~ Grace Applied ~
(A 10-part series on John 7:11–John 8:59)
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
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.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:1-11)
THIS PASSAGE seems oddly wedged into our longer narrative. It is not found in the oldest of the ancient texts, but yet, here it is, firmly fixed in the canon of scripture. This has been a treasured part of John’s gospel since the times of the early church. It is not without continuity to the narrative; there is the ongoing attempt of the Pharisees to trap Jesus into something indictable, and there is a crowd scene of multi-layered characters with different objectives present in this scene. But in this brief story, the narrative is powerfully and quickly narrowed down to an intimate encounter with just one person in desperate need of redemption.
After a long previous day of controversy on the temple grounds, Jesus has returned from a night of rest at the nearby Mount of Olives. His notoriety has made him a figure of intense interest; quickly, he is surrounded, and “all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.” (John 8:2b) Just as quickly, the Pharisees pounce, bringing the woman caught in adultery. Their trap is designed to put Jesus in a conundrum. “Moses said… so what say you?” they ask. (cf. John 8:5)
Jesus thoughtfully leans over, and writes something in the dust, not once, but two times. In between these inscriptions, he answers their question with an imperative that fixes a tension between grace and the law, and does so at the raw point of each person’s conscience, nakedly and dangerously displayed in the public arena. “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) The scene of the departures that follow is indelibly etched in the historical account of the bible, and in our minds. The elders leave first, dropping their stones in the dust as they go. “Those who heard began to go away one at a time, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.” (John 8:9) And then, there remained only two, the redeemer and the penitent in poignant personal encounter. Jesus asks, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She, “No one, sir.” He, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 10:8-12) We don’t know the rest of her story, but we know she now has the opportunity to create a different ending.
What did Jesus write in the dust? Many have attempted to answer this question, but all answers remain subjective; there simply isn’t enough information anywhere in the bible or historical record to shed more light on this incident. But, let us add this to the speculative realm of thought—perhaps Jesus was writing something similar to, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) He would utter these words aloud later, in much more stringent personal circumstances. They do fit well here within the context of his frequent and consistent display of character throughout his personal interactions, and they fit well with his overall mission: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)
This we do know: saving the world is one thing; saving each of us is far more personal and intimate. Jesus’ tenderness towards sinners is a compassion we would all do well to remember, for such are/were we all. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:6-8) And remember this, also: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
Q. What was the price paid for my sin(s)?
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