John 8:1-11

[Aino]

Hey.
There is this spot in the Bible that I don't understand completely. It goes as following:
[QUOTE="Bible / John 8]1Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.[/QUOTE]
I think that I get the whole point about forgiveness and not having accuse others about their sins etc.. But what on earth is the function of Jesus writing on the ground? What does he write, or does it even matter?

Thanks for the responses.
- Aino

 

[alfrodull]

Hey.
There is this spot in the Bible that I don't understand completely. It goes as following:

I think that I get the whole point about forgiveness and not having accuse others about their sins etc.. But what on earth is the function of Jesus writing on the ground? What does he write, or does it even matter?

Thanks for the responses.
- Aino

Well, first of all, there's debate as to whether this event even happened. The passage doesn't appear in the older manuscripts.

Anyway, one theory is that Jesus was writing a list of names of men who had slept with the adulteress...possibly including some of the pharisees that were about to stone her.

 

[captainslow]

Hi, good question. I read something similar to this elsewhere. However, what I read about it is that nobody realy knows what he wrote. I think you can speculate about it.

Here is something interesting (please remember, I do not think anyone knows specifically what was written, I am just adding to this):

"again he stooped down and wrote-The design of this second stooping and writing on the ground was evidently to give her accusers an opportunity to slink away unobserved by Him, and so avoid an exposure to His eye which they could ill have stood."

Here is some more:

"The truth is, no one knows as an absolute certainty, what Jesus wrote on the ground, but judging by the context (Moses and the Law that was written), the wording, the accusatory nature, and the fact that the only other place in Holy scripture where we see the illustration of the finger of God writing is in the writing the law, this strongly implies that Jesus was writing the commandments of God."

And then the last one for now, which I enjoy somehow (this one makes sense for me):

"It is in "this context" that Jesus again writes upon the ground. After asking the question of who among them could stand before God and not be condemned for their transgressions, He writes with the finger of God again. i.e., which one of them/us has not transgressed these commandments of God? ..me? ..you? ..any of them? There are none, no not one! Perhaps Jesus was writing their personal transgressions of the law, or perhaps He wrote their names in the earth beside the commandments they had broken. We'll never really know on this side of the grave, because God didn't choose to reveal it here. But whatever the Lord wrote, it was illustrative that we all are guilty of the violation of the law, just as this Woman was, and were thus as guilty of sin as she was. For when we look at ourselves honestly, the truth is as the old axiom, "..There but for the Grace of God, go I". And that is what Jesus "forced" these people to do. Look at themselves honestly and understand that they were sinners just as this woman was. And to her own master she stands or falls. All of us in forsaking God's laws deserve to have our names written in the earth. And there but by the Grace of God, we would."

Hope this helps! Some insight.