Single lesson
Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery
John 8:1–11
In the temple, Jesus answered a test with truth, mercy, and a call to leave sin behind.
Before you teach
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and very early the next morning he came back to the temple. People gathered around him there, and he sat down to teach them. While Jesus was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman and made her stand in the middle. They said she had been caught in adultery. Then they reminded Jesus that the law of Moses commanded stoning in such a case, and they asked what he would say.
Explain the central teaching of Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery, using two details from the reading. In the temple, Jesus answered a test with truth, mercy, and a call to leave sin behind.
Welcome: Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery
5 minIntroduce “Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery” and locate John 8:1–11. In the temple, Jesus answered a test with truth, mercy, and a call to leave sin behind. Invite each learner to name a detail or question they will listen for.
John 8:1, John 8:6, John 8:11
Read and explain the passage
12 minJesus went to the Mount of Olives, and very early the next morning he came back to the temple. People gathered around him there, and he sat down to teach them.
They said this to test Jesus, hoping to find a charge against him. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. When they kept asking, he looked up and said that the one among them without sin should be the first to throw a stone at her.
Jesus stood up and asked her where her accusers were and whether anyone had condemned her. She answered that no one had. Jesus told her that he was not condemning her either, and he sent her away with a clear command not to continue in sin.
Read the selected verses together, pausing at “Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery”. Use the source reading below and check the explanation against the words of the passage.
John 8:2, John 8:1, John 8:6, John 8:7, John 8:8, John 8:10, John 8:9, John 8:11
Discuss the details and their meaning
8 minUse the three questions below. Begin with ““While Jesus was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman and made her stand in the middle.” Which details explain how the account reaches this point?” and allow time to find the supporting verses. In the temple, Jesus answered a test with truth, mercy, and a call to leave sin behind. Ask learners to explain which details support their answer and to identify a question they would like to explore further.
John 8:5, John 8:3, John 8:9, John 8:7, John 8:6, John 8:8, John 8:10, John 8:11
Make and respond: Choices and outcomes evidence map
12 minWork on “Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery: Choices and outcomes evidence map”. Follow the materials and steps below, using “Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery” as reading headings. Each learner should include at least two accurate details and their verse references. Share one observation from the finished sheet and explain how it connects with the central teaching.
John 8:1, John 8:6, John 8:11
Closing: return to Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery
3 minRevisit John 8:1–11. Invite a learner to summarise what the group has learned about Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery and another to support the summary with a verse. Give learners a moment to complete their response sheet. They can share a question or, if appropriate for the group, join the optional prayer.
John 8:1, John 8:6, John 8:11
Questions to explore
“While Jesus was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman and made her stand in the middle.” Which details explain how the account reaches this point?
While Jesus was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman and made her stand in the middle. They said she had been caught in adultery. Then they reminded Jesus that the law of Moses commanded stoning in such a case, and they asked what he would say.
John 8:5, John 8:3, John 8:9
How does this moment affect the rest of the account: “They said this to test Jesus, hoping to find a charge against him.”?
They said this to test Jesus, hoping to find a charge against him. Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. When they kept asking, he looked up and said that the one among them without sin should be the first to throw a stone at her.
John 8:7, John 8:6, John 8:8
“Jesus stood up and asked her where her accusers were and whether anyone had condemned her.” How does this ending connect with the beginning?
Jesus stood up and asked her where her accusers were and whether anyone had condemned her. She answered that no one had. Jesus told her that he was not condemning her either, and he sent her away with a clear command not to continue in sin.
John 8:10, John 8:9, John 8:11
Make, think or respond
Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery: Choices and outcomes evidence map
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- a Bible or the source reading on this page
Try it together
- Fold a sheet into three panels or draw three columns. Label them “Words or actions”, “What happens next”, “Verse reference”.
- Read John 8:1–11. Use “Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery” as your reading headings and add a short quotation or detail with its verse reference to each panel.
- Compare your notes with a partner. Check that every quotation is accurate and every conclusion has support in the passage.
- Compare two actions or statements in the account and explain their different outcomes.
The finished sheet keeps the details of Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery connected to their Bible references and gives the group a way to explain what they noticed.
Adapt for your group
- For learners who need more support, prepare the reading headings “Jesus and the Woman Accused of Adultery” and let them match short quotations to the correct heading.
- For confident readers, compare two sections of John 8:1–11. Ask for a written explanation with two supporting references and one question that the text leaves open.
An optional closing prayer
“God, help us listen carefully as we read John 8:1–11. Help us understand what we have read, ask thoughtful questions and respond with care for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
John 8
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle,
4 they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?”
6 They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”
8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.
9 They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle.
10 Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.