“And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ And they were saying this testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she had been, in the midst.”
Some of the most engaging and often entertaining conversations that people have, or that become topics of articles and books, and sometimes even movies, center around the unanswered questions of history.
There is just something about the mystery of the unanswered question that people can not let go.
On November 24, 1971, Dan Cooper boarded a Northwest Airlines flight from Portland to Seattle, demanded and received a $200,000 ransom, and on the return flight he parachuted into the forest of southwest Washington state, and has never been seen again. At least, not in a way that has come to the public’s attention.
The disappearance of "D.B." Cooper is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, and the fact of his total disappearance so intrigues people, a movie was made about D.B. in 1981.
And there are other questions that will never be answered, but once in a while we hear them anyway. Begin a conversation about the famous painting of the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci, and invariably, the topic will turn to ‘is she smiling, or not?’ Nat King Cole sang about it in a song of the same title; “Mona Lisa”.
What was Napoleon holding inside his vest? Or was he just scratching an itch? Or hiding an ugly wart from the painter’s eye? Probably just thought the stance looked noble and dignified. We’ll never know for certain, why he posed with his hand inside his vest. But it’s fun to joke about and speculate about I suppose, and offers ready material for comedians when their repertoire is running dry.
Well, you get the point, I’m sure, so I won’t belabor it. But here in this account from John’s gospel, a very popular and frequently preached passage illuminating the wonderful grace of God and the divine wisdom of His Son Jesus, we find another of those unanswerable questions.
Indeed, whenever the story is told, someone will ask, whether it be vocalized or just in their own mind as they listen to the account, ‘what was Jesus writing on the ground?’
It is the only mention in the gospels of Jesus writing anything, and it wasn’t on parchment, so we needn’t look for it in archeological digs. It wasn’t carved into stone or wood, so it won’t be found stashed away in catacombs under the Dome of the Rock or the Vatican in Rome.
The one time we know of Jesus writing, He did it with His finger, in the dust at his feet. It probably didn’t even make it through the day, before being scuffed out, either by Jesus Himself, or the passersby as they went to and from the temple in this very busy city of the Jews.
So we’re left to either ignore it, or speculate about it, and speculate we do. Because we love a mystery, and we can’t stand unanswered questions.
But that’s ok. Y’know why? Because I don’t think the Holy Spirit would have inspired John to include it in this account unless it meant something for us.
And since we cannot know what He wrote, I am led to believe that the significance is in the fact that He wrote, and perhaps of greater significance for us today, believer, is the very fact that we don’t know what He wrote.
Let’s just settle into this passage and ask the Lord to give us some fresh insights from it today that will bless us, encourage us, and maybe even challenge us in our relationship with Him and with our fellows.
THE SETTING OF THE TELLING
Now there are a couple of things I want to address and get out of our way before we really get started, just so we’re all on the same ‘page’, so to speak.
Among textual scholars there is some debate as to whether this account even belongs in scripture. John 7:53 through 8:11 is not found in the oldest manuscripts, and in addition, the style of writing in this passage differs in many respects from that of John throughout the rest of the gospel.
So the argument is that it was added later, and therefore should not be here.
Those supporting the inclusion of the story argue that what is present here is, nonetheless, in keeping with the teaching and character of Jesus as presented throughout the rest of the gospels, and its content has a ring of truth and credibility to it.
So in short, you will see some indication in your Bible that it is a debated passage. Mine has brackets at the beginning and end of the account, the NIV has a short paragraph in parentheses explaining what I’ve just said, the New King James simply adds a footnote on the page that says the account was not in the earliest manuscripts, but adds that it is found in over 900 existing manuscripts.
Having said all that, I’ll just keep it simple and say that it’s in my Bible, and it is valuable for teaching Grace vs. condemnation; mercy vs. judgment, and gives us some great insight into the dignity and nobility of our Savior. So let’s go on from here, letting the scholars gather around their oak tables, surrounded by their dusty books, and argue the finer points of textual criticism, and let’s just accept by faith that the Holy Spirit wanted us to have this wonderful story, and glean some nuggets from it.
