They each went to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “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. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” - John 7:53-8:11
This story, well known and loved for its revelation of God's mercy toward sinners, is found only in John. However, you have probably noticed in your Bible, that brackets have been placed around the text with some type of footnote. The note explains that early Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of John do not contain this story and that this narrative when found is placed in different sections of the Gospel. The note seems to cast doubt on the reliability of “The Woman Caught in Adultery Story” causing many readers confusion.
Biblical scholars agree that it was almost certainly not part of John's original Gospel. The earliest and most reliable manuscripts do not have John 7:53- 8:11. Some manuscripts place it at other points within the gospel ofJohn (after 7:36, 7:44 or 21:25), others include it in the Gospel of Luke (placing it after Luke 21:38), still others do not have it at all.
The text may not be the actual writing of the Apostle John, but the story does reflect the writing style of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Many scholars acknowledge that adultery story does not belong at the end of chapter seven, but the passages do reflect the concerns, attitude, and teaching of Jesus.
New Testament scholar Gary Burge has this to say about the reliability of this passage, “On one hand it seems clear that the weight of evidence mitigates against the originality of the story. That is, this brief account is probably not original to the Fourth Gospel. On the other hand, the story has every suggestion of historical veracity, suggesting that it was indeed an event that occurred in the life of Jesus and was a story worthy of collection and recitation.”
There are several important questions we can, and should, ask about this passage to ensure that it does indeed deserve to be treated as the Word of God...
Do these verses teach truth that violates other Scripture? No, they do not.
Do they in fact corroborate other Scripture and substantiate it? Yes they do.
Is there definite and conclusive evidence that they should be left out? No.
Do they fit the person of Jesus Christ? Yes they do.
Does this passage fit John, the author's, pattern in writing this gospel? Yes.
Do they fit the context? In other words, do they belong in the flow of verses before and after? Yes, it fits beautifully.
So it does not violate any other Scriptures. It does not contradict any other Scriptures. It in fact substantiates and affirms other Scriptures. Most of all, it is like Jesus Christ, perfectly like Him. The beauty and the obvious Christ- likeness of this record leads me personally to believe that it is genuine. It is a magnificent and an important graphic illustration of the forgiveness and mercy of our Lord! This story is like a lens, you focus it on one object and everything else is blurred. John’s gospel, and the whole New Testament is focused on the person of Jesus Christ. We are not studying the woman and we are not studying the scribes and the Pharisees, we are studying Jesus Christ!
Jeff Frazier
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment