Writing in the Dirt

 

8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.   John 8:8 

When the woman caught in adultery was thrown before Jesus’ feet, the Pharisees were using her as a pawn in a religious quibble. They didn’t care about the woman, they just wanted to use her to entrap Jesus. “The Law of Moses commands that this adulterer be stoned to death, but do you say Jesus?” Jesus did not directly answer the question, but He ducked it by stooping and writing something on the ground that was so convicting and incriminating that the religious lynch mob dropped their stones and walked away. We don’t know what Jesus wrote, though many have speculated – maybe it was the Ten Commandments, perhaps the names of their mistresses – either way it has been lost with the sands of time.

While studying this passage the other day, I noticed something I hadn’t before. Jesus stooped to write in the dirt twice. This little nugget sent me into digging mode. Where had I seen something like this before? Then it dawned on me – when the Law was originally given to Moses at Sinai. When you go back and investigate the scene in Exodus, you see some interesting parallels.

·         Twice God “descended” upon Mt. Sinai to write the law on tablets of stone with His finger (Ex. 19:20; 31:18; 34:5, 16). Likewise, two times Jesus stooped to the ground to write with His finger (John 8:6, 8).

·         When Moses received the Law, there was some shady stuff going on back at the camp. Remember, they were worshipping the Golden Calf, dancing and partaking in immorality. In other words, Israel was committing "spiritual adultery" against God (Ex. 32:6-8). They were caught “red handed.” Just so, when the woman was brought to Jesus she was caught in the act of adultery.

·         God in His jealous wrath promised judgment upon Israel for their sin (Ex. 32:10) and the Pharisees stood in judgment over the woman, picking up stones (John 8:5).

·         However, Moses interceded for Israel, as a result God relented in His judgment (Ex. 32:11-14). Likewise, Jesus interceded for the guilty woman, calling out the sin of her accusers (John 8:9).

·         Instead of judgement, which Israel deserved, they received God’s mercy and a second chance (Ex. 34:5-9). Same for the woman, because of Jesus she got mercy (John 8:11).

Jesus was rehearsing the scene from Sinai in front of the Pharisees. In effect, saying through the symbolism “I AM the same God who wrote and gave you the Law and I AM the same God who gave your ancestors mercy, just as I am giving mercy to this woman.”

John 1:17 says , “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The law condemned Israel just as it did the woman and the Pharisees. Yet, because of an intercessor both Israel and the woman received mercy. Jesus would die for the adulterer and the self-righteous, proud. The Law could only condemn, but Jesus fulfilled the Law so that mercy could be extended. It was God plan of salvation in the OT and it was made complete in the NT.

Thank God we can have our “case dismissed” today. In the presence of Jesus, stones of accusation fall to the ground with a thud. Our guilt is removed by His grace. Hallelujah for a stooping Savior. He stooped to write in the dirt, stooped to wash nasty feet, stooped to pray in Gethsemane and stooped to pick up a cross that should have been ours. He stooped by this broken woman to raise her up and He will do the same for you. -DM