A Sermon on the Woman Caught in Adultery

Last week I was given the opportunity to preach at my church during the evening service. I don’t get to preach very often, so when I do, it is always equal parts exciting and terrifying for me. The text I was given was John 7:53-8:11 or the woman caught in adultery. It is one of the better-known stories in the Bible, but sometimes this makes it more difficult to preach. It’s also difficult to preach as this passage can so easily be used to further shame people who are already spiritually and emotionally exhausted from hiding their deepest wounds. I didn’t want to do that. Instead, I tried to strike a balance between discussing how our shame can be a result of either sin that we’ve done, sin that’s been done to us, or both. Yet, this passage is not about sin or shame, but about how Jesus responds to both of these with compassion, forgiveness, and healing. I hope you enjoy and are blessed by this sermon.