Context: Liberation from Internal Oppression

• Many experience external oppression. I am privileged in many ways (economically, racially, gender, etc.). However, I experience suffering, and my privilege can exacerbate this with guilt and shame.

• I believe in working for social justice, but I've focused more recently on understanding suffering that doesn't come from external sources. Even in a world of equality, suffering would persist.

• Jesus calls us to serve the poor and oppressed. Like Amos, I’ve been critical of religion and oppressive systems, but Jesus reminds us to address our own flaws first.

• The Israelites, even after escaping oppression, often found ways to suffer. My thesis is that shame, the belief in their own "not-goodness", was the ultimate source of suffering. This internal oppression led to external oppression.

• Jesus’ message is that humans are ontologically good, created in God’s image. He embodies "the way, the truth, and the life" because he believes in his own goodness. Internal peace allows one to withstand external suffering. (cite C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity)

• Song of the Sea discussion from lectures: (“Letting go of wanting to be on top”), admonishment against worldly way of life (domination)

  • Boer, 41: cry from deliverance doesn't disappear, it moves the WHOLE Bible ex) Jesus being called Lord (against Roman emperor) - Rome represents worldly way of life, Jesus represents a different way Jesus do not cling to me Faith and hope, living in the present

Supporting Arguments and Perspectives

• Brene Brown, TED Talk, Listening to shame, 2012, 10:03:

  • https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame/transcript

  • “We heard the most compelling call ever to have a conversation in this country, and I think globally, around race, right? Yes? We heard that. Yes? Cannot have that conversation without shame. Because you cannot talk about race without talking about privilege. And when people start talking about privilege, they get paralyzed by shame. We heard a brilliant simple solution to not killing people in surgery, which is, have a checklist. You can't fix that problem without addressing shame, because when they teach those folks how to suture, they also teach them how to stitch their self-worth to being all-powerful. And all-powerful folks don't need checklists.”

• Isaiah 61:1-2

  • Student Bible commentary: “When Jesus was ready to announce himself and his mission, he began with a dramatic quotation of this passage (Luke 4: 18-19). Notably, he stopped in mid-sentence before he reached the phrase “the day of venegance of our God.” Jesus taught that this day of venegance would indeed take place, but at the time of his second coming, not his first”

• Mueller, Joan. “Throwing Religious Stones: God’s Law as Mercy in John’s Gospel (John 7:53-8:11).” The Bible Today 50, no. 4 (July 2012): 221–26. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLAn3788470&site=ehost-live.
  
  

“With the drama deflated, Jesus uses the situation to teach his listeners (who suddenly reappear) about judgment and condemnation. He says to the Pharisees: “You judge by appearances, but I do not judge anyone,” and, interestingly, he says this “while teaching in the treasury area of the temple”—the very space where fiscal corruption may have been rampant (8:15-20).”

Analysis of John 7:53-8:11 (The Woman Caught in Adultery)

Canonicity Debates

• • There's debate about this passage's place in the canon. Gail O’Day argues the debate stems from patriarchal resistance. If God is a God of Liberation, why wouldn't God want this story recognized?

  • The debate about the passage's canonicity is noted. Baum says it doesn't matter theologically. O'Day links the debate to patriarchy.

  • Some scholars debate the passage's authenticity. Arbin Daniel Baum argues its inclusion doesn't matter much theologically. Gail O’Day attributes the debate to patriarchal resistance.

Common Interpretations (per VanDrunen and Cochran)

• • The priority of the heart: exposes everyone as sinners, reducing stigma.

  • Unjust enforcement of law: discriminatory punishment.

  • Justice tempered with mercy: justice is deserved, but enforcement shouldn't cause more suffering.

  • “Any one of you who is without sin”: even coercive punishment can be sin.

  • Jesus filling up the law: ending thirst for public vindication.

  • Abolition of the death penalty.

Scholarly Interpretations as a Witness to Liberation

• • Holmes, Winfield, 162: The issue is that those claiming righteousness should use power with humility and grace. "Neither do we condemn you" embodies God's grace.

