Many are familiar with the adulterous woman dragged before Jesus at the temple by the pharisees and scribes (John 8). When the pharisees asked if the woman should be stoned according to the law of Moses (v 5), Jesus replied, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (v 7). Then Jesus wrote on the ground. It is not known what He wrote, but some suspect it listed the sins of those in the crowd and it diffused the situation. Then John makes this interesting statement. He says the purpose of this confrontation was so the Pharisees “might have grounds for accusing Him” (v 6). But we are not clear at this point what these accusations involved. Though the account seems straight forward, there may have been another reason for this confrontation and it had little to do with judging the adulterous woman. The real reason for the confrontation That reason involved Jesus’ mother Mary and the suspicion Jesus was illegitimate. If Jesus had commented …