She saith, no man, Lord
No man said a word to me, or lift up his hand against me, or
moved a stone at me:
and Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn
thee;
Christ came not into the world to act the part of a civil
magistrate, and therefore refused to arbitrate a case, or be
concerned in dividing an inheritance between two brethren, (
Luke 12:13
Luke 12:14 ) .
Nor did he come into the world to condemn it, but that the world,
through him, might be saved, ( John 3:17 ) ; nor would
he pass any other sentence on this woman, than what he had done;
nor would he inflict any punishment on her himself; but suitably
and agreeably to his office; as a prophet, he declares against
her sin, calls her to repentance, and bids her
go and sin no more;
lest as he said to the man he cured at Bethesda's pool, a worse
thing should come unto her. Wherefore the Jew F19 has no
reason to object to this conduct of Christ, as if he acted
contrary to the law, in ( Deuteronomy
13:5 ) . "Thou shalt put the evil away from the midst of
thee"; and also to the sanctions of all civil laws among men,
which order the removal of evil, by putting delinquents to death;
and he observes, that those that believe in him, do not follow
him in this, but put adulterers and adulteresses to death; and
that indeed, should his example and instructions take place, all
courts of judicature must cease, and order be subverted among
men: but it should be observed, that our Lord manifested a
regard, even to the law of Moses, when he bid this woman's
accusers that were without sin, to cast the first stone at her;
though as for the law in ( Deuteronomy
13:5 ) , that respects a false prophet, and not an adulterer
or an adulteress; nor do the civil laws of all nations require
death in the case of adultery; and did they, Christ here, neither
by his words nor actions, contradicts and sets aside any such
laws of God or man; he left this fact to be inquired into,
examined, and judged, and sentence passed by proper persons,
whose business it was: as for himself, his office was not that of
a civil magistrate, but of a Saviour and Redeemer; and suitably
to that he acted in this case; he did not connive at the sin, he
reproved for it; nor did he deny that she ought to suffer
according to the law of Moses, but rather suggests she ought; but
as this was not his province, he did not take upon him to
pronounce any sentence of condemnation on her; but called her to
repentance, and, as the merciful and compassionate Saviour, gave
her reason to hope pardon and eternal life.