But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. John 8:6-8
REFLECTION
All eyes were fixed on Jesus – which normally is a good thing. Nobody was looking at the woman, who stood there, crying, humiliated, desperately frightened, waiting for the verdict.
The Law was strict, the Law was clear and she probably knew that too. According to the Law this adulterous woman had to be killed by stoning and Jesus was granted the honour of speaking the final judgement…
Why were these men interested in Jesus’ opinion? John tells us they were only using their question 'Now what do you say?' as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Jesus. These hypocrites just couldn’t care less about the poor woman who was only a means to an end.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, I am so thankful that the final judgement will be spoken by you and by you alone. We all would be as frightened and as desperate as this humiliated woman if the hypocrites of this world were to judge us. We are safe with you, because from you we receive pure righteousness, love and grace.
Look at the hypocrites, leaving the scene with their tales between their legs. Look at the woman, relieved, restored and saved by the only one who was in the position to judge her, because you are blameless. Your finger was not pointing at her and your voice was not going to bury her under a pile of accusations. I don’t know what you were writing in the sand, but I do know that you cared for this woman and spoke words of grace and forgiveness. "Go now and leave your life of sin." That’s my Jesus!
REFLECTION
All eyes were fixed on Jesus – which normally is a good thing. Nobody was looking at the woman, who stood there, crying, humiliated, desperately frightened, waiting for the verdict.
The Law was strict, the Law was clear and she probably knew that too. According to the Law this adulterous woman had to be killed by stoning and Jesus was granted the honour of speaking the final judgement…
Why were these men interested in Jesus’ opinion? John tells us they were only using their question 'Now what do you say?' as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Jesus. These hypocrites just couldn’t care less about the poor woman who was only a means to an end.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, I am so thankful that the final judgement will be spoken by you and by you alone. We all would be as frightened and as desperate as this humiliated woman if the hypocrites of this world were to judge us. We are safe with you, because from you we receive pure righteousness, love and grace.
Look at the hypocrites, leaving the scene with their tales between their legs. Look at the woman, relieved, restored and saved by the only one who was in the position to judge her, because you are blameless. Your finger was not pointing at her and your voice was not going to bury her under a pile of accusations. I don’t know what you were writing in the sand, but I do know that you cared for this woman and spoke words of grace and forgiveness. "Go now and leave your life of sin." That’s my Jesus!
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3 comments:
We always assume he was writing words of condemnation to her accusers, and here you imply it could have been "I love you!" Thanks, Paul! That made my day.
Thanks, Carol!
Somebody once suggested that this is what Jesus wrote in the sand: "Where's the guy?"
I wish I'd thought of that!
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