Free to go but not to sin- 5th Week of Lent- Monday- John 8: 1-11

This seems like a set up from the word go.Jesus has returned to the temple after spending the night at the Mount of Olives and now settles down to teach. They bring to Him a woman who had been caught in adultery and parade her in front of everyone.

Common sense would wonder how come they ‘caught her in the act of adultery?’ Surely her sin could not have been committed in full view of every one. This is no act that one commits in a public place, which begs the question, ‘where is the man?’ There is no such thing as adultery where only one party is guilty. Yet only she is brought before Jesus, ‘caught’ as it were, in the act.

The Pharisees seem to have found company in their attack against Jesus. They are joined by the scribes. These men are mentioned 58 times in the gospel, usually in opposition to Jesus. The scribes were not a religious group, but simply secretaries who copied and kept records. At the time of Jesus, they were called to assist the Jewish religious readers by reading and explaining the Jewish scriptures.