verified from the fact the catching of the woman in the act and the timing of the plan to arrest Jesus seem to have been coordinated to result in finding fault with Jesus and arresting Him. The reply that Jesus gave is narrated in verse 6 and it was very surprising to the Scribes and the Pharisees, and it caught them off guard because they had not anticipated such an eventuality. The narrative continues that Jesus stooped and wrote down with His finger and, the significance of this is important to verify since, it must have been important because it was found worthy recording as this episode was narrated in the Bible. The act of writing can be construed to have been symbolic so as to pass a certain message across. This is strengthened by the fact that, as recorded in Exodus 31:19 the first set of the 10 commandments that were given to Moses were inscribed on two stones by the finger of God. It is significant to note that Jesus is recorded to have written with His finger and this could have held the significance that Jesus the Messiah wrote with the same authority as God, since the Bible equates Him with God. Jesus in his response in verse 7- 9 did not fall into the trap to find fault with the law since He did not answer contrary to what it stated. This is because the bible says that he did not come to abolish but to strengthen the law, and doing contrary would have been a contradiction. He did not either excuse the sinner guilt, but asked her to go and sin no more, implying that though he understood she had sinned , He had the loving heart to forgive her (Boring, Berger, and Colpe 60) . He also saw the pretense of the Pharisees that they were zealous in protecting the law, though they had set such an elaborate plan to trap Him. People condemned others when they judged them for sins that they themselves did or as the Bible records, they who see a speck in another person’s eye while they have logs in their own eyes. The thought was communicated aptly in verse 7 when Jesus asked that among the Scribes and Pharisees, he who had not sinned to cast the first stone and because they were not perfect too, none was able to cast a stone to her (Beale and Carson 35). They were convicted by their own consciences and left, from the oldest to the youngest, implying that Jesus as the messiah was able to speak directly to their hearts, not being deceived by their outward appearance, because the Lord looks at the heart. In this narrative, Jesus demonstrates pertinently that for which he came to the world to do as the Bible says, not to condemn but to seek and to save that which was lost. On the other hand , had he fallen for the trap of the scribes and Pharisees, it would have resulted in the condemnation of the woman, yet it became a chance to bring repentance to life of the woman, irrespective of the gravity of the sin that had been committed (George 85). He also had the aim to use this opportunity to reach to his detractors, the Scribes and the Pharisees to show them their sins since as Messiah; he was able to read what was in their hearts. While they had thought to trap Him he desired to bring conviction to them and to bring them to conversion (George 89). He was not tricked into taking up a judge’s duty since He knew what he had come to do in the world and thus he dealt with the problem in accordance with the grace and wisdom that were upon His life. His parting words to the adulterous woman were that she leaves and not to commit sin any more, which implies that when we assist somebody to save their lives, it is important not to forget that their souls need salvation too and we should endeavor to do it just as Jesus did. This is because when somebody is assisted to rectify their hearts, it this internal rectification will have a positive impact that will impact on the outside too. Conclusion Though many people are prone to judge others harshly, Jesus portrayed that through His marvelous work of redemption, through believing in Jesus Christ, God has provided a way to deal with us through His justice and mercy, in that though He may discipline us, he does not condemn us. Works Cited Beale, Gregory K. & Carson, D.A. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, 2007. Michigan: Baker Academic. Print. Boring, Eugene, Berger, Klaus and Colpe, Carsten. The Hellenistic Commentary on the New Testament, 1995. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press. Print. Carol, A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe. The Women's Bible Commentary, 1998. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. Print. Clifton Black. The New Testament Library, 2004. California: Westminster John Knox Press. Print. George, Timothy F. Reformation Commentary on Scripture, 2011. Nottingham: InterVarsity Press. Print. Oden, Thomas C. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, 2007. Nottingham: InterVarsity Press. Print. Patte, Daniel. The Global Bible Commentary, 2004. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press. Print. Wilken, Robert Louis & Eerdmans. The Church’s Bible, 2005. Michigan: W. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. Print. . Read More