Upvote:3
The Jews did not have the right of execution under Roman power. We see this in the case of Jesus himself, whom they wanted to kill but had to go through the process of taking Jesus to Pilate to influence him to carry out the execution.
This is part of the tempting of Christ. Not only do they tempt him with regard to the principle of executing an adulteress (and where was the man, by the way ?) but they are also tempting Jesus in regard to submitting to Roman authority - as they tempted him at another time regarding giving tribute to Caesar when he asked for a coin and told them :
Render unto Caesar the things that be Caesar's and unto God the things that be God's [Mark 12:17m KJV.]
But the Jews should have accepted the precedent of submitting to a foreign power from, particularly, the Babylonian captivity and from the prophecy, especially, of Jeremiah wherein there is much instruction regarding what sort of attitude Israel should have if God sees fit to humble them with adverse providence and with the chastis*m*nt of an occupying force.