Woman Caught in adultery

Mercy is not equal to loss of the sense of sin

Chapter 8 of John’s gospel has this powerful gospel passage where Jesus meets a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. Scripture scholars doubt whether this was originally part of John’s Gospel (that’s for interested people to check).

The woman was forcefully brought to Jesus, not for an encounter (meeting) with Jesus, but to accuse Jesus. Jesus never responds to them till they force him to reply. He is okay (or not okay) with stoning — it’s not clear; but he is clear on the first stone pelter — let that be a sinless one.

Jesus is not commenting on her act. He looks at her beyond her act; he offers love and mercy.

Mercy is not saying that sin is not sin. Mercy is offering the potential or ropeway for transformation or conversion. It’s not a lecture asking the person to convert; it’s providing the toolkit to live a life in mercy. It may not mean that the person won’t sin again, but it’s strong support to fall back if they sin and to get up and walk again.