John 8:3-11 And the scribes and Pharisees brought to him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the middle,… What? does our Lord favour sin? No; observe what follows: "Go and sin no more." Therefore He condemned sin and pardoned the sinner. Let them who love Christ's mercy also fear His truth, for "gracious and righteous is the Lord" (Psalm 25:7). Observe also that this acquittal was pronounced by Christ under special circumstance, viz., when the teachers of the law were breakers of the law, as was shown by our Lord's test: "He that is without sin," etc.; and consequently great indulgence was due to those who were subject to their teaching and looked to their example. Hence our Lord's merciful reply. But let it not be abused by misapplication to the times of the gospel, when the sin of adultery has been made more heinous by the Incarnation, and by clearer teaching on the sanctity of marriage (Ephesians 5:32), and by still more awful denunciation on the sins of uncleanness (1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 4:5-7; Hebrews 13:4; Revelation 21:8). Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah as well as the Lamb of God. Let us not presume on the meekness of the Lamb, lest we feel the wrath of the Lion. (Bp. Wordsworth.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,WEB: The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the midst, |
    |