Tag Archives: Jesus

Judging the Judgmental

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For the law was given through Moses;  grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  John 1:17

Continued from the last post:  I guess my 4th grade teacher was right.  When I point my finger at someone else, there are three more pointing back at me.  This judging business is tricky.  I looked at those self-righteous Pharisees in John 8 and judged them for their judgmentalism, self-righteous person that I am.

What is astonishing to me is the way Jesus brought grace and truth to this sticky situation.

Truth: Jesus knew the truth about the woman’s sin and didn’t make excuses for her.  He didn’t debate with the Pharisees about the law or the punishment the law required.  In fact, Jesus challenged them to go ahead and stone her, which might have thrown them off a bit.  Except no one could meet the qualifier: being without sin.  Jesus was the only one there who actually met the requirements to cast the first stone, but he didn’t pick up a pebble.

Lesson:  Sin is sin and Jesus is the only one who can do anything about it.

Truth:  Jesus knew the truth about the Pharisees’ hearts: they were not motivated by a desire for righteousness, but by evil.  When Jesus asked the woman where her accusers were, the Greek word for “accuser” was the same word the rabbis used for the devil.  The religious professionals weren’t even aware that they were “caught in the act” of sinning as well.

Lesson:  Only Jesus knows what’s in the heart, good or bad.

Grace:  Jesus didn’t pass judgment on the woman.  He was careful not to bring added shame to her in front of the Pharisees and the people looking on.  Jesus only spoke to her after her accusers had left, saying, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.”  Although he knew what the law said, Jesus didn’t enforce the punishment, perhaps thinking, “It won’t be long before I fulfill the law and die for that sin.”

Lesson:  Casting shame, guilt and condemnation onto others is not in my job description.

Grace:  Jesus did not cast judgment on the Pharisees.  In a masterful move, he forced the religious leaders to judge themselves.  As they stood there gripping the rocks in their hands, Jesus politely bent down and wrote in the dust.  He didn’t stare them down, preach them a sermon, or embarrass them in front of the people; he allowed them to leave quietly with a little bit of dignity.

Lesson:  Grace causes people to drop their rocks.

I guess it doesn’t really matter what Jesus wrote…

What Would Jesus Write?

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“But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.”  John 8:6

PB preached on John 8:1-11 on Sunday.  There’s a lot going on in those eleven verses and I have a whole string of questions that are stirring in my heart and mind.  But one of the most intriguing parts of this scene is when Jesus wrote something on the ground with his finger.  It is the only instance in recorded scripture of Jesus writing anything.  The Word became flesh, but didn’t write a single word of scripture.  That’s fascinating.

A woman (the sinner) caught in the act of adultery stood before Jesus, as her accusers (the church folks) beat her up with Bible verses.  Meanwhile, Jesus stooped down and doodled in the dirt.  Or did He?  What would Jesus write?  Well, I read about 25 commentaries on this passage and they all started out by stating, “There is no way of knowing what Jesus wrote on the ground, but it’s possible that….”  And so the conjecture begins.  Here are some theories:

1)  Jesus stooped down and scribbled in the dirt to collect himself because he was so angry with the Pharisees and because He didn’t want to bring further shame to the woman.

2)  Jesus wanted to give the Pharisees a chance to stop their vendetta against Him at the expense of this woman.  He was hoping they would hear themselves and recognize how evil they sounded.

3)  Jesus began to write a list of sins that the Pharisees had commiteed and were now committing.

4)  Jesus began to write a list of woman’s names and addresses – the name of each accuser’s girlfriend.

5)  Jesus was just following proper Roman judicial practices by writing out the sentence before pronouncing it.

6)  Jesus drew a picture.  (However, the Greek makes it clear Jesus wrote words.)

7)  Jesus wrote out the 10 Commandments.

8)  Jesus wrote the Pharisees’ names in the dust along with Jeremiah 17:13.  (“O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water”)

Care to weigh in?  Cast a vote?  What do you think Jesus wrote?