Jesus and His disciples are in Jerusalem for the feast of Booths. Also called the feast of Tabernacles.
During the days of this feast, the Jews leave their homes and live in tents or temporarily erected shelters, to commemorate the time that God provided for their ancestors in the wilderness as they wandered for forty years.
They get their water during this feast, from wells and pools there in the city, and have to fetch it each day in clay pots and bring it to their shelter for washing and cooking and cleaning.
Now I want to explain some detail about the importance of water in this feast and what Jesus had to say on the last day, because I want you to be aware of some things that should have been fresh in the minds of all the characters of this story we’re studying today in chapter 8.
Each morning of the feast of Booths, some water was gathered by the priest from the pool of Siloam, near the temple, and it was taken to the gate of the city called the Water Gate, so named for this ceremony, and it would be poured out there as an offering to God as a visual prayer for rain.
As the procession moved toward the gate, trumpets sounded from the temple, and the priests would, in unity, repeat the words of Isaiah; “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isa. 12:3).
On the seventh day of the feast, the final day, the water-pouring ritual took on a great importance. Water was very prominent in everyone’s thinking on that day, and the rituals that were repeated each day were magnified. Instead of three blasts on the trumpets, for example, on this day there would be three sets of seven blasts, and so on.
Now go to John 7:37 and with this picture in your mind, of the procession taking place, and the people all caught up in this symbolism of God’s blessing being poured out on His people, and sending rain for the harvest, and all this singing and chanting of this passage from Isaiah, get this mind-picture of Jesus, standing maybe in front of the temple, or near the pool of Siloam, or maybe at the Water Gate, and shouting in a loud voice.
“If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’”
In shouting this out, and significantly at this particular time, Jesus was very effectively saying to these Jewish worshipers, “I am the God who gives the blessing of rain on the harvest, I am the God who provides for His people; I am Messiah”
And the party was over! Read these verses with me, from 7:40 through 45
“Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, ‘This certainly is the Prophet’. Others were saying ‘This is the Christ’. Still others were saying, ‘Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was’? So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him. And some of them wanted to seize Him but no one laid hands on Him.”
That reference to the “Prophet” with a capital ‘P’ meant they thought He might be the One Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15, when he told the people God would raise up a prophet after him, to whom they should give heed. And indeed, He was that prophet, but though He came to His own, His own did not receive Him (Jn 1:11).
So the crowd is stirred up. Everybody is debating, and they all have their argument, and they are all ignorant of the facts, and so, they are ignorant concerning Jesus and what He is actually offering them.
He wants to give life, and they want to debate the hair-splitting issues that accomplish nothing. Sound familiar?
The world debates who Jesus is. We hear it all the time. But they don’t have the facts, and their ignorance is displayed glaringly in their presumptions.
It goes on in the church too. When Christians get into red-faced, angry, divisive debates over what is allowed and what is not; what sin should be over-looked and which ones scar for life and relegate the guilty Christian to the back pew forever and ever amen…
…and Jesus just wants to quench our thirst for righteousness, fill us with His Spirit, and cause rivers of living water to flow from our innermost being.
Well, look at these final verses of chapter 7 to get the complete picture.
The temple guard is sent out to arrest Jesus, but no one lays a hand on Him. They come back empty-handed. So the priests and Pharisees ask, “Why didn’t you bring Him?” Where is He?
Being a former police officer this one always strikes me particularly funny. If the Chief of Police had handed me a warrant and said, “Clark, the DA wants this guy before the judge today. He’s committed a particularly heinous crime, and they want him off the streets. Go get him and take him directly to the court”, and then a couple of hours later I came back alone, and the Chief asked, “Well, where is the crook?” and I said, “He made such an impressive speech, I couldn’t touch him”, I would have drawn some fishing days!
