The Woman Caught & The Story of Susanna
Last night we took a closer look at the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 7:53-8:11). I am amazed at how calloused the leaders are that they were willing to sacrifice this woman in order to win over Jesus. It seems unlikely that she had committed a serious crime since there were no witnesses. This is an obvious violation of the law (Deuteronomy 17:7).
Unfortunately, this is the plight that Bible times women actually faced. You’ll probably find the story of Susanna interesting. It was written sometime around the 3rd century B.C. and tells the tale of a righteous woman trapped by two religious leaders. Facing a certain death for the crime of adultery (of which she was entirely innocent), who would come to her rescue but the prophet Daniel.
If you like to listen to stories, check out the audio file.
Three reactions to the Biblical story.
- It gives me great courage that Jesus would not accuse this woman but call her to leave a life of sin.
- I’m haunted by the leaders who were so ready to scapegoat this woman in service of their agenda to discredit, dishonor, and find charges against Jesus. Why is it that religious people (like me) are such good faultfinders?
- What an amazing Savior we have! He responds with calmness in the face of difficult cases. He is full of grace, and the holiness of his character seems to be able to convict even the hardest of religious accusers.
What reactions do you have to this story? In what ways does can you hear the good news more clearly today in light of Jesus’ actions at the temple that day?
