The woman had been caught in adultery, the punishment was death by stoning. Old Testament law stated that both the man and the woman were to be punished, so the Pharisees were wrong straight away. But we know they cared nothing about the wrong-doers, they were only looking for a way to trap Jesus.
This was supposed to present Jesus with a problem, should He uphold the Law or give permission for a woman to be killed. We can imagine the self-righteous rubbing their hands in glee, ‘We’ve caught Him out this time.’ Then Jesus leads them on, as He almost ignores them. ‘Oh, He doesn’t know what to say.’ Then He slowly stands up and fixes them with a penetrating stare. Yes of course, she must be stoned, then ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again Jesus has the upper hand. The accusers began to creep away, and I like this bit, ‘beginning with the older ones.’ The younger men brazoned it out for a while, until they couldn’t pretend they were sinless.
It is said the faults we see in others are the ones we’re guilty of. Oops, does that mean I’m lazy, selfish and impatient? Probably. I don’t think I’m in any position to cast stones.