John 8:10-11

John 8:10-11

[10] When  Jesus  had lifted up himself,  and  saw  none  but  the woman,  he said  unto her,  Woman,  where  those  accusers?  no man  condemned  [11] She said,  No man,  Lord.  And  Jesus  said  unto her,  Neither  I  condemn  go,  and  sin  no more. 

What does John 8:10-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jesus" addressed the woman respectfully (cf. John 2:4; John 4:21; John 19:26; John 20:13). He asked if no one who was condemning her remained. He did not ask her if she was guilty. Evidently she was. As the judge in her case, He showed more interest in her prosecutors than in her guilt. Without prosecutors Jesus dismissed the case. This was His prerogative as her judge. He only issued her a warning. She would have to stand before Him again in the future, but this was not the time that He wanted to pass judgment on her (cf. John 3:17). He gave her mercy and time to change her ways (cf. John 1:14). Thus He was not "easy on sin." The ultimate reason He could exempt her from condemnation is that He would take her condemnation on Himself and die in her place (cf. Romans 8:1).
"Law and grace do not compete with each other; they complement each other. Nobody was ever saved by keeping the Law, but nobody was ever saved by grace who was not first indicted by the Law. There must be conviction before there can be conversion." [1]
This incident is further proof that Jesus was more righteous and much wiser than the Jewish religious leaders who sought to kill Him. It is also another demonstration of His patience and grace with sinners.
"Reviewing the case, Jesus brought forth the judgment, "Stone her." Unfortunately for the Pharisees, He had required, as the Law had stated, that the witnesses be qualified.
"The Pharisees who were accusing the woman, not for the good of Israel but to trap Jesus, were struck. They knew they were malicious. Thus they had to step down or else incur the punishment required of malicious witnesses-the very stoning they desired for the accused!
"Jesus pronounced the final decree. Since He was the only witness left, and the Mosaic Law required two, she was free. But the Prophet instructed her to avoid all guilt under the Law, since Deuteronomy 18:15 said the people were to listen to the Prophet. John 7:53 to John 8:11 shows in numerous ways that Jesus is indeed the Prophet of whom Moses wrote." [1]
Jesus" role as the judge of human beings is quite clear in this incident, but His role as the coming Prophet may need clarification. Moses, the prophet through whom God gave the Old Covenant, had announced that God"s will for His people was that they stone adulterers and adulteresses. Jesus, the prophet through whom God gave the New Covenant, now announced a change. God"s people were no longer to stone these sinners but to show them mercy and leave the judging to God.
What if Jesus" enemies had brought a murderer before Him? Would Jesus have said the same thing? I think not. God had made His will concerning the punishment of murderers clear in Genesis 9:5-6, the Noahic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant continued the same policy, as does the New Covenant. The way God has told society to deal with adultery has changed. That is why we do not execute adulterers in the church age. But the way He has told us to deal with murderers has not changed; we are still to put them to death.