“No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”
The Pharisees therefore said unto him,.... On account of his declaring himself the light of the world: these were either the same who went out of the temple, filled with remorse of conscience, and were now returned, and bearing him a grudge, came to take some advantage against him, if they could; or they were others of the same complexion, sent by them, to make...
He speaks of judicial condemnation, not moral judgment. Jesus claimed no civil authority and refused to exercise it; that was not His office. But He plainly called her action sin and commanded her to abandon it, showing He knew the hearts of men and their secret guilt.
AI summary
Christ did not undertake to condemn her because that was not His office; He came to gather the lost sheep, not to judge the world. Those who think this passage teaches that adultery should go unpunished mistake His refusal to act as a magistrate for a declaration about the magistrate's duty. Adultery destroys families, robs inheritance, and violates God's covenant; the civil law must punish it.
AI summary