This passage is bracketed in modern translations because it appears only in western manuscripts and not in the those of the eastern church.
But it found in the early manuscript Codex Bezae (400AD) and is, referenced in the “Didascalia Apostolo-rum” ("Teaching of the Apostles") in Book II, Chapter 24, which was most likely written around 250 AD. It was the “Book of Church Order” for the day, and the section encouraged elders to receive back the penitent.
Augustine of Hippo (4th-5th Century) concluded that it was removed because of its leniency by an overzealous scribe. The majority of modern scholars argue it was a later addition of an oral tradition of an actual event.
Like the rest of John it contains one of his narrative asides:
John 8:6a
This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.
And as we shall also see that the passage also contains one of his wonderful play on words. But textual scholars point out the use several words found nowhere else in John, which would indicate this as a late addition and by either one of his first or second generation disciples.
The previous declaration by Jesus that offered “living water” (John 7:37-39) was on “the last day” of the festival during the jubilant Water Drawing Ceremony with the crowds present. This would place this next event during the morning of the eighth day called Shemini Atzeret: a separate, more solemn assembly (Leviticus 23:36).
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?”
Unable to catch Him out with what he taught, they presented Him a difficult case. And they setup the situation to cause a mob scene placing her in the “midst” (mesos) of the crowd.
From a Jewish law perspective, the outcome was clear, but the Romans did not permit capital punishment in such cases and would have prevented it.
Siding with the Jewish leaders would have put Him at odds with the Romans. Siding with the Romans would have diminished His standing with the people. They had set the trap.
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
What was written was not recorded or nor whether it was even legible to those around Him. It would only be speculation as to the contents.
That said, He “wrote” as opposed to “drew”, so there could have been legible content. He wrote, was interrupted, and done a second time. And what He wrote and what He said convicted those present deeply.
A plausible conjecture would be that Jesus wrote out some portion of both pertinent laws (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22) to remind them that to apply the law properly the man was to be accused as well.
Then he spoke the law pertinent to the required punishment from Deuteronomy 17:6-7, which not only required two witnesses but also that they would be the first to throw stones. Jesus masterfully used it to confound them. Slowly they left until Jesus was "alone" with the woman at which point He stood and addressed her (John 8:9-10) with respect as "Woman". Judges sit. Equals stand.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Now, because the Pharisees appear to have suddenly reassembled ("them"), the word “Again” would indicate a separate event and may support the prior section to have been an insertion. But this is also a set of three recollections (John 8:2; 8:12; 8:21) that together fulfill the prophecy of the coming Day of the Lord (Zechariah 14:1-9).
These events occurred in the “Treasury” (the Court of Women) (See v. 20).
Historians tell us that it was in the Treasury that on each night of the festival four 75-foot-tall lampstands, each with 4 golden bowls, each filled with 7 to 10 gallons of oil, each with wicks made from worn-out priestly garments were lit and burned till morning to illuminate the festivities.
But being after that last day of the festival (John 7:37) and with the lampstands now extinguished and possibly in the process of being removed, Jesus offers himself as the “light of the world”.
This is the second of the seven “I am” statements in John and continues the fulfillment of the Zechariah's prophecy which concludes now with a third conversation (John 8:21-30), where he declares Himself divine, with the phrase “I am he”, which is one of the seven "I AM HE" statements in John.
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
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