The Disputed Passage in John 8

Good morning,

You might recall that in the message a couple of weeks ago I talked at the “missing” verse 4 in the story of the man healed at the Pool of Bethesda.  John 5:4 typically appears in the footnotes or margins of our Bibles with a note that some manuscripts include the verse.  I explained that the earliest and most reliable manuscripts that we have of John do not have that verse, so we believe that scribes added it later.

In John 8 we have a similar conundrum.  In your Bible there is likely a note within the text that says something similar to this:

The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53-8:11.

This passage is the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.  When the Pharisees bring her to Jesus (in order to trap Him into speaking against the Mosaic Law) Jesus famously replies “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

So what’s the deal?  Why do our modern translations of the Bible have a note that questions one of the more well-known stories of Jesus?

There are a number of issues with the passage that lead most scholars to believe that John didn’t write it.  It isn’t found in the earliest and most complete manuscripts that we have, and in the later manuscripts the story appears at different places within the Gospel of John.  The vocabulary in the passage includes 13 different words that John doesn’t use anywhere else in his Gospel.  And the passage actually breaks up the “flow” of the Gospel.  You can easily read John 7:1-7:52, jump straight to 8:12, and then continue with the story of Jesus debating with the Pharisees in the temple courts.

Now, I said that most scholars believe that John didn’t write it, not all scholars.  There are some that believe that the story was in John’s original writing.  So why doesn’t it appear in some manuscripts?  Well, the theory is that John wrote the story just as it appears in our Bible.  But some early church leaders took it out because they felt it made Jesus appear “soft” on adultery.  Later scribes added it back in under the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Wild stuff!  So what do we do with John 7:53-8:12?  Is it Scripture or not?

I would lean towards the belief that John did not write the passage.  However, I believe that the story does record an actual event.  It certainly fits within the character and wisdom of Jesus!  It was likely part of oral tradition that got passed down from generation to generation and ended up being included by some scribes. 

We must keep in the mind that these verses and passages that are disputed are of minor significance. None of them..not one…deal with any doctrinal issues.  They do not have any impact on Jesus’ death and resurrection, for example, nor do they impact Jesus being the only way of salvation.  They do not impact the reality of  heaven and hell, sin and redemption, or the nature and character of God.

We have about 24,000 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament (either in whole or in part).  That’s a lot!  Its far, far more than we have of any other ancient work.  The critical scholarship and research that has been done to give us the Bible should only strengthen our belief that we do have the Word of God in our hands.

Here’s what’s happening:

1.  SUNDAY – Fellowship Meal.  The youth group and the “senior” youth group are teaming up for a fellowship meal that is open to the congregation.  The youth will be having a chili cook off and the Double Nickels will be having a dessert bake off.  Rice and Cornbread will be provided, everyone else is invited to bring an additional side dish.

2.  Updated copies of the proposed changes to the By Laws are in the lobby.  There are only a few minor additions, as we added the Focus on Marriage Committee to the Fellowship Team.  We will hold a congregational vote on the changes on 2/22.

3.  Thursday, 2/12 – Youth Group and Quilt Knotting at 6:30 pm at the church.

4.  Tuesday, 2/24 – We will be having our first Lenten Prayer service of the season!  Other nights will be 3/19 & 3/24.

5.  February 20-22 – Youth Retreat at Black Rock.

6.  Thursday, 2/26 – Youth Group and Quilt Knotting at 6:30 pm at the church.

7.   We are in need of more help at the tech booth on Sunday mornings.  No experience necessary…see Bruce Fite if you are interested.

8.   A Marriage Retreat is coming up on March 20-22.  See Elizabeth Barrett or Vernon Myers for details.

On Sunday we will be looking at John 9 and Jesus healing the man born blind (I was blind, but now I see!).  Despite what many might proclaim, our culture is placing less and less value on folks who aren’t born physically “perfect” (according to the world’s definition of “perfect”).  We are going to see that Jesus and the world have very different understandings as to who has value!  It’s going to be a great morning…I encourage you to invite someone to join you at the Bridge this week.

Stay warm,

Scott