What does it mean that the one without sin should cast the first stone?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The account of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53–8:11) may not appear in the earliest biblical manuscripts, yet its message powerfully reflects the character and teaching of Jesus seen throughout Scripture. When the Pharisees brought the woman before Him to trap Him with the Law’s command regarding adultery (Leviticus 20:10), Jesus exposed their hypocrisy with the words, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). Rather than denying God’s Law, Jesus confronted the sinful hearts of men who condemned others while ignoring their own guilt before God (Romans 3:23). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly rebuked the Pharisees for their self-righteousness and selective use of Scripture to elevate themselves while crushing others (Matthew 23:27–28). His response also demonstrated His consistent compassion toward repentant sinners, reflecting the grace He extended throughout His ministry (Luke 7:47–48). Jesus was not forbidding all moral judgment but condemning hypocritical judgment that refuses to deal with personal sin first (Matthew 7:3–5). This passage shows believers that truth and grace must go together, even when confronting sin, along with humility and self-examination.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Old Testament background for this question is the Mosaic Law’s requirement for those caught in adultery. Leviticus 20:10 reads, “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” In one sense, the Pharisees in this story were correct. However, the issue was not the letter of the Law but the heart behind the Pharisees’ question to Jesus.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The statement about throwing the first stone is found in John 7:53–8:11. It’s important to be aware that this passage may not have been found in the original Scripture (though scholars are divided on this point). The reason is that none of the oldest biblical manuscripts contains this passage. This suggests that it may have been added later. Though if it was, it was still early in the church's history. So, it may be a true account, a partially true one, or even an imaginative story based on the rest of Scripture.
• Even if the account is not in the original manuscripts, nothing about it is heretical. Indeed, much of it reflects what we know to be true about Jesus from the other Gospels. In this story, the Pharisees are trying to entrap Jesus by what He says (John 8:6) as they do in other accounts (cf. Matthew 22:15). They are also being self-righteous by dragging this woman before Jesus (John 8:4), a heart-attitude for which Jesus regularly chided them (cf. Matthew 23:27–28). And they treated this woman as a lesser person than they were because of her sin (cf. Luke 18:9–11). Additionally, the Pharisees were known for enforcing only the details of the Law they wanted to enforce, while ignoring others (Matthew 23:23).
• This story fits with what we know about the Pharisees. Additionally, it concludes with Jesus forgiving the woman, something He was known for doing with others who were just as guilty (cf. Luke 7:47–48).
• Therefore, while the statement attributed to Jesus, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7) may or may not be genuine, it reflects Scriptural truth.
• What Jesus recognized in that account was that the Pharisees were once again trying to entrap Him. Either He could affirm what the Old Testament said and allow them to kill the woman, or He could remind them that God forgives sin (1 John 1:9), and they could accuse Him of denying God’s Law.
• Instead, He acknowledged the Law while also challenging their hypocrisy. By saying the one without sin should throw the first stone, He was saying that since everyone sins (Romans 3:23), no one was rightly judging in this case.
• Note that it is not always inappropriate to judge someone for sin. In this story, the men were intent on doing evil, and so the story’s focus was on exposing them for that. In Matthew 7:3–5, Jesus said, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” In that teaching, Jesus was distinguishing between hypocritical judgment of a sinner and judgment that first addresses one’s own sin before helping someone else remove theirs.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

People often say, "Don't judge me!" to stop others from confronting their sin. They misquote Matthew 7:1, saying, “Judge not, lest you too be judged!” What they miss is that, in that passage as well as in the story in John 7:53–8:11, Jesus was talking about the judge's sinful heart. In the story, the Pharisees were not judging the woman’s sin incorrectly (she really had committed adultery), but they were judging it with a sinful heart motivation. They were not worried about God’s glory but about entrapping Jesus.

The expression, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (Matthew 8:7) was, therefore, a call to confront the Pharisees’ own sinful motivations. We have a similar expression in English. We say, “Don’t throw rocks from glass houses.” That expression refers to accusing someone else of the very thing we are guilty of doing. This is what Jesus meant.

In the misquoted Matthew 7 passage about judging, Jesus said, “with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). He meant that when we cast stones from glass houses (having the same sin as the other person), He will “break our windows” (judge us) as well. Instead, the believer is to “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Before we throw stones at others, we must first let God shatter the pride and hypocrisy in our own hearts.

UNDERSTAND

• The passage containing this statement was likely not part of the original manuscripts, though its teaching is consistent with what Scripture.
• Jesus’ statement, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her,” exposed the Pharisees’ self-righteousness.
• Jesus was not forbidding all judgment but rebuking hypocritical judgment.

REFLECT

• In what ways are you tempted toward the same Pharisaical attitude of judging others' sins while overlooking your own?
• How does the reality that everyone sins before God change the way you approach sin in others?
• How do you distinguish between the hypocritical judgment Jesus rebuked and the legitimate correction He endorsed in Matthew 7:5?

ENGAGE

• How does Jesus’ exposure of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy challenge the way Christians should confront sin while still showing humility and grace toward others?
• What does this passage reveal about the danger of using Scripture or moral standards to elevate ourselves rather than to pursue God’s righteousness and restoration?
• How can we call out sin with the compassion, self-examination, and mercy that Jesus demonstrated toward the woman caught in adultery?