The Woman Caught in Adultery
Mass Readings: Is 43:16-21 Ps 126 Phil 3:8-14 Jn 8:1-11
Key Verse to meditate: "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again" (Jn 8:11).
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
The liturgy of the Fifth Sunday in Lent once again presents us with the theme of conversion, illustrated through the powerful episode of the woman caught in adultery. The first reading, from the prophet Isaiah, encourages the people to let go of their past exile and punishment. God urges them to no longer dwell on former times of shame and suffering but to embrace the hope of restoration and divine mercy. Isaiah prophesies their future return from Babylonian exile, reminding them of God’s unwavering protection and the need to trust in His promises.
In the second reading, St. Paul also speaks of leaving the past behind. He declares that he no longer considers former things significant in light of the surpassing knowledge of Christ the Lord. His words invite us to reflect on the transformative power of faith and the call to seek Christ above all else.
The Gospel presents one of the most profound accounts of God’s unconditional forgiveness and mercy—the episode of the woman caught in adultery. This passage from the Gospel of John echoes the Lukan story of ‘the sinful woman forgiven’ (Lk 7:36-50). More strikingly, it bears resemblance to the Old Testament account of Susanna, who was saved by Daniel’s wisdom (Dan 13). From this episode, we learn that Jesus came not to judge but to save sinners (Jn 3:17). He did not come to condemn but to offer a path to God through mercy, compassion, and faith. These are the very gifts He extended to the woman in today’s Gospel. God calls us to trust in His divine intervention and, above all, to take refuge in His mercy and pardoning embrace.
First Reading – “Do not call to mind the former things”
The first reading is taken from Deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40-55), which is set during the historic fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile in 587 BCE. This portion of Isaiah, likely from the 8th century, highlights Jerusalem’s destruction (Is 49:13-21) and prophetically anticipates the city’s eventual restoration (Is 44:26-28). The first 39 chapters of Isaiah pronounce divine judgment upon Judah, whereas chapters 40-66 convey the promise of salvation. The God of Isaiah is both a just judge and an unfailing source of comfort, renewal, and healing.
In today’s reading, God reveals Himself as both demanding and merciful—mirroring Christ’s response to the sinful woman in the Gospel. Through the prophet, God recalls His mighty works during the Exodus, when He led His people through the Red Sea and provided life-giving water in the desert (Ex 15:22-27; 17:1-7; Num 20:2-13). Just as He guided His people to the Promised Land, He now invites them to move beyond their past sufferings and embrace the new future He is unfolding.
Isaiah often uses the phrase “former things” to emphasize the contrast between past hardships and God’s redemptive plan. The reading anticipates the Israelites’ return from Babylonian exile and calls them to respond with gratitude and praise: “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth-do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Is 43:18-19; cf. Is 65:17). God’s invitation to embrace renewal requires an active response-His people must acknowledge His works and glorify His holy name (Is 42:8,10,12; 48:9).
Second Reading
In the second reading, St. Paul expresses sentiments that resonate with the transformation of the woman caught in adultery-a life forever changed by an encounter with Christ: “More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:8).
Paul, once a zealous persecutor of Christians and a learned Pharisee, came to see his former way of life as worthless in comparison to the grace of Christ. His conversion led him to forsake all worldly attachments, declaring: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings by becoming like Him in His death” (Phil 3:10).
Paul does not lament his break from the past; instead, he considers it a necessary sacrifice for something far greater-his intimate relationship with Christ. He emphasizes that knowing Christ and living in union with Him is of supreme importance. This message extends to us as well: as Christians, our personal relationship with Christ must be our highest priority. Today’s reading challenges us to grow in our knowledge of Christ and to deepen our faith in every aspect of our lives.
The Gospel Reading
The Gospel reading presents the account of the woman caught in adultery, an episode unique to the Gospel of John. It is a striking event that takes place early in the morning in the temple, while Jesus is teaching the crowd. How did the people gather so early around Jesus to hear Him? The first verse of the Gospel tells us that Jesus had gone to the Mount of Olives, likely to remain unnoticed in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth). At this time, tensions between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders-the Pharisees and the Scribes-were high. Jesus sought solitude with God. The next morning, as He returned to the temple to teach, the Scribes and Pharisees brought before Him a woman caught in adultery. Why did they bring her to Him if they already knew the Law and its demands? Their motives were not genuine; they sought to trap Jesus and find grounds to accuse Him. They humiliated the woman under the guise of upholding the Law of Moses and protecting public morality, pretending to seek Jesus’ counsel while secretly plotting against Him.
The Identity of the Adulterous Woman
The identity of the woman remains unknown. In Jewish tradition, adultery was considered a grave sin, and the rabbis taught that a man should rather die than commit idolatry, adultery, or murder. Thus, adultery warranted severe punishment. Though the woman’s name is not mentioned, she is labelled as a "woman caught in adultery." Everyone except Jesus saw her solely through the lens of her sin. However, Jesus saw her as a person, a child of God in need of mercy and justice. While the men around her were eager to condemn, Jesus chose to stand with her, showing mercy while upholding the true essence of the Law.
What Happened to the Adulterous Man?
According to Jewish law, both parties involved in adultery were to be judged. Leviticus 20:10 states: "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife-with the wife of his neighbour-both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death." Though the law prescribed the death penalty, the method was unspecified. In Deuteronomy 22:23-24, stoning was explicitly mentioned in cases involving an engaged woman proven unfaithful. However, in this account, only the woman is brought before Jesus. What happened to her male counterpart? His absence raises suspicion that the entire incident was a setup designed to entrap Jesus.