  • Deconstructing patriarchy: Jesus elevates the woman's worth.

    • Jesus uses his privilege to empower the woman.

  • Accountability with support: "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

  • Judgment from humility: "Neither do we condemn you." Only God can judge.

  • Religious law vs. God's mercy: Human judgment often clashes with God's mercy. The law is a moral guide, not for human judgment.

  • Chitando 10-13, in relation to HIV/AIDS:

    • Christians who have had sex outside of marriage are sinners like those with HIV/AIDS.

    • Patriarchy blames women more for HIV/AIDS.

    • Church leaders blaming those with HIV/AIDS.

    • Jesus did not abandon the woman, and neither should we.

  • O’Sullivan: Jesus shifts from male authority to the female sinner. He doesn't condemn her.

    • O'Sullivan questions the text's validity, wondering why Jesus didn't hear the woman's side. He suggests Jesus may have erred.

    • Michael O’Sullivan questions Jesus' assumptions and lack of inquiry into the woman's experience. He suggests the passage might be a later addition.

  • "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone" (8:7).

My Thoughts/Additional Interpretations

• • O'Sullivan questions Jesus' final words, suggesting he may have believed she sinned. He wonders why Jesus didn't ask for her perspective.

  • Jesus didn’t throw a stone either: This could mean he was also not without sin. This makes following Jesus about striving for righteousness with self-compassion.

  • I question whether Jesus was sinless. This passage could imply he wasn't. This wouldn't diminish him, but would make following him more accessible. Even if sinless, the passage encourages striving for righteousness with self-compassion.

Takeaways Framing it as a Witness to Liberation

• • Patriarchy hides male sin and shames female sexuality. Jesus treats the woman respectfully.

  • This empowers women and challenges patriarchal mindsets. Jesus undermines male authority to equalize the woman.

  • Human law is not merciful and opposes God's moral law. Jesus shows that only God can judge.

  • Accountability is part of grace, but needs to be supportive. Jesus offers mercy and accountability. Adultery is harmful, but understanding its wrongness and choosing a different path is liberating.

  • We all make mistakes. Believing in inherent goodness and non-condemnation leads to a more equitable and joyous world.

Conclusion

• What this means for me, the class, CMU, day-to-day life.

• I've changed career plans but am certain I want to be involved in ministry.

Unused Sources

• Baum, Armin Daniel. “Does the Pericope Adulterae (John 7:53-8:11) Have Canonical Authority?: An Interconfessional Approach.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 24, no. 2 (2014): 163–78.

• Heil, John Paul. “The Story of Jesus and the Adulteress (John 7:53-8:11) Reconsidered.” Biblica 72, no. 2 (1991): 182–91.

• O’Day, Gail R. “John 7:53-8:11: A Study in Misreading.” Journal of Biblical Literature 111, no. 4 (Wint 1992): 631–40.

• Nugent, Andrew. “What Did Jesus Write? (John 7, 53-8, 11).” The Downside Review 108, no. 372 (July 1990): 193–98.

• Bell, Rob. “Stoners and Swingers.” In What Is the Bible?: How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel about Everything. San Francisco, California: HarperCollins Publishers, 2017.

• VanDrunen, David, and Robert F. Cochran. Law and the Bible : Justice, Mercy and Legal Institutions. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2013. 180-182.

• O'Sullivan, Michael. "Reading John 7:53–8:11 as a narrative against male violence against women" HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies [Online], Volume 71 Number 1 (14 August 2015)

• Mueller, Joan. “Throwing Religious Stones: God’s Law as Mercy in John’s Gospel (John 7:53-8:11).” The Bible Today 50, no. 4 (July 2012): 221–26.

• Holmes, Barbara, and Susan R Holmes Winfeld. “Sex, Stones, and Power Games: A Woman Caught at the Intersection of Law and Religion (John 7:53-8:11).” In Pregnant Passion: Gender, Sex, and Violence in the Bible, 143–62. Atlanta, 2003. 

• Schaberg, Jane. A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives, Expanded Twentieth Anniversary Edition. 2006.