The Purpose Of Position
Whether one argues for or against its inclusion in the Bible, why keep the PA in its current position? In spite of arguments that this is not Johns style of writing, the content fits the context.
Jesus has been talking about the law. The Pharisees called for Jesus to be arrested they wanted him killed. Nicodemus cried out Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does? .
This is precisely what happened to the woman Jesus rescued from stoning: she was judged and about to be convicted without a proper hearing.
In John 8:15-18, Jesus declared to the Pharisees you judge according to the flesh I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.
This is crucial: there was a procedure to follow. The Pharisees were disregarding their own law where the woman is concerned, and Paul later testified to every man who receives circumcision, he is under obligation to keep the whole Law .
Jesus emphasized the preeminence of his word over what he describes as your law . This was not his law.
The PA illustrates that the Pharisees laws were not Gods laws their hearts were distant from God, who wants us to pursue justice and mercy, and to be humble before him .
Origin Of Cast The First Stone
This expression comes from the Bible, John 8:7. In this part of the Bible, many people want to throw stones at a woman. She was accused of adultery. The crowd wants to kill her and punish her for this sin.
Jesus tells them that the person who has no sins should be the first to throw a stone. Of course, everyone has sinned, so no one can throw any stones.
Breaking Down The Key Parts Of John : 7
#1 When they kept on questioning him, It seems that Jesus was at first ignoring the Pharisees and teachers of the law as they questioned him about the woman who had been caught in adultery and what should be done with her.
#2 he straightened up and said to them, It is not clear what the purpose was of what Jesus was doing before he straightened up. The text said that he knelt in the dust and drew something with his finger in the dirt. Though some have conjectured about what he may have been writing , there is simply no way to know what is not revealed in Scripture. Whatever he was writing or drawing, he stopped to stand up and speak to them.
#3 let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . There is no one who has not sinned. It is remarkable that the self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the Law were able to admit the fact. Our compassion for others comes first from the fact that God loves them, and secondly from the humility to identify with those who struggle, knowing that we may struggle with the same, or we have before, even if by the grace of God we no longer do. If you have a difficult time relating to one who sins in an area where you have had the grace to have no struggle, consider Jesus compassion. He never sinned but was able to have compassion for any who would see their sin and repent.
Don’t Miss: Non Denominational Churches In Charlotte Nc
What Is The Meaning Of ‘let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone’
The relevant scene from Johns gospel depicts a story in which Christ rescued a woman caught in adultery. Some Pharisees sought to stone the woman, but Jesus challenged them, the womans life was saved, and the religious leaders left the scene. Christ did not condemn the woman but he told her go now and leave your life of sin.
Immediately prior to this scene, Jesus had told his brothers to go to Judea where he himself could not go lest he be arrested. But Jesus followed them in disguise and heard many opinions about who he was.
Some said he was a good man while others said he was leading the people astray . Eventually, Jesus stood up and spoke against the religious leaders, who sent officers to arrest him, but they were too astounded by Jesus teaching to do their job.
If John 7:53-8:11 was left out of the gospel, this scene in Judea would be followed immediately by Christ teaching I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life . Without the story of the adulteress, John 7:52 flows nicely into John 8:12.
Biblical Translations Of John : 7
NIV When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.
NLT They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!
ESV And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.
KJV So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
NKJV So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.
Recommended Reading: What Happens After Death Bible
Let Him Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone
We are so used to thinking of Jesus as a divinity whom we accept or reject on the basis of faith that we are apt to miss a far more relevant detail: that he was an extremely acute philosopher, whose rules on human conduct maintain a deep and ongoing applicability.
One of the most salient of his lessons comes in chapter eight of the Gospel of Saint John. Jesus has recently come down from Galilee to Jerusalem when some Pharisees, members of a sect focused on precise adherence to Jewish tradition and law, present him with a married woman whom they have caught having sex with someone other than her husband. Teacher, they ask him, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. In our law, Moses commanded that such a woman must be stoned to death. Now what do you say?
Jesus is being edged into a trap. Will he say that it is completely fine to have an affair ? Or will the mild-mannered preacher of love and forgiveness turn out to be just as strict about legal matters as the Jewish authorities he liked to criticise?
Jesus makes a deft move. He doesnt categorically deny the mob the right to stone the woman to death but he adds one apparently small but in practice epochal caveat to this right. They can kill and destroy her to their hearts content if, but only if, they can be absolutely sure that they have first satisfied one crucial criteria: they have never done anything wrong themselves.
Bible Verses About Cast The First Stone
Bible verses related to Cast The First Stone from the King James Version by Relevance
John 8:7 – So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.Matthew 7:3 – And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?1 Peter 2:15 – For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:John 8:1-59 – Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. Romans 14:4 – Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.Matthew 7:15 – Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.Acts 10:34 – Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Topics and verses are auto-generated from user searches. If a verse or topic does not belong, please contact us. Some scripture references/categories courtesy of Open Bible .info under CC BY 3.0
Related Bible Dictionary Terms:
Search the King James Version for more references about Cast The First Stone…
Also Check: Is Lucifer Mentioned In The Bible
He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone
Reading and understanding Scripture can be hard.
