Gospel in Art: Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone

Christ and the Woman taken in Adultery, by Rembrandt, 1644 © National Gallery, London

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 23 March 2026
John 8:1-11

At that time: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?' This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'

Reflection on the painting

In today's Gospel reading we encounter three groups of characters: Jesus, a woman, and a group of men who are experts in the Jewish Law. These men bring the woman before Jesus, claiming that she has been caught in adultery. Yet their real intention is not so much concern for the woman as it is a desire to trap Jesus. They place Him in a difficult position: if He condemns her, He risks contradicting His own message of mercy; if He refuses to condemn her, they can accuse Him of disregarding the Law of God. He looks trapped indeed. For the experts of the Law, Jesus is their true target; they are merely using the woman as a tool in their attempt to discredit Him.

Jesus does not fall into their trap though. What makes the situation even more striking is how differently Jesus looks at the woman compared to those who accuse her. The men see her only through the lens of a single moment in her past. They are focussed entirely on the past of the woman. Jesus, however, always looks at past, present and future. While her accusers would define her forever by one failure, Jesus recognises that her story is not finished. And that is how the Lord looks at each of us as well. He does not reduce us to one mistake or one dark moment of our past. Instead, He sees the whole story of our lives, and wants to help us in the present, so we can build a better future. God knows that our story is still unfolding as long as we live; that there are new chapters yet to be written.

Rembrandt's The Woman Taken in Adultery (1644), shows the moment when the scribes and Pharisees bring the accused woman before Christ. Rembrandt van Rijn carefully structures the scene to highlight the spiritual meaning of the story: Christ stands tall on the top step and is bathed in light, while the accusers remain in shadow and on the lower steps in the composition. Thus Rembrandt visually suggests the moral authority of Jesus. The woman kneels humbly before Christ, her vulnerability contrasting with the tense, accusatory crowd around her. Rembrandt painted this work in 1644, when he was about 38 years old. The painting shows all the mature qualities that make Rembrandt so distinctive: dramatic lighting, deep psychological insight, and a focus on the inner spiritual drama rather than merely the outward narrative.

LINKS

Christian Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-8-1-11-2026/