This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. John 8:6
Jesus had been teaching in the temple at Jerusalem and many people were listening to His teachings, which did not sit well with the religious leaders, namely the Scribes and Pharisees. So, as they did whenever they had a chance, they tried to set a trap for Jesus, bringing before Him a woman who had been caught committing a sin which was clearly covered in the Law of Moses.
They were showing very plainly how little (if at all) they understood the divine purpose of the Law. Sure, it condemns not only this woman but all mankind to death, for everyone has broken at least one letter of the Law of Moses and for most, that number is probably much higher than one! What about these religious leaders, had they kept every letter of the Law from their childhood? Certainly not! Even now, as they address Jesus in this accusatory manner, He does not even deign to answer them. He just stoops down and begins to write on the ground with His finger.
The Law was not given to be the savior of mankind, in fact, the Law condemns everyone to death and reveals our need for a Savior. It is a tutor to lead us to Christ. Jesus gives us something the Law can never give — mercy. The Law is in black and white and will never pass away, and it must be satisfied. Jesus did not come to do away with it, for the Law is perfect. The problem is not the Law, it is the imperfection of mankind. Jesus didn’t do away with the Law, He fulfilled the Law through His perfect life and willing death in our place.
Back to the scene from our verse; the religious leaders keep talking to Jesus, trying to get Him to contradict the Law. He ignores their tactic altogether and instead turns the situation into a teaching moment; teaching a life-changing lesson on mercy and forgiveness. He challenges them to condemn this woman only if they are without sin themselves. They all begin to walk away, beginning with the oldest. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
There will always be people ready and willing (although never really able) to condemn you for anything and everything in your past or your present or even what you might do in the future. But, as long as you remember the writing on the ground, you will have that assurance that Jesus does not condemn you. The enemy will never let up with his accusations, coming through the aforesaid mentioned people’s comments and judgments of you or even attacking your own thoughts to try to get you down.
Jesus picked you up when you were down, He gave you life when you were already dead in sin, He open your eyes when you could not see, He made a way for you to be a part of the family of God. Yes, everyone that has been born was born under the condemnation of the Law. God’s judgments are always perfectly just and everyone deserves to be put to death for their sins. That would be the end of the story, except the story doesn’t end there. Jesus was born under the Law to redeem us from its curse. It’s written on the ground!
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