I feel like God should have told Abraham that his descendants would be as vast as the opinions in the bible. Every teacher and preacher in society has an opinion on something. The beauty of grace shows us that even when our ideas are wrong, God never judges us (aside from core beliefs). However, after some personal study, I’ve learned that something I thought was simply an opinion does have an answer, and I think I can prove it below if you give me a chance.
In John chapter 8, teachers of the law bring a woman supposedly caught in adultery to Jesus to trap/test him. Jesus, being as creative and intelligent as he was, diffused the situation in a way that both redeemed the woman and condemned the teachers. Plenty of details in this passage could be covered, but I want to focus on the one many have an opinion about; writing in the sand.
Let’s begin by rereading the passage:
2 Now early[a] in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience,[h] went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and[k] sin no more.”
To understand why Jesus wrote in the sand and why the teachers of the law were wrong, we must look through the lens of Hebrew history:
According to the original law (Before the addition of ridiculous ones), both the woman AND man were to be brought to the Nicanor temple gates to be accused. In God’s original law, the condemnation would only continue if a witness could confirm that adultery did happen. If this could be proven, then a ceremony would take place to bring judgment.
In this story, we see only the woman brought to Jesus, thus showing that these teachers and priests broke God’s Oral Law. Jesus, in turn, must fulfill the law to maintain his standing as a perfect savior.
Hebrew history also tells us that the priest was REQUIRED to kneel and write the broken law in the dirt, along with the accused’s name. This was to be written in the floor’s dust. I must clarify that the priest could write these things anywhere if the marks weren’t permanent. The temple floor was simply the most common.
Jesus fulfilled what those teachers wholly ignored.
By doing so, He revealed to the teachers that THEY were breaking God’s law, but he would fulfill it. Though we can assume that one of the teachers was considered a witness, there is no confirmation that they brought witnesses. It would seem that these teachers broke most laws surrounding this event.
Jesus bent down and fulfilled the law. He stood back up and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” They had no interest in killing this woman, they simply wanted to catch Jesus and make Him condemn her. When Jesus asked this question, they simply could not answer.
Now, why did people walk away after these words? To answer that, we must once again dive into ancient Hebrew history.
Day Of Atonement
Each year on the day of atonement, also known as Yom Kippur, the High Priest would go into a Mikveh or baptismal tank and go under eleven times. This was how a priest could be cleansed between each sacrifice on that day.
As the celebration of Yom Kippur closed, celebrations would be held at the priest’s home. People would rejoice that God accepted their sacrifices and that their sins would be essentially good for another year or until the Messiah came. Think massive New Year’s Eve party, but bigger. To end the party, the High Priest would quote the following verse (as in its original form):
“Oh YAHWEH, the Mikveh of Israel…’ just as the mikveh cleansed me on this day, may the Holy One, blessed be his name, cleanse all Israel when He comes.”
Think about your country’s national anthem or pledge. If someone said the beginning words, would you know what it was before they continued? Likewise, any Jewish man would have heard this verse quoted from the time he was 12. That means the older they were, the more that verse was ingrained in their minds. See where I’m going yet?
Here is the verse as it sits in most bibles:
“O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.”
If you keep as close to the original Hebrew text as possible, this is what the text actually reads:
“Oh YHVH, the Immerser of Israel, all those who leave your way shall be put to shame (publicly embarrassed), those who turn aside from my ways will have their names written in the dust and blotted out, for they have departed from YHVH, the fountain of Mayim Hayim.”
Jeremiah As A Messianic Prophecy
Jeremiah 17:13 is a messianic prophecy fulfilled in John 8 and is vital to this post. Jesus allowed these men to repent by writing in the sand and showing them that he would fulfill the law even if they wouldn’t. However, they still did not repent. The Spirit of God brings all things to remembrance, correct? When these men saw what Jesus was doing, the LORD quickened their memory to all the times they heard the High Priest quote that verse each year.
Rather than repent, these men slowly DEPARTED from Jesus. Fulfillment! Remember Jeremiah? It said they would depart from YHVH, the fountain of Mayim Hayim (which translates to living waters). Interestingly, Jesus told these teachers and scribes the previous night that he was the fountain of living waters (John 7:37-39).
Jesus knew that these men were right, that the result of adultery was stoning. Yet, through His creativity and grace, Jesus showed everyone they could be forgiven for their worst sin. Both the religious leaders and the woman needed forgiveness. The religious leaders thought that if they kept enough rules, worked hard enough, and prayed sufficiently, they would be accepted.
The woman, on the other hand, had given up. She was embarrassed, lost, and trapped in her sin. I’m sure she thought she would die that day and deserved it…much like many of us believe we deserve what we’ve brought upon ourselves. But that’s not how Jesus works. Jesus offered restoration and hope when he told her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.”
Jesus is now telling you that He doesn’t condemn you. Jesus Doesn’t Condemn You!
Praise God.