Christians and non-Christians alike frequently refer to this passage. Dare I say it is one of the most commonly misused and misapplied verses today?
Let’s take a look at John 8:1-11
What is this passage really teaching us? What truth are we to learn?
“but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say? They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?
No one, sir, she said.
Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared. Go now and leave your life of sin.
Let’s Look At Jesus’ Response To The Accusers
All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!
If you pluck this verse from the Bible without looking at the verses before and after, it’s easy to misunderstand.
Is Jesus saying that we must not judge an action as sin? Are we being judgmental if we call sin, sin?
Jesus was in no way condoning the woman’s behavior.
Jesus was telling the accusers they were:
a.) Not in compliance with the law they were attempting to get Him to administer , and
b.) According to Jewish law, the witness to the crime had to participate in the punishment. Hence why Jesus asked them about picking up the stone.
You May Like: Where Can I Find The Bible
What Events Led To Jesus Saying Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone
Before we land on Jesus famous words about being the first to throw a stone in John 8:7, Jesus has been making rounds in Galilee and his brothers are urging him to leave Galilee and go to Judea so that your disciples there may see the works you do, and in fact to show yourself to the world .
But because even Jesus brothers didnt believe in him, Jesus opts to hang back, telling his brothers to go ahead to the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles because his time had not fully come.
After the brothers head into Judea, Jesus follows in secret. He knows the crowds in Judea are whispering about him, and worse, many want to kill him. When Jesus arrives on the scene and begins to teach, asking why people want to kill him, someone hurls a proverbial stone, responding you are demon-possessed . To which Jesus, at the close of his explanation, asks them, Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
Jesus consistently clarifies that he speaks on the authority of God. The Pharisees get increasingly angry. They hate that this mob that knows nothing of the law is believing Jesus to be the living water he is offering.
In an attempt to trap Jesus, they remind him in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. But Jesus, having come to fulfill the Law with a new everlasting covenant, gently bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. He is not swayed.
Its possible Jesus was showing the Pharisees in silence that they deserved to be executed.
Explanation And Commentary Of John : 7
Having brought an adulterous woman to Jesus, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were seeking to trap Jesus. They knew that he was merciful and expected that he would not be willing to keep the Law by sanctioning her death. How would Jesus talk his way out of this dilemma? He does so expertly by uttering this verse.
In so doing, he pointed out that sin is sin. For the moment, he had managed to cause them to stop judging others, and take an honest look at the log in their own eyes . We are expected to be discerning and judge right from wrong while we live out our lives in the world but not of it, but when the judgment becomes such that we are able to compare ourselves selectively to others who we deem worse than us in a self-righteous manner, we have crossed over into the sinful judgment that Christ, Paul, and the other New Testament authors warn against. Self-righteous judgment was a major problem in Jesus day when certain sects of Judaism produced experts at sticking to the letter of the law, but having no real heart for God, as evidenced by their refusal to recognize his Son when he came preaching and healing.
You May Like: National Church Residences Corporate Office
What Was The Motivation Of The Accusers
Mosaic law required both the woman AND the man to be given the same punishment. The Pharisees were not in compliance with the law in which they were attempting to use by only bring the woman to Jesus.
While it may initially appear the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus for justice, a quick look at verse 6, and we see that is not the case.
“They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.”
These men who brought the woman to Jesus were desperately trying to trap Jesus in an attempt to “legally” kill Him… not the woman. She was simply a means to an end.
In Their Attempt To Trap Jesus They Had Trapped Themselves
They knew the Law, but they knew Jesus was right in His response.
Notice something interesting in the following verses?
“Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.”
Wouldn’t you love to know what Jesus wrote in the dust?
That’s my flesh talking… Obviously, if we needed to know what He wrote, God would have included it.
What we do know, though, is that the accusers left… the oldest first. Whatever Jesus wrote in the sand pricked the conscience of the men that day.
Don’t Miss: Story Of Zacchaeus In The Bible
How Can Christians Stop Themselves From Casting The First Stone Today
This story is both frightening and freeing, in that it gives us a close-up look at Jesus heart. He knows we sin. Hell show them to us if were willing. And he invites us to the freedom of leaving our sin patterns behind to follow him.
And this isnt the only time Jesus reminds us. We tend to pick up stones and ignore our own planks. In fact, sometimes, its the pain of the planks in our eyes that prompt us to hurt others.
Do not judge, or you too will be judged, For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Matthew 7:1-3
Even if what you want to throw is true, its not in our court to condemn. As Christ-followers, were called to:
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
Do we fail at this? Constantly. But its still worth trying, again and again. So to help us avoid casting the first stone in our families, workplaces, churches, online, or anywhere our lives take us, Id like to suggest three questions:
Will it help? Consider if the result of your accusation, reprimand, contribution, or comment will be greater understanding, an offer of peace, or a tool for reconciliation. If you cant visualize a greater good for all, and what the stone will help, drop it.