What did Jesus mean when He said, "neither do I condemn you" in John 8:11?

It was not exactly, as Augustine says, "Relicti sunt duo, misera, et misericordia" (In Jo. Evang. Tr., xxxiii. 5); for here the Lord is acting as light. Therefore, instead of saying, Thy sins are forgiven, He asks, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."* It is not pardon, nor mercy, but light. "Go, and sin no more" (not, "Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace"). Man invented such a story as this! Who since the world began, had he set to work to imagine an incident to illustrate the chapter, could or would have framed such an one as this? Where is there anything like it, that poet, philosopher, historian ever wrote, ever conceived? Produce the Protevangelion, the gospel of Nicodemus, or any other such early writing. These, indeed, are the genuine productions of man; but what a difference from that before us! Yet is it in the truest sense original, entirely distinct from any other fact, either in the Bible, or anywhere else, not, of course, excepting John himself. Nevertheless, its air, scope, and character can be proved, I think, to suit John, and no other; and this particular context in John, and no other. No theory is less reasonable than that this can be either a mere floating tradition stuck in here by some chance, or the work of a forger's mind. I do not think it harsh, but charitable to speak thus plainly; for the course of incredulity is now running strong, and Christians can hardly avoid hearing of these questions. I therefore do not refuse this opportunity of leading any simple souls to see how truly divine the whole bearing of this portion is — how exactly apposite to that which the Lord insists on throughout the chapter. For, immediately after, we have doctrine unfolded which, no doubt, goes farther, but is intimately connected, as no other chapter is, with the story.†

Nothing can be more marked, thus accurate or definite, than the position in which Christ is here towards the law and those taking it up. He sets it aside, not by disannulling it, but by disabling all from taking it up as against any; that is, by conviction, while yet He does not condemn them, nor can they condemn others. Jesus is left alone with the woman. Then He lifts up Himself. Hitherto He had turned His face, or spoken only to leave them more effectually to themselves. Now He lifts up Himself, and when He sees Himself at liberty from them He addresses the woman, asking where were her accusers. He could not be blamed for acting as they had done, but He might have condemned her; for He was "without sin"; and if He had judged His judgment was just. But He did not come for that errand, but that indeed by "no condemnation" men might sin no more.

111 Thus He dismisses her therefore, but oh! with how much more value from Him, who might have condemned her were He so minded or so come! It was non-condemnation from Him from whom condemnation could come, who alone had the title to condemn.

The Lord said not a word in opposition to the law. His answer in no degree relaxed the bonds of morality. No one of His opponents could find in His reply any ground of accusation against Him. They were completely baffled. In the place of judgment going forth against the woman, conviction of sin each one felt in Himself. Yet no one was accused of sins committed, nor were any actions of their past lives exposed. Light, however, shone clearly within, and no one of them needed an accuser to convict him. All were convicted. All were silenced. All departed. How easily can God deal with a person's conscience! No excuses were offered on this occasion; no denials of having sinned were heard. A Pharisee might at another time boast of his fasts, and his tithes; but, if God lets light shine within, the man's true moral condition becomes apparent to himself. Silence, then, became those people as to any justification of themselves. Silence, therefore, became them as to demanding judgment on the woman. What a sight it must have been for the disciples and for the people who witnessed it! That exodus took place in single file. They could not stand the light. Thus light, shining on the soul, without grace known, must drive the individual, if possible, away from it. Light without grace is awful, and the result irresistible. Conviction is assured, and the desire to get out of the light is the natural effort of the individual. "Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." Asking her where were her accusers, and if no man had condemned her, she answered, "No man, Lord." At once came the words from His mouth, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (8:11). He did not palliate her guilt; He spoke of it. She knew that He knew it. He came, however, not to judge the world, but to save the world (12:47). His mission in humiliation, as He told Nicodemus, was, "not to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (3:17). In accordance with that He acted on this occasion. The accusers, convicted of their own consciences, had gone away. The woman left Him uncondemned, but with the consciousness that He knew what she had done, and yet she fled not from His presence.

Jesus then was left alone, as far as the tempting scribes and Pharisees were concerned, and the woman in the midst; for "all the people" appear to have been around, and He addresses them in a subsequent discourse, which seems to be founded on this very incident, as giving occasion to it (see verse 12 and following). "And Jesus lifting Himself up, and beholding no one but the woman, said to her, Woman, where are they, thine accusers? Did no one condemn thee? And she said, No one, Sir. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more" (verses 10, 11). It is the mistake of Augustine, as of others in modern no less than ancient times, that we have here "misera" in the presence of "Misericordia," which is much more true of the scene at the end of Luke 7.

