Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery Quiz

Answer: Mount of Olives

The correct answer is the Mount of Olives, a favorite retreat of Jesus. Luke 19:29 states the hill was near Bethany and Bethpage and Acts 1:12 states it was a "Sabbath day's walk" from Jerusalem. Luke 21:37 states Jesus would spend each day teaching at the temple and each evening he would spend on "the hill called the Mount of Olives."

Answer: Teach them

Jesus was preparing to teach them, as was his custom, as stated in Luke 21:37. For the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, Jesus' teachings were a brutal slap in their face. They were the church leaders of the day and what Jesus was telling the people was that they had it all wrong. They were bitterly opposed to him and that opposition eventually led to his crucifixion.

Answer: Stand before the group.

They made the woman stand before the group. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "the woman's accusers must have been especially eager to humiliate her, since they could have kept her in private custody while they spoke to Jesus."

Answer: It was a trap to have a basis for accusing him.

Scripture says they asked the question to trap Jesus. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state the teachers of the law and the Pharisees were slightly off base in their claim about what was commanded in the Law of Moses. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "they altered the law a little.

The manner of execution was not prescribed unless the woman was a betrothed virgin (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). And the law required the execution of both parties (Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22), not just the woman." The notes also state the question was a trap because "the Romans did not allow the Jews to carry out death sentences, so if Jesus said to stone her he could have been in conflict with the Romans. If he said not to stone her, he could have been accused of being unsupportive of the law."

Answer: Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

That Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger is the correct answer. However, there is no indication of what he wrote on the ground. We can only surmise what message he wrote for the group to see.

Answer: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

His statement "if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" is one of the better known statements in the New Testament. Notes in the NIV Study Bible state "Jesus' answer disarmed them. Since he spoke of throwing a stone, he could not be accused of failure to uphold the law.

But the qualification for throwing it kept anyone from acting." Notes also state that when Jesus used the words 'without sin', "the phrase is quite general and means 'without any sin', not 'without this sin.'"

Answer: Those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.

The correct answer is "those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there" Apparently, the older ones left first because they could all recall secret sins from their past. Notes in the NIV Study Bible states this about the older men: "They were the first to realize what was involved.

But all the men were conscience stricken or afraid, and in the end only Jesus and the woman remained."

Answer: "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

Obviously, Jesus knew all the teachers of the law and the Pharisees had left because they had publicly acknowledged they were not without sin and were thus unable to throw a stone at her. He was pointing out the obvious to the woman: that in the reality of things, they were not really any different from her.

Answer: "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

Jesus told the woman "then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin." However, it must be stressed that this does not mean Jesus approved of what the woman had done. He was simply telling her to leave her life of sin behind, and to begin life anew.

Answer: There is no mention of him.

What's truly missing in this story are details about the man who was involved in adultery with the woman. Verse 3 states she was "caught in adultery" so her accusers obviously knew the identity of the second adulterer. For whatever reason, he was not hauled before Jesus to be humiliated with the poor woman.