Which Gospel contains the story of the woman caught in adultery?

• A. Matthew
• B. Luke
• C. Mark
• D. John

Answer: (D)

This story is a distinctive episode that illustrates Jesus' mercy paired with a challenge to self-righteous judgment. In the narrative, Jesus is in the temple courts while teachers of the law present a woman caught in adultery and press for a judgment according to the law. He responds with the provocative invitation, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,” and then begins to write on the ground. One by one the accusers depart, and Jesus tells the woman to go, and sin no more. This exact scene appears in the Gospel attributed to John, and it is not found in the standard form of Matthew, Mark, or Luke. That makes the Gospel of John the source of this particular story, aligning with John’s themes of light, truth, mercy, and moral discernment. Some scholars note textual variations in later manuscripts, but within the four canonical Gospels, this episode is understood as part of John’s account.