John 8:1-11

John 8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Here we have the story of the Pharisees attempting to trap Jesus.  A woman, caught in adultery, is brought before him.  What will he do?  No matter the outcome, Jesus was going down, it was a lose - lose situation the Pharisees were sure.

And yet, this passage is nowhere to be found in the oldest copies of John and yes, a copy of John is the oldest copy of any new testament text we have a copy of!  So, the oldest copy of John, a fairly complete text, is missing this passage.  I wonder why.  Hmmmmm.

Who are the actors:
Jesus
Pharisees
Woman caught in the act of adultery

What is the situation?
Jesus is expected to condemn the woman
Pharisees obviously setting up Jesus
Woman whom has to be mighty embarassed

What happens?
Jesus challenges anyone to stone her
Pharisees, probably armed with stones, leave
Woman is told to sin no more

What is the message?
Jesus outsmarted the Pharisees, forgives sin but demands no justice
Pharisees are hard-hearted and scheming
Woman saved from certain death, forgiven

What could the purpose of this insert be?
Jesus can forgive sin
Jesus can over-ride demands for justice
Jesus is smarter than those whom oppose him

Pharisees/Judaism rejects Jesus
Pharisees seek to entrap Jesus by an un-Scriptural situation
Pharisees are ready to mete out justice
Pharisees are aware of their own sin
Pharisees are divided between the older and younger generations

Woman is sinful
Woman is to be held accountable, not man
Woman submits to Jesus
Woman is forgiven by Jesus
Woman, we assume, leaves to sin no more

So, Jesus is shown as the hero in this passage - as the Jewish hierarchy oppose him.  So, there is a religious and political reference here.  The Pharisees and by extension, the Jews are hard-hearted, legalistic only to their own advantage, stone throwers (murderers if you prefer).

Jesus' forgiveness of this woman's sin allows us, by extension as Christians, to know that our own adulteries are forgiven - both physically and spiritually.  It is mighty tough to go through a post-Christian life without sin!  It is good to know you are forgiven without compromising your Christian status.  But, is that really true?  (a topic for another time)

Whatever could be the point of a second to forth century insert into the book of John?  Especially a story in which the Jewish leaders break their own laws in order to frame Jesus, are out maneuvered by him and the woman ends up forgiven?

Obviously, not to show the Jewish mind in its best light, not to show the Jew in the best religious light, not show the Jew is forgiven as all whom turn to Jesus are.  Certainly, to show the Jew as a Law breaker, a schemer, judgmental, etc.

Was this a propaganda piece?  Something to justify hunting of the Jew in Christian held lands?

But, the big thing to learn from this passage is what is forgotten: Jewish laws were not observed, Jesus did not rebuke the Pharisees for this, the woman is not given justice, nor is God's law.  Remember that Jesus was buried by Jewish followers, one of them- Nicodemus is a Pharisee who is at the top of his field - think Billy Graham or other favorite Bible teacher. Not only is he a member of the Sanhedrin, he is the most renowned Bible teacher of his day.  Think on that one!  He became unclean because of his love for Jesus, barred from temple, no offerings possible, an outcast for at least a week from the whole of his life!

That is the real story of the Christian and the Jew - we are one and same, children of faith - a faith which man was not able to keep and so God sent the offering to pay the price for the Abrahamic Covenant.  And so Jesus became that completion to both the Jew and the Gentile.  No matter how you want to cut the story, salvation is offered for all whom will listen to God's quiet voice.