The Pharisees are outraged! They were the experts! They were the judges of Israel. They may have debated the finer points of the Law amongst themselves and the Scribes, but no one else dared question them or debate with them.
Who was this guy? He comes from some hick town in Galilee, He has no education, He has no status. He has the audacity to disrupt the most important ceremony in a week of rituals to shout out His blasphemy, and we can’t touch Him! Our own police go out and come back all ga-ga and wide-eyed like they’ve just been in the presence of a celebrity!
So as we move into chapter 8 and the scene changes, and we’re confronted with this peaceful early morning picture of Jesus sitting in the temple, teaching about the kingdom of God, the multitudes now gathering around Him to hear His captivating and yet liberating words, we are struck with the realization that these men who drag this disheveled and humiliated woman into the midst and confront Jesus with her circumstances are committing an act of desperation.
They have wanted to destroy Him for some time now. It is actually nearing the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, and they have been seeking desperately to find some way to accuse Him, and just when they think they have the goods on Him because of His very public claim to Messiah-ship, they can’t get their own police to bring Him in.
So put yourself in their heads, if you can. They’ve got the night to plot. What do we do? We have to catch Him. We have to make Him contradict the Law of Moses, or the Law of Rome, so He can be put to death.
Someone comes up with a great idea. He happens to have personal knowledge of a woman who has been sneaking around with a married friend of his. Let’s slide on over to where I know they usually have their little tryst, and if we can catch them in the act, we’ll take her into custody, and when this Nazarene shows up in the city tomorrow we’ll force Him to make a public decision about what should be done with her. Either way, He loses, because either He’ll say to let her go, which would violate the Law of Moses, or He’ll say stone her, which would violate Rome’s dictates.
I know, I’m engaging in some speculation here, but it had to come about something like that.
And by the way, Deuteronomy 22:22 clearly states that both the adulterer and the adulteress should die, and no, there is no mention in this account of where the man is, so that should tell us something about the sincerity of the Pharisees in their desire to see justice done.
Well, we finally get to the point, right?
HE WROTE ON THE GROUND
He wrote in the dirt. We don’t know what He wrote, and it doesn’t matter what He wrote. It is the fact of His doing it that sends a clear message.
Proverbs 26:4 says “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him”
Jesus wasn’t going to dignify their claim with a response. He wasn’t going to argue with fools. Proverbs 26:4 is basically saying, a wise man doesn’t argue with a fool, because bystanders may not be able to tell which is which.
These fools bring this woman to the temple where large crowds are gathered, and where this respected Rabbi is teaching, and they shove her into the middle of the crowd. Disrupt the teaching, publicly shout out the charge against her and by so doing draw attention to the fact that the man is not there, and entirely devoid of mercy or even common courtesy for the worshipers in this place of worship, put their challenge to Him.
Now folks, I want you to be aware that they are the ones who had authority to deal with the situation. If they really thought He had no authority, they wouldn’t have dreamed of bringing her to Him.
By their very challenge, they were validating His claims, and they couldn’t see that. They were fools.
So instead of answering, instead of gracing them with a response, He ignores them. As though they aren’t even there, He stoops and writes in the dirt with his finger.
Can you picture it? The crowds shocked to silence; the woman, head down, hair hanging mercifully over her face so she doesn’t have to meet anyone’s gaze; the Pharisees and Scribes standing in silence and being given a moment to take in the circumstances they had created. Maybe starting to feel a little uneasy, shifting their feet…
…let me tell you something, whether you are a believer in Christ or not, this is something you need to know.
God won’t answer the questions we already know the answer to, but are only asking hoping He’ll validate us and give a wink and a nod to our excuses.
And He’s not going to lend His ear while we confess the sins of others. We have our own to confess. And until we are prepared to come in contrition and humility, owning up to our own shortcomings and confessing our own sins to Him, He’s just doodling in the dirt, waiting for us to stop acting the fool and wake up to our real need.
But that was not the case with these men on this day in Jerusalem. It says they persisted. They persisted in asking Him. Some people just can’t take a hint.
