Which gospel includes the story of the woman caught in adultery?

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

Answer: (B)

Recognizing where the story of the woman caught in adultery sits in the Gospel narratives, and what it reveals about Jesus, is what this item tests. In the Gospel of John, the scene occurs in the temple area as Jesus is teaching. A woman caught in adultery is brought before him by the scribes and Pharisees who try to trap him. Jesus answers with a provocative challenge: let the one without sin cast the first stone. One by one the accusers depart, beginning with the eldest. When they are gone, Jesus tells the woman that he does not condemn her and that she should go and sin no more. This episode is a powerful illustration of Jesus’s authority to forgive sins, his rejection of hypocritical judgment, and his call to repentance, themes that are strongly associated with John’s portrayal of Jesus. The other gospels do not recount this event in the same way, so this story is anchored in John rather than Matthew, Mark, or Luke.