Interesting stuff about the account of the Woman Caught in Adultery

The story of the woman caught in adultery is one of the more interesting passages in the gospels for a number of reasons. The most significant reason is the uncertainty surrounding the actual Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of John.

We know the gospel of John was written around 90 AD. This gospel, along with all the other New Testament books were copied by hand and carried throughout the world to the scattered churches. Most of these copies have probably been lost, but well over 2500 manuscripts (complete or partial) have survived into the 21st century.

This problem with this passage is that it is not included in the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of John. In fact, it first appears some 800 or 900 years after the original was written. So for instance, let's say you look at a manuscript of the Gospel of John that dates to the year 615 AD. This manuscript woul not include the story of the woman caught in adultery. But if you looked at one from the year 1247 AD, it most likely would.

Take a moment and look in your Bible right now. Most study Bibles will include a tag line before this story that says "the earliest known manuscripts do not include the account of the woman caught in adultery."

What are we to think about all of this?

Let me give some suggestions...

First, there is NO REASON to think that this story isn't a true story about Jesus. The whole account fits pefectly into the ministry and teachings of Jesus. There is nothing inconsistent in this passage. Clearly it has survived all of the critcal analysis of the scholars. They include the tag line but they didn't eleiminate the passge. This tells us that the best scholars in the world believe the story is authentic.

Secondly, there is NO REASON to think that it wasn't included in the original writing of the book of John. Most manuscripts have been lost, and none of the oriiginals have survived...so no one but God knows exactly what the orginal actually included.

But what if it wasn't? The stories of Jesus were all passed on orally for the first 30 years of the church. When the original eyewitnesses began to die out, great effort was expended to created a written record of the incredible life and ministry of Jesus. We have copies of only four gospels but what if there was another that has been lost to us? It could certainly include this account from the very beginning. 900 years later scribes begin to wonder what happened to the beautiful story of the woman caught in adultery. Knowing it was true...possibly they had a scrap of another collection of stories...they chose include it at the end of John chapter 7 where it fit into the progression of Jesus' ministry. Either way, I am so thankful we have this passage included in our 21st century translations of the Bible.

As lovers of God's word, we can be thankful that story survived and was included in the Gospel of John for our benefit. It is yet another beautiful reminder of God's amazing grace and compassion for His people.

Dear God, thank you for your wriiten word the Bible!! Give me a passion to meditate and pray over your word each day!! In Jesus' Name, amen.