Here the Lord acts as light, not only in the detection of His self-righteous and sinful adversaries, but throughout. There was no need, however, for His exposure of the woman caught in the very act of sin. Hence the ignorance of the scribes who left out the tale was as glaring as their impiety was without excuse. There is not the least semblance of levity in dealing with her evil. The Lord simply brings out the fact that her accusers retreat from the light which convicted their conscience, when the law had utterly failed to reach it; and as they could not condemn her, because they were sinners no less truly than herself, so He would not. It was not His work to deal with causes criminal any more than civil. But if grace and truth came by Him, He is none the less the true light; and so He abides here. As we do not hear of repentance or faith in the woman, so we have no such words from Him as, "Thy sins are forgiven thee," "Thy faith hath saved thee," "Go in peace." He is the light still, and goes not beyond "Go and sin no more." By and by He will act as a King, and judge righteously; on their own showing, He speaks as a "teacher," not a magistrate. And it was a question of sin, but most unexpectedly of theirs as well as of hers, if they face the light of God.157

This is not the same thing as in Luke 7, plenary pardon and salvation. The others could not condemn her — He would not. Let her go, and let her sin no more. It is not the grace of salvation that the Lord exhibits here. He does not judge, He was not come for this; but the efficacy of the pardon is not the subject of these chapters — it is the glory here of His Person, in contrast with all that is of the law. He is the light, and by the power of His word He entered as light into the conscience of those who had brought the woman.

Thus the attack has failed; the would-be accusers are silenced; they leave behind them even the sinner herself: it has become impossible for them to touch her. On her part, she remains: the light which they have found so intolerable reveals no more as to her than she has known already. Guilty, lost, she was and is: the retreat of her accusers has not altered that; to what it has left her as yet she knows not. He has not reversed Moses's law, whose words have yet inexplicably for the moment freed her. To herself He has not yet spoken. What will He say — what can He — with whom there is an authority that can make the leaders of the people bend and give way before it? Now she hears His voice again, and to herself, questioning, "Where are those thine accusers? has no one condemned thee?" And she says, "No one, Lord." He says again: "Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; henceforth sin no more."

Now we cannot say what, or if any work, was wrought in the woman's soul. She utters no word which would entitle us to say that there was faith in her to lay hold of the grace that there was in Him for the chief of sinners. On His part He says nothing as to forgiveness of sins or of salvation. He has not come to judge the world, but to save the world. If the judges in Israel throw up her case, therefore, she is free. It is a great deliverance for her, and may be the type and prelude of one far greater. But the question as to this that remains does not at all affect the truth as presented to us here of God revealed in grace in the Person of the Son, in whom every soul hopelessly condemned and guilty may find refuge. Grace and truth are in Christ Jesus, and the Life is the Light of men. Whether she availed herself of it or not, on His side the sanctuary was opened; and in a world where righteousness was not, — where those who would claim it had to retire abashed and confounded from the presence of Him who for those accepting condemnation was but a hiding-place. The sanctuary is opened then in sovereign grace, though the actual bringing to God, and the work that brings there, have not as yet found adequate expression. Holiness is found, however, in its true relation and due order: no condemnation leading on to no more sin. Grace and not law is the power for holiness.

157 John 8:11. — "Neither do I condemn," or, command execution of the law. Had early Christians discerned that these words have regard to the distinction between the Church and the world in its sentences, they could not have hesitated, as they did, to admit the passage into lectionaries. There is no "Go in peace," or "Thy sins are forgiven thee" here: the woman is governmentally respited (cf. the case of John 5). The Lord gave effect to the law which required two witnesses (Deut. 17:2-7, 19:15). Of verse 17 of this chapter which bears singularly on the authenticity of the passage, but seems to have been uniformly neglected by those who have questioned it.

The sin is brought out into the light; the self-righteous Pharisees are clamoring for judgment upon the guilty. How will the Lord preserve His grace and maintain His holiness? If He acquits her, the latter is ignored; if He condemns her, what becomes of His grace? One thing at least is clear: for themselves, they needed to learn their own sin. This, therefore, He presses upon them, with the result that self-condemned they dare not accuse her. On His part, He is free to exercise forgiveness for one who has thus been brought into the light and taken her true place before Him in penitence.

The woman in John 8 stood under the condemnation of the law — justly so. Whatever the dual writing on the ground may indicate (the endorsement of law (Matthew 5:17); the words of grace and mercy) the outstanding feature of these verses is the glory of Christ as over against all that was before. The hearts of the Pharisees, unaffected by the law they professed to quote, were all known to Him, as was the guilt of the sinner they had brought. As feeling all in His spirit He stoops to the ground; but He lifts Himself up in triumph over all. Who but He could say "Neither do I condemn thee"! Infinite grace, but perfection of holiness alike are seen in Christ. "Go and sin no more." The shadow of condemnation is lifted — but where is she to go. The following verses may not be strictly applicable to the incident in mind, but the moral teaching is of utmost importance. "I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." The path of freedom is a path lit up with the glory of Christ, and in such a pathway we find liberty in the service of God.

"And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." She was standing before One who could say, "Without sin," and who therefore could cast the stone. She was alone with One whom she owned as Lord; and what would be His sentence? The law had already condemned her; would He execute it? What a moment of intense anxiety must it have been for her! How all surrounding objects must have been as nothing in her sight! She was alone with One who had the power of life and death. Everything rested on His word. What would He say? Man had not dared to cast the stone; now what would God do? "Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more."