The Word for today:
John 7:53 to 8:29
mark this: John 8:9 --
But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
In chapter 8 of the book of John a woman’s sin catches up to her. I recall the day my sin caught up to me. Maybe your sin hasn’t caught you yet, but it’s gaining.
The punishment to be administered was death.
Jesus strode forward, alone, to face down the mob. He positioned himself between the woman and her accusers. Stooping down, he wrote on the ground. An old Pharisee relaxed his grip on the rock he held.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” The rock fell from the old Pharisee’s hand. Head down, he walked away.
Jesus looked up. His eyes met the eyes of each of the remaining accusers. Then he wrote some more...
When Jesus Christ wrote in the sand—his only recorded instance of writing-- it very likely was a re-enactment of the finger of God upon the tablets of the law (1), reminding the accusers of their own adultery. Some have even speculated upon the damning specificity of the law in this regard, and have imagined that what Jesus wrote were names in the sand; names like "Sue from Beersheba, Beth in Jericho, Barb from Bethlehem, Jane from Bethany…"
When he had finished writing, he stood up. There remained only Jesus, the woman, and the hundreds of rocks.
That's a picture of the cross. At the cross, Jesus will stand between death and the sinner, to shield her from the rocks.
If the story of the cross ever gets away from you, return to John chapter 8. And stay there for a minute or two,
just you and Jesus and the rocks.
(1) see Exodus 31:18
John 7:53 to 8:29
mark this: John 8:9 --
But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
In chapter 8 of the book of John a woman’s sin catches up to her. I recall the day my sin caught up to me. Maybe your sin hasn’t caught you yet, but it’s gaining.
The punishment to be administered was death.
Jesus strode forward, alone, to face down the mob. He positioned himself between the woman and her accusers. Stooping down, he wrote on the ground. An old Pharisee relaxed his grip on the rock he held.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” The rock fell from the old Pharisee’s hand. Head down, he walked away.
Jesus looked up. His eyes met the eyes of each of the remaining accusers. Then he wrote some more...
When Jesus Christ wrote in the sand—his only recorded instance of writing-- it very likely was a re-enactment of the finger of God upon the tablets of the law (1), reminding the accusers of their own adultery. Some have even speculated upon the damning specificity of the law in this regard, and have imagined that what Jesus wrote were names in the sand; names like "Sue from Beersheba, Beth in Jericho, Barb from Bethlehem, Jane from Bethany…"
When he had finished writing, he stood up. There remained only Jesus, the woman, and the hundreds of rocks.
That's a picture of the cross. At the cross, Jesus will stand between death and the sinner, to shield her from the rocks.
If the story of the cross ever gets away from you, return to John chapter 8. And stay there for a minute or two,
just you and Jesus and the rocks.
(1) see Exodus 31:18
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