John 8:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst

NIV: The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group

NASB: Now the scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in the act of adultery, and after placing her in the center of the courtyard,

CSB: Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center.

NLT: As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

KJV: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

NKJV: Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

At various times in Jesus' public ministry, He was challenged by religious leaders, such as the Pharisees (Matthew 16:1; 19:3; 22:35; Luke 10:25; 11:53–54). Their questions were usually insincere traps, not serious requests. These were brought up to embarrass Jesus in front of His followers. Unfortunately for Jesus' critics, those attempts always came up short. In fact, they usually ended worse for the critics than if they'd been silent. Here, the Pharisees introduce a new factor: a real-life, flesh-and-blood moral dilemma, both unexpected and scandalous.

The verse here says the woman had been caught "in adultery," specified in the next verse as "in the act." Most likely this happened some time earlier, and not mere moments before she was brought to Jesus. Her guilt was not a matter of debate: she was absolutely, unquestionably culpable for the sin of adultery.

Yet this raises a question which might have been part of Jesus' response. If the woman was caught "in the act," then so was the man she was with—so where is the guilty man? This entire episode is an attempt by Pharisees to show that they follow the Law and Jesus does not. But even their trap fails that test: they've only brought half of the guilty parties (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22).

The act of "placing her in the midst" is part of the Pharisees' intended drama. This is meant to be as public as possible. That means Jesus' response can be given as much publicity as possible. Of course, that strategy assumes Jesus is about to make a serious public-relations error. This assumption is once again false.

John 7:53—8:11 is one of the most famous stories of the New Testament. Jesus' response to a trap sprung by the Pharisees is masterful. Though He alone has the moral authority to execute the woman for her sin, Jesus instead chooses forgiveness. This highlights a major concept of Christian ethics: just because one has the power to do something does not mean it's the best option. However, scholars do not believe this event was originally found in this exact place in Scripture. The flow of the gospel of John seems interrupted by the story. Also, in ancient manuscripts, these verses are found in various places. This leads to the suggestion that it is a true story, but not part of John's original narrative of the Festival of Booths in chapters 7 and 8. Not all scholars agree.

This begins with the story of the adulterous woman, a well-known but controversial passage. Most scholars believe this story is authentic, but not originally found in this exact spot in Scripture. The rest of chapter 8 continues Jesus' preaching during the Feast of Booths, where He once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. Here, Christ will make His second ''I am" statement, using the analogy of light, which is a common theme in Hebrew theology. This conversation will become more and more heated. Jesus' opponents become so enraged that they attempt to kill Him right then and there.

Jesus is attending the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. There He once again conflicts with local religious authorities. Previously, Jesus referred to Himself as a source of living water (John 7:37–38). That built on the festival's ritual pouring of water in the temple. In this chapter, Jesus will do something similar with the imagery of lights also related to festival traditions. This demonstrates Jesus' willingness to be direct, even aggressive, with His critics. The next few chapters will complete Jesus' public ministry, as He prepares for His impending death.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.