The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. … Jesus stooped down and wrote with His finger on the ground. John 8:3-6
Jesus stooped down. The word means to bend over, like a wave, or to come low. The posture of stooping or bending is not one you’d find a King or one in authority displaying. I find it remarkable that the God of the universe stooped down. But it wasn’t the first time. Jesus’ very incarnation was an act of stooping – He came down from the Heavens and humbled Himself by taking on flesh.
The woman was brought before Jesus so that He would condemn her. But His plan was for mercy. When Jesus bent down, He wrote in the dirt with His finger. He assumed a posture of humility and whatever He wrote (we’ll look at that next week) had the desired result of turning away her accusers.
Each time Jesus stood, He addressed His audience with authority. First to the Pharisees, commanding that the sinless should cast the first stone. Then He stooped and wrote again – mercy, humility. When He stood again the accusers were gone but He spoke with authority to the woman – “Go and sin no more.”
Jesus has the right to stand, to literally Lord over us at all times, but He chooses not to. I love that He came down for me, He bent low to come near. How beautiful that He stoops down right into our messy lives and writes mercy in our dirt.
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again to the temple. All the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”. John 8:1-11
