Jesus contradicted the old testament, and his own standards, about stoning and/or putting to death

I will be arguing that Jesus did not contradict Old Testament law nor his own standards in the story told in John 8:3-11. [1]Arguments1. Jesus Was Not a Jewish AuthorityJesus did not hold a position of authority in the Jewish community. He was not a judge, nor was he a priest. So why did the Pharisees bring a lawbreaker to him, when he was not in a position to pass judgement? Verse 6 reveals that they did so in order to test him, hoping that he would say something they could use against him. Therefore, no matter what Jesus ended up saying in this situation, it wasn't necessarily how he would have ruled had he been in a position of authority and judgement. His opinion really didn't matter to the fate of the adulteress. The Pharisees just wanted to trip him up.2. The Law Was Already Being Broken by the PhariseesLeviticus 20:10 says, "The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. "[2]Likewise, Deuteronomy 22:22 says, "If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. "[3]Both of the above verses, in which punishment for adultery is established, clearly say that both the woman and the man are to be executed. When the Pharisees bring the adulteress to Jesus, where is the adulterer? In John 8:4, the Pharisees claim that the woman was "caught in adultery, in the very act. " This obviously means that the man was caught as well, since the woman could not have been alone in the "very act" of adultery. Why, then, did the Pharisees not bring the man to Jesus as well? It is possible that the man had run away and escaped, but the Pharisees do not even mention him. It is also possible that this is a case of misogyny, which was a common theme in Jewish tradition and law. In either case, the law is impossible to fulfill because the law requires that both the man and the woman be executed.3. Jesus Knew That the Pharisees Were Not SincereNot only did Jesus most likely recognize that the Pharisees had violated the law by not bringing the adulterer, he also knew that the Pharisees were not sincere in their zeal for the law. In Matthew 23, he calls them hypocrites and describes their hypocrisy at length. [4] He also calls them vipers and whitewashed tombs. In the John 8 story, Jesus knows that the Pharisees are not coming to him for actual judgement, but are merely attempting to entrap him. Knowing their hypocrisy, he brings their own sins to mind. Notice that after he does this, the Pharisees silently leave both Jesus and the adulteress behind, revealing that they indeed were hypocrites who were shamed by Jesus' words.4. Jesus Did Not Contradict the LawJesus did not say, "Don't stone the woman. " He did not even say that she shouldn't be stoned. He simply suggested that the first person to throw a stone be someone without sin of their own. Note that this is not at all a contradiction of the law. Jesus even encouraged the throwing of stones. He merely pointed out to the accusers that they were all hypocrites who had their own hidden sins that, by law, should also be punished. He knew their insincerity and their reasons for questioning him, so he delivered a blow to their guilty consciences without giving them anything to use against him. He showed support for the law while simultaneously showing that none of the Pharisees were worthy of passing judgement. When Jesus let the woman go at the end of the story, he was not contradicting the law. Note that he did not say, "Neither do I condemn you" until after he had asked, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? " Remember that Jesus was not in a place of Jewish authority. So, when the Pharisees (the Jewish religious authorities) left the woman behind and didn't condemn her, Jesus basically said, "If the authorities don't condemn you, who am I to question their judgement? "In conclusion, Jesus did not contradict the law, nor did he show disregard for it. On the contrary, he showed regard for it by being disgusted at the hypocrisy of those who were passing judgement. Back to you, Pro. -------------------------[1]. https://www.biblegateway.com...[2]https://www.biblegateway.com...[3]https://www.biblegateway.com...[4]https://www.biblegateway.com...