The Woman taken in Adultery and the Parable of the Prodigal Son
John 7.53-8.11
A Reading by Lee Magness
The Parable of the Adulterous Woman
One day Jesus encountered some of the dearest children of God. One of them was a woman, a young wife, who had been living in sin. The others were a group of men, godly men who sought to live and teach the will of God, Pharisees and scribes, who had been living in self-righteousness. Some time before, the young woman had said to her husband, “Give me what belongs to me, control over my own body.” Her husband gave her what was already hers, the will to do as she wished.
Not many days later, the young woman took her body and her heart from her husband and took a journey into the far country of unfaithfulness, and there she squandered her affections in reckless living. And when her body was wasted and her heart was shriveled up, she sold herself to a pig of a man who made her feed his appetites. She longed for love, for affection, but he never gave her anything, he only took.
While she was still a long way off, some of the Pharisees and scribes recognized her, seized her, and dragged her back, not to her husband, but to Jesus the rabbi. “Teacher,” they said, “this woman has been caught living in adultery. The Law of Moses commands us to stone such women. So what do you say?” Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground—“mercy,” “compassion,” “forgiveness,” “grace.” “Is that all you have to say?” they responded. “Look, all these years we have served God, and we never disobeyed God’s commands, yet you never congratulated us or celebrated our righteousness in any way. Now we bring this woman to you, this woman who has lived in marital unfaithfulness, and you talk about mercy! What do you have to say about that?” “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground—“pride,” “hypocrisy,” “self-righteousness.” And when they saw what he had written, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
Then Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? “They are gone, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way, and from now on sin no more.” With that she came to her senses and said, “You have treated me with grace and mercy. I will arise and go back to my husband, and I will say to him, ‘My dear husband, I have sinned against God and against you and against myself. I am no longer worthy to be called your wife. At least treat me kindly as a friend.’” But just as she arose to go back to her husband, she saw him standing there, listening to Jesus.
Her husband saw her and overflowed with compassion, and ran and embraced her and kissed her. She began to speak, “My dear husband, I have sinned against God and against you and against myself. I am no longer worthy to be called your wife.” But the husband said to his servants, “Bring quickly the finest robe, and put it on her and put a ring on her hand, and shoes on her feet. Bring a fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my wife was dead, and is alive again; she was lost, and is found.” And they all began to celebrate.
One day Jesus encountered some of the dearest children of God. One of them was a woman, a young wife, who had been living in sin. The others were a group of men, godly men who sought to live and teach the will of God, Pharisees and scribes, who had been living in self-righteousness. Some time before, the young woman had said to her husband, “Give me what belongs to me, control over my own body.” Her husband gave her what was already hers, the will to do as she wished.
Not many days later, the young woman took her body and her heart from her husband and took a journey into the far country of unfaithfulness, and there she squandered her affections in reckless living. And when her body was wasted and her heart was shriveled up, she sold herself to a pig of a man who made her feed his appetites. She longed for love, for affection, but he never gave her anything, he only took.
While she was still a long way off, some of the Pharisees and scribes recognized her, seized her, and dragged her back, not to her husband, but to Jesus the rabbi. “Teacher,” they said, “this woman has been caught living in adultery. The Law of Moses commands us to stone such women. So what do you say?” Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground—“mercy,” “compassion,” “forgiveness,” “grace.” “Is that all you have to say?” they responded. “Look, all these years we have served God, and we never disobeyed God’s commands, yet you never congratulated us or celebrated our righteousness in any way. Now we bring this woman to you, this woman who has lived in marital unfaithfulness, and you talk about mercy! What do you have to say about that?” “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground—“pride,” “hypocrisy,” “self-righteousness.” And when they saw what he had written, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
Then Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are your accusers? “They are gone, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way, and from now on sin no more.” With that she came to her senses and said, “You have treated me with grace and mercy. I will arise and go back to my husband, and I will say to him, ‘My dear husband, I have sinned against God and against you and against myself. I am no longer worthy to be called your wife. At least treat me kindly as a friend.’” But just as she arose to go back to her husband, she saw him standing there, listening to Jesus.
Her husband saw her and overflowed with compassion, and ran and embraced her and kissed her. She began to speak, “My dear husband, I have sinned against God and against you and against myself. I am no longer worthy to be called your wife.” But the husband said to his servants, “Bring quickly the finest robe, and put it on her and put a ring on her hand, and shoes on her feet. Bring a fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my wife was dead, and is alive again; she was lost, and is found.” And they all began to celebrate.