The Dilemma of the Religious Leaders
The religious leaders faced a dilemma: would Jesus uphold the Law and call for the woman’s execution, or would He pardon her and, in doing so, disobey the Law of Moses? Either decision would seemingly put Jesus in a difficult position. If He condemned the woman, His teachings on compassion and forgiveness would be questioned (Lk 15:1-2). If He pardoned her, He could be accused of disregarding the Law. To them, the woman was merely a legal case-she had no feelings, no future, and no worth beyond the punishment she deserved. But Jesus, with His loving presence and understanding, restored her dignity and offered her a new beginning.
The contrast between Jesus and the religious leaders is clear. The Pharisees and Scribes could only condemn; they had no power to transform or redeem. They could judge but not save, destroy but not restore. Jesus, however, forgave, liberated, and offered new life.
The Judge of the World: He Bent Down to Write
The Scribes and Pharisees demanded that Jesus judge the woman according to the Law: "Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say?" (Jn 8:5). They sought to test Jesus, forcing Him to either validate the Law or contradict it (Lk 12:13-14). Yet Jesus did not immediately respond. Instead, He bent down and wrote on the ground. What did He write? The Gospel does not say, but some speculate that He was listing the sins of those present (cf. Job 13:26).
When pressed for an answer, Jesus stood and delivered a challenge: "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (Jn 8:7). With this statement, He exposed their hypocrisy. They had forgotten that they, too, were sinners standing before the ultimate Judge. One by one, they left, realizing their own guilt.
Jesus was not deceived by outward religiosity or self-righteous claims. He did not condone the woman’s sin but neither did He condemn her. Instead, He extended mercy and called her to a new way of life: "Go, and sin no more" (Jn 8:11). This is the message of today’s Gospel-Jesus came not to condemn but to save, to offer mercy and a path to redemption for all sinners (Jn 3:17).
He Who is Without Sin
Jesus made one of the most profound statements in history: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (Jn 8:7). Then, once again, He bent down and wrote on the ground. The scribes and Pharisees had brought the woman before Jesus, eager to test His adherence to the Law regarding outward behaviour. However, Jesus redirected the discussion toward the deeper demands of the Law on the human heart.
His words served as a reminder of the gravity of their accusations. He was cautioning them that if they testified with malice or deceit, they were effectively signing their own death warrant. Jesus was not rejecting the Law but challenging them to apply it fully and justly. He was not forbidding judgment against adulterers but insisting that those who executed judgment must be morally qualified to do so (Mt 7:1-2).
At last, He placed the responsibility in their hands, saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (Jn 8:8). These words struck them like a thunderbolt, and one by one, they left the scene. Ironically, the only one without sin-Jesus Himself (2 Cor 5:21)-was the only one qualified to condemn her, yet He chose not to do so.
The Law required two witnesses to carry out the death sentence (Deut 17:1-7), and it mandated that these witnesses be the first to cast the stones. Additionally, Deuteronomy 19:15-21 warns against false testimony, stating that malicious witnesses should receive the same punishment they intended for the accused. This law protected the accused and made it perilous for evildoers to manipulate justice for their own corrupt purposes. In this case, since the accusers had vanished, there were no witnesses left, and the charges were effectively dismissed. The woman was now free to go.
Neither Do I Condemn You
Before delivering His perfect judgment, Jesus had been on the Mount of Olives, praying to the Father (John 8:1). Now, left alone with the woman, He spoke words of absolution and new life: "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again." (Jn 8:11). This moment marked her resurrection to a new life. The mercy and pardon of God had saved her from death, and surely, she must have been transformed by the experience of divine forgiveness. She was no longer merely the woman caught in adultery but a child of God, restored by grace.
God Gave Her a Second Chance
By shielding the woman from the wrath of the crowd, Jesus granted her a second chance. He restored her dignity and preserved her life, even though she had been facing a death sentence. It is a poignant irony that the religious leaders who sought to condemn her would later condemn Jesus-the spotless Lamb of God-to death.
In pardoning her, Jesus gave her not only freedom but also responsibility. "From now on do not sin again" (Jn 8:11b). He had not liberated her so she could return to her old ways. This was not permission to persist in sin but an invitation to transformation. Jesus, the true Deliverer, set her free from guilt, sin, and shame, just as He does for each of us when we repent.
A Woman Surprised by God’s Love
This woman was not just caught in sin—she was caught in the boundless love of God. She was invited not to dwell on her past but to embrace a new beginning. Jesus did not condemn her; instead, He challenged her to walk in the light of His mercy.
Jesus does not judge or condemn but calls us to conversion: "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make, you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Mt 7:1-2; see also Jas 4:11-12; Rom 14:10-12; 1 Cor 4:3-5). The woman had two choices: to return to her old life or to embrace God’s forgiveness and begin anew. I believe she chose the latter.
Condemnation is easy, but forgiveness is divine. Jesus demonstrated that the greatest power in the world is the ability to forgive. When we receive absolution in confession, God does not condemn us but invites us to repentance and conversion.
Points for Personal Reflection
What does this verse speak to me: "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again." (John 8:11)?
Do I unjustly condemn others?
How do I feel when the priest pronounces the words of absolution: “I absolve you from all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit-Go in peace”?
Who among us is truly qualified to throw stones?
A Final Thought
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:27-28).
As we journey through Lent, today’s readings invite us to leave behind the burdens of our past and embrace the mercy of God. The woman caught in adultery encountered Christ’s compassion and was given a new beginning. Similarly, Isaiah calls the Israelites to move forward with hope, and Paul testifies to the life-changing power of faith in Christ. God is always at work, leading us toward renewal and transformation.
Jesus does not merely expose sin-He heals and restores. May we, like the woman in today’s Gospel, respond to His mercy by living transformed lives, embracing the second chances that His love offers us. May we open our hearts to His grace, knowing that in Him, all things are made new - Amen.
