The incident reported in the first 11 verses of John are an attempt to trap Jesus into breaking Mosaic Law or Roman law. Mosaic Law stated that those caught in adultery were to be put to death (Leviticus 20:10). However, the Romans stripped the Jews of the right to perform their own executions. If Jesus condemned the woman according to the Mosaic Law, she should be stoned, but if He did then He would be turned over to the Roman authorities as an insurrectionist. On the other hand, if Jesus did not condemn her, than He would have broken the Mosaic Law, and thus He would have been a false teacher.
Whichever way Jesus took would be a win for the Pharisees, because He would either be executed by the Romans or He would be discredited. However, Jesus saw through the ploy and knew there was something fishy going on. The Pharisees were right when they spoke of the law commanding her to be stoned, but the law also taught that the man was to be stoned as well. If this woman was really caught in the act as they claimed, there should have been two standing before Jesus, not just one. When Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” He acknowledged that He was on to their scheme, and that they were just as guilty, if not more so, than the woman. Jesus never condoned her sin, as some might think. He couldn’t cast the first stone because He wasn’t a witness (Deuteronomy 17:6-7).
