Recently I had to write an introduction for a Bible study on John 8:1-11. So I thought to share it with you.

In a Dutch study in 2004, no less than 91 percent of respondents agreed that crimes in the Netherlands are generally too lightly punished. It seems that the people want heavier sentences, but the court do not. The strange thing is that research in countries where significantly heavier punishments are given, such as America and England, the same results come up. This is despite the death row or the possibility of multiple life sentences. People seem not to base their opninion on the actual sentencing, but based on cases that get the media (these are often exceptional). In the Gospel according to John it's also about justice.

St. John's Gospel can be divided into four parts. The first is to present Jesus to the world, then the mission of Jesus through various interviews and pronouncements. The third part deals with the structure of the trial of Jesus, the accusations against him, his defenses and claims that he makes. The last part is to prepare his pupils for the future. The chapter we are talking about falls in the third category. It is the first claim of Jesus that He is God. He did not come as an earthly judge, but to bring forgiveness.

We can look at this passage from different angles. We can focus on the adultery. We can focus on the fact that Jesus doesn't want to judge. We can emphasize the punishment and forgiveness that Jesus gives. We can also focus on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They try to catch Jesus by bringing the woman to Him. Noticeable in this that the man (with whom this woman must have committed adultery) is missing. According to Leviticus 20, from verse 10, it is reported that in the case of adultery both (the man and woman) must be stoned to death.

Jesus answered their question with the wisdom of Solomon and evades the trap that is laid before him. Whoever is without sin cast the first stone. According to Deuteronomy 17:7, it was customary for witnesses to throw the first stones. This was to prevent that someone would be charged too easy. This woman and this criminal case is apparently not that interesting for the Pharisees, because they leave it with the answer of Jesus. So the question is whether there actually witnesses and whether this woman really is guilty. The claim that Jesus makes for the person who should throw the first stone was apparently too high for the Pharisees. No one dares to throw first, and with this, Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The Pharisees came as prosecutors, as challengers, but must leave as guilty.

What can we, as Christians, learn from this? Apparently we have to think about laws, criminals and punishment. Of course, there must be forms of punishment for mistakes that people make. But is the death penalty really an appropriate punishment? Is it good to punish offenders more severe? Should we not invest more energy in preventing crime and preventing relapse into crime once people have served their sentences? It is certainly important to view both victims and criminals with the love of Christ. We will have to continue to realize that criminals are people just like us. We, as a society, must give people who mistakes second chances, just as God, through Jesus, has given us a second chance.