We can expect that kind of behavior in young children. They have to learn and we’re supposed to teach them. Many times in the past when my own kids have persisted in asking for something, or trying to change my mind on a decision I’ve made, I’ve had to just ignore them to make a point.
“Why don’t you answer me?” “Because I already did”.
“Please Dad?” “You have my answer”.
Every parent knows exactly what I mean. I have great kids and they’re no different than yours. Except maybe just a little bit smarter and a little bit cuter…
He gives these accusers of this woman a minute to realize their folly, but they can’t see past their phylacteries. They persist.
So whether for the sake of the woman in her embarrassment, or simply to give them one more opportunity to learn, He stands and puts His challenge to them.
Listen. Of all the things He could have said to them, the thing He chooses to say is the one thing that not only stops them in their conniving tracks, but it also opens the door for them to repent and be caught in the grasp of grace, if only they will recognize the opportunity. To come to the fountain of living waters, if only they will admit to their dryness.
HE MAKES A CHALLENGE OF HIS OWN
“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground.”
Once more He ignores them. He confronts no one individually. Meets no gaze, stares no one down. He is gentle and humble in heart, just as He has said of Himself (Matthew 11:29) and He came, not to destroy, but to save.
So in all dignity He offers dignity.
Friend, I have to tell you that when you continue in sin and think you’re ok because nothing seems to come of it; God is silent and therefore He must be approving of you; or when you continue to persist in having your own way and following your own path just because it doesn’t seem like He’s insisting on having control of your life, you’re playing a very dangerous game.
If He’s just writing in the dust and ignoring you, it’s not a show of approval. He’s waiting for you to drop your stones take your eyes off the sins of others and see your own, recognize that He’s waiting for you to acknowledge who He is and let Him cleanse you and offer His grace to you.
Well, the response to His challenge is both encouraging and discouraging.
Encouraging to see that the older men, more experienced in life and more cognizant of their own failures, are the first to drop their stones. An indication that at the very least, they weren’t going to be foolish enough to attempt a claim at sinlessness.
Discouraging because they walked away.
Don’t walk away from Jesus, friend. Your own sin may shame you but He won’t. He’ll reclaim and restore and reinstate in all mercy and grace.
He won’t ignore your sin or help you pretend it isn’t there. He didn’t do that even with the woman. But He will cleanse you, empower you to obey, then admonish you to put away the sin and walk in the righteousness He gives.
Those men could have received the same forgiveness and reconciliation that day that this woman received, not because she asked for it, but because He wanted to give. But they walked away.
The wind blew away whatever it was Jesus was writing in the dirt. And the wind of indifference blew away the gracious opportunity they had been given to believe and be saved.
What is He writing in the dirt as you stand before Him? What is it He is giving you the opportunity to realize in your own life and relationship to Him? What is it He’s waiting for you to recognize? Anything? Can you honestly say that your conscience is pure before Him?
If not, don’t walk away. Empty your hands. Search your own heart and see your own need, and I promise you, He will send you away renewed and restored.
HE WAS LEFT ALONE WITH THE WOMAN
One last glimpse of this account as we close. Look at verse 9 of our text, about midway through the verse. “…and He was left alone, and the woman, where she had been, in the midst”.
The crowds were still there, in the temple. She was still in the midst. But so far as she and Jesus and her accusers were concerned, it was her, and Jesus, alone. Alone in the midst of a multitude.
Friend, when Jesus deals with you, it’s just you and Him alone. And when you come significantly into His presence, all pretense and pretension left behind, not denying your sin, but confessing it and putting yourself at the mercy of His cleansing and redeeming power, it doesn’t matter if the world is pressing in around you, brushing by you, jostling you in its bustle of activity; it will be you and Jesus alone.
And you will go away renewed.
What did He write? One of the mysteries of life.
Why did He write? To give you time to reflect, to respond, to repent, to be renewed. To be filled to overflowing with the Living water that is His to give.
