The Journey Continues: Tossing Stones

"But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 'Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.' Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground." — John 8:6b-8 NIV

There are plenty of instances in the Gospels of Jesus showing profound compassion as He healed people—whether restoring someone from an illness, mending a deformity, or driving out demons. For me, however, one of the greatest examples of His compassion happens when a woman caught in adultery is brought before Him by the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

The accusers had a blatant ulterior motive. They didn't want truth; they wanted a trap. If Jesus chose to condemn the woman as the Law of Moses required, He would be inciting a violent act against a vulnerable person. But if He chose to reject the required sentence, it would imply that He endorsed the woman's sin and disregarded holy law.

Now, Jesus could have pointed out that her actual accuser—her husband—was not present. He could have stopped their attempt right there without trapping Himself. After all, they could have easily gone to retrieve the husband (assuming the accusation was entirely true) and brought him back. But Jesus doesn't suggest that.

Instead, the first thing Jesus does is de-escalate the situation. He does this with a surprising redirect that has perplexed Biblical scholars and pastors for nearly 2,000 years: He stoops down to write in the dust.

What exactly did He write?

Some have suggested He began writing out the individual sins of each man standing there, or perhaps their names, as a means of exposing their hypocrisy. Others have suggested He was citing specific aspects of the Law that required multiple witnesses, or pointing out that both the woman and the man caught in the act should have been presented together.

As I was listening to my devotions this morning, I heard a further suggestion that made a much bigger impact on how I view this moment. The presenter read this striking passage from Jeremiah:

"Lord, you are 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." — Jeremiah 17:13 NIV

The presenter suggested that by writing in the dust, Jesus may have been invoking this exact verse—a passage undoubtedly well-known by the religious elite standing there. In doing so, Jesus was revealing a tragic truth: these men loved God’s Law, but they had lost God Himself.

We see other examples of Jesus admonishing the Pharisees by quoting Hosea 6:6: "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice..." As He stooped in the dust to write, He was showing them that they possessed "religion," but completely lacked mercy, love, or God's life-giving Spirit.

After all the men departed, Jesus’ final act was to stand and face the woman without a hint of condemnation. Yet, while He is infinitely compassionate, He doesn't leave her without direction; He releases her with the gentle but firm command to leave her life of sin.

We don’t know the rest of her story. However, I am sure all of us know someone who has experienced the merciful, Living God—someone who was freed from their past and went on to live a completely transformed life.

Jesus’ response to this tense standoff shows us that acts of kindness and mercy are of far greater importance than adhering to rigid religious doctrine or dogma. His actions encourage us to look at every individual through the lens of grace and love.

May we all take a moment to stoop and write in the dust the next time we are tempted to judge, choosing instead to extend compassion to someone who has stumbled and needs God’s grace.

Soli Deo Gloria