He who is without sin / Nobody is perfect

A quick sidenote

When Jesus says this, he is addressing a group of religious leaders who wanted to stone to death a woman caught committing adultery. There were several elements at play here. Most notably, the man who committed adultery with the woman was not also standing trial. Both parties had to be present, which means the law was being selectively enforced. It was designed as a trap to see how Jesus would react.

As another layer, there was a large group of people present (witnesses), and as the law stated, witnesses had to be the first to throw a stone (it was considered a safeguard). Jesus tells the crowd: “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” By saying this, he put everyone in a bit of a pickle. To throw a stone, they must then be able to prove that they are without sin. How do you prove such a thing?

You see, Jesus used the word anamartetos, which is Greek for “he who is without sin.” This word is derived from an (which means without) and hamartia (which can mean sin or missing the mark). In other words, to say this woman is worthy of dying, then you must also say you have never missed the mark — that you are indeed a perfect person.

As such, no one threw a stone. Eventually, everyone left, and it was just Jesus and the woman. He told the woman: “Go and sin no more.” He didn’t condemn her to death, but he did acknowledge her sin and asked her to stop.