Sometimes the thing that catches my eye in the Bible isn’t the famous quote, or the memorable story, or the inspirational promise, or the comforting reminder—although I do appreciate all of those things. Sometimes it’s the odd little phrase that makes me wonder why it’s even there.
One of the most quoted stories in the New Testament was actually not present in the earliest Greek manuscripts of the Bible. If you check your own Bible, you’ll probably see that the account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery is bracketed or given a special footnote. Many scholars believe that this story was inserted into other early manuscripts by scribes because it likely actually happened and was an accepted part of the oral tradition.
But what interests me most about this passage isn’t whether we should treat it as completely equal to the inspired Word of God (probably not), or the famous quotes or visual images we might remember from it. Instead, it’s one small, unexpected detail that has always fascinated me and made me wonder … why is this in here?
Here’s the story, from John, chapter 8:
1… Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
First let’s take a look at what’s well-known about this passage:
- The Pharisees are trying to trick Jesus, as they often did, in order to get him into serious religious or political trouble. They didn’t really care which, as long as it eliminated the ever-increasing problem of Jesus from their midst. The adulterous woman is merely a pawn in their game.
- Jesus writes something in this text—the only place in Scripture where he does this. Many people have speculated what he might have written on the ground (similar to all the speculation that surrounds Paul’s unknown thorn in 2 Cor. 12:7–10). Perhaps the men’s names? Their sins? Maybe he was writing parts of the Law, as God had done with the Ten Commandments? We don’t know.
- Famous line #1 (I’m paraphrasing in the way that I think many people remember it, which is closer to the King James Version): “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” And after they all left, the one man who was left with the woman was the only one who was indeed without sin.
- Famous line #2 (King James Version, not paraphrased): “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.” Note that Jesus’s goal here isn’t legal punishment (that’s what “condemned” refers to here), but that her life would be transformed after a personal interaction with the Son of God.
A few years ago, I taught the book of John in a women’s Bible study. When I was preparing my study materials for this passage, I made note of each of these things above so that we could discuss them. But I was also drawn to a small detail in the passage that isn’t often mentioned.
Why is this unexpected bit of information here in verse 9? “But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones.”
This verse could so easily have said, “But when they heard it, they went away one by one.” That last part is very deliberate, and it seems meant to spark interest or signify something.
When I was preparing that study in John, I was in my late 50s, and had been a Christian for nearly thirty years. I was no spring chicken, as the saying goes. The first thing that struck me about this passage was the sure knowledge that when Jesus invited those without sin to cast the first stone, every one of those men had a long list of sins to contemplate. And the older the man, the longer the list.
The Pharisees as a group were despicable in many ways, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. When Jesus directly challenged them, daring them to pick up a stone and announce their sinlessness before him, before each other, and before this woman, they were honest enough (or scared enough) to wordlessly admit the truth. “Beginning with the older ones,” they began to walk away.
Why did the older men go first? I know that the older I get, the more aware I am of my sins, whether in thought, word, or deed. And the sheer number of years that I’ve lived means that I’ve had more time to sin. But God’s gift to us as we grow older and hopefully wiser in terms of spiritual maturity, is that he’s also made us more aware of our need for a Savior, and more grateful for Jesus with each passing day. Like Paul, I often feel like the “chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15) ready with him to exclaim, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24)
So in walking away first, the older men avoided the need to admit to, or be confronted with, their many sins. They chose to not argue further with the Son of God. Their departure also set an example for the younger men in the group who were apparently uncertain how to respond. Their walking away wasn’t just personal; it also conveyed to the younger men that this was a battle they weren’t going to win.
Unexpected details like “beginning with the older ones” are the kinds of phrases in the Bible that should make us sit up and take notice. If you’re an “older one,” do you find yourself confessing your sins more often now, thanking God for the immeasurable gift of Jesus in your life? And do you recognize your responsibility to set a visible, practical example for those who are younger than you, in whatever setting God has placed you? This might look like prayer, acts of service, teaching or mentoring, sharing your testimony, visiting others, spiritual disciplines such as reading or copying the Bible, writing personal notes, speaking encouragement, or just your reliable presence in their lives.
Of course the Pharisees aren’t our role models—far from it. But that one small detail in this famous story, “beginning with the older ones,” is an example of the common grace that God has given to all of us. Even the Pharisees.
