They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?"
... according to the law (Leviticus 20:10), the man she was with would also be liable ... where is he?
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
... This is so mysterious, and it's mentioned twice for emphasis, perhaps - what was Jesus writing/drawing???! My NAB commentary mentions Jeremiah 17:13 - 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. (KJV)
"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
... this is a good illustration of of his earlier teachings of forgiveness and not judging others.
"Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more."
... compassionate :-)
2 comments:
Crystal, it's one of my favorites, too. The spiritual significance is awesome. Blake referred to Jesus as "the Forgiveness", which may have been his way of saying that the primary function of Jesus Christ is to forgive-- and to inspire us to forgive.
A good question, Crystal, the got the adultress, but not the adulterer? He was too quick for them? Would the story be different if they brought both or the man?
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