In the temple courts, a woman caught in adultery faced public shame and the threat of death by stoning. The religious leaders used her as a trap for Jesus, yet in that moment of deepest humiliation, the Saviour extended mercy that changed everything. Pastor Léveillé brings this familiar story to life, showing how Jesus still meets guilty sinners with tenderness, defends them from condemnation, and offers a brand-new beginning.
Jesus Meets Us at Our Lowest (vv. 1-6)
Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
The woman was dragged from the place of her sin, thrown down in the temple courtyard, and surrounded by accusers holding stones. Her face was in the dust; shame and terror overwhelmed her. Yet the Holy One who wrote the law now stoops to her level. The One who knew no sin draws near to the guilty. Grace always bends low. Grace climbs into the rubble of broken lives. Jesus meets sinners not from a safe distance but right where they are, in their lowest moment.
Many who walk through church doors feel exactly like this woman. Past failures, visible scars, or simply the weight of regret make them expect rejection. But Jesus specialises in meeting people at their lowest, offering the same tenderness He showed that day in the temple.
Jesus Defends Us from Condemnation (vv. 6-9)
The leaders kept demanding an answer, hoping to trap Jesus between Roman law and Mosaic law. Instead of speaking immediately, Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they continued asking, He lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
One by one the stones dropped. The oldest left first, then the rest, until none remained. Jesus stood between the woman and her accusers, shielding her from condemnation. He exposed the hypocrisy of the self-righteous while protecting the broken. The only sinless One present was also the only One qualified to cast a stone, yet He chose mercy.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1). The voices that say “You will never change” or “God could never use someone like you” are not the voice of Jesus. He defends His own.
Jesus Restores Us to a New Beginning (vv. 10-11)
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
The courtyard was silent. The accusers had vanished. Jesus looked at the woman, addressed her with dignity, and asked the question that still echoes today: “Where are those thine accusers?” No credible witness remained. Then came the words she never expected: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
Jesus did not excuse her sin; adultery remained serious, a violation of God’s law. Yet He removed condemnation and offered pardon with a new direction. Grace does not overlook sin; grace overcomes it through the blood of Christ. The past cannot always be rewritten, but the future can be transformed. This woman left the temple forgiven, restored, and commissioned to live differently.
A Tender Saviour for Guilty Sinners
Every person we meet carries the weight of sin, some more visibly than others. Like the Pharisees, we can easily pick up stones of judgment. Like Jesus, we can stoop low, defend the broken, and point them to the One who says, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
May we never forget that the same mercy shown to the woman caught in adultery has been extended to us. And may we, in turn, extend that mercy to others, proclaiming not cheap grace that winks at sin, but the costly grace of a holy Saviour who bends low to lift sinners up and set their feet on a new path.
