ADULTEROUS WOMAN:
WHY JESUS WRITE ON THE GROUND WITH HIS FINGER?
Biblical References
The story of the adulterous woman is found in John 8:1-11. In this passage, Jesus is confronted by the scribes and Pharisees who bring a woman caught in adultery before Him, seeking to trap Him into making a statement they could use against Him. Jesus responds by writing on the ground with His finger and eventually says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7).
The Bible does not give any other instance when Jesus wrote anywhere. However, in the Old Testament, we have the Ten Commandments God inscribed on two stone tablets with His finger. “Moses then turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, front and back. The tablets were made by God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets” (Ex 32:15-16). The same God incarnate wrote on the ground with his finger, ostensibly to remind the Scribes and the Pharisees that He was the same God who wrote the commandments on the stone tablets.
MEANING
Divine Authority
Jesus writing on the ground is reminiscent of God inscribing the Ten Commandments on stone tablets with His finger (Ex 31:18). This act underscores Jesus’ divine authority and His continuity with the God of the Old Testament. By writing on the ground, Jesus demonstrates that He is the same God who gave the Law to Moses, thus asserting His authority to interpret and fulfill the Law.
Justice and Mercy
The scribes and Pharisees intended to trap Jesus into either contradicting Mosaic Law or Roman law. Instead, Jesus highlights the hypocrisy of the accusers by challenging them to examine their own sinfulness before condemning the woman. This act of writing on the ground and His subsequent statement emphasize that justice must be tempered with mercy and self-reflection.
Temporary vs. Eternal
The act of writing in the dust, which can be easily erased, contrasts with the permanence of the stone tablets. This symbolizes the transient nature of human life and sin compared to the eternal nature of God’s commandments. It also suggests that while human judgments may be temporary, God’s laws and His judgment are eternal. The new law Jesus introduced is inscribed on human hearts, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah: “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts” (Jer 31:33).
JESUS’ APPROACH
Jesus’ challenge to the accusers to cast the first stone if they are without sin prompts them to reflect on their own moral shortcomings. This moment of introspection leads them to leave one by one, starting with the eldest. This teaches Christians the importance of self-examination, humility, and repentance before passing judgment on others. “The LORD searches all hearts and understands all the mind’s thoughts” (1 Chr 28:9).
After the accusers leave, Jesus tells the woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (Jn 8:11). This highlights Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and a fresh start, emphasizing that while sin is serious, God’s grace provides an opportunity for repentance and transformation.
Jesus did not deny the seriousness of the sin of adultery. The woman deserved punishment, as prescribed by Moses. But Jesus also knew the moral state of the Scribes and the Pharisees who had brought the adulterous woman before Him. They were also sinners, even worse than the adulterous woman. So, the questions implied in Jesus’ declaration were: “Don’t you commit adultery?” “Weren’t some of you partners in her sin?” “How virtuous are you to judge her?”
According to Moses, “The hands of the witnesses shall be the first raised to put the person to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people” (Deut 17:7). Jesus changed this by demanding that anyone who is without the same sin to throw the first stone on the woman. If Jesus had meant one with no sin, that would abolish the judiciary system because all people, including judges, commit sin (Rom 3:23). Those who found fault with the sinner were sinful themselves. Probably some of them might have sinned with her and so brought her to Jesus with no accomplice.
Jesus knew their immoralities and asked them to judge their own spiritual status before stoning the accused woman. The accusers found themselves unworthy to stone the woman. They were frightened whether Jesus might reveal their secret sins in public if they dared to stone the woman. The onlookers and the disciples might have been watching this incident closely.
REFLECTION
The story of the adulterous woman and Jesus writing on the ground offers profound lessons for Christians. It underscores the importance of divine authority, the balance of justice and mercy, the need for inner reflection and repentance, and the transformative power of forgiveness. By embodying these principles, Christians are called to be compassionate, humble, and forgiving in their interactions with others. Jesus’ actions remind us that mercy and forgiveness are at the heart of the Gospel, inviting us to live out these values in our daily lives.