What did Jesus Write in the Sand?

The Adulterous Woman

 ¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  ²Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.
 ³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,
 ⁴they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.
 ⁵"Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?"
 ⁶They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.
 ⁷But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
 ⁸Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
 ⁹When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.
 ¹⁰Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?"
 ¹¹She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
John 8:1-11 (NASB)

"For Jesus to forgive this woman meant that He had to one day die for her sins.  Forgiveness is free but it is not cheap."  (W. Weirsbe)  What did He write on the ground?  I feel certain that whatever He wrote had a great deal to do with the fact that they, one by one, left  the center of the court where they had so adamantly condemned her. I am also certain that Jesus had a purpose in this.  Was He writing their sins in the dust?    Was He reminding them of the Ten Commandments written by the hand of God as it says in Exodus 31:18?  Or was He writing their names, reminding them of the warning in Jeremiah 17:13 which says, "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"?  (NIV)  Was He implying that they, themselves, were the ones prophesied about as those who forsook  Him and that He, Himself, is the spring of living water which He states in John 4:10-14 (NIV).

"Go, and sin no more!"  Jesus said.  This freely given forgiveness will never be an excuse to sin.  We are to repent and turn away from our sins, not repeating them again.  In Psalm 130:4 it says,  "If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance?  As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped."  (The Message)  "God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8 (NASB)

Many think that this woman was set up by the scribes and the Pharisees and being that the man she must have been with was not there also, for the law calls for both to be stoned, it seems to confirm the thought that they must have orchestrated the event which would be, of course, against God's law.  They were definitely trying to trick Jesus into a controversial situation, into something they could use against Him.  The law demanded stoning but if Jesus allowed her to be stoned, many of his followers who were the weak, sinful, and poor, would have felt abandoned by Him since He said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."  Luke 19:10 (ESV)  But if He were to prevent her from being stoned, He would be going against the law of Moses.  Jesus, of course, cannot be tricked and knew the exact intentions of their hearts even before they brought the woman before Him.  Whatever He wrote in the dirt, in combination with His statement, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her," was enough to send them away in disgrace.  Could it have been their sins or their names?  Or was He just giving them time for the words He had spoken to sink in and do their work?

Do you give Jesus' words time to sink in and do their work?  Do you try to convince yourself that you are too busy or too important or too tired to spend time in His presence?  Do you rationalize your lack of devotion?  Is Jesus writing your name in the sand?

Dear Lord,  Make us a people who forgive as You forgive.  Make us a people who hear Your word and let it sink in and do its work.  Let us not trick ourselves into a life without Christ...

Can You See Clearly? Unload Your Logs Here!

"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Matthew 7:2-5 (NASB)

I was walking with a friend yesterday and she began talking about this verse. She was sharing how the Lord had brought the verse to mind when she was upset with someone else's "speck". How many of us are walking around with logs sticking out of our eyes, logs that are obvious to everyone else, but not to us? The beginning of this verse reminds us that with the measure that we judge others, we also will be judged. Ouch! How often do I hear myself complaining about someone else's behavior without examining my own?

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." We can barrel down the road of life with planks and logs sticking out of our eyes, but it seems to me that as Matthew 7, verse 5 says, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." I really want to see clearly, don't you? And according to this verse, we cannot see clearly unless we are continually examining ourselves. Most of us do not want to look at who we are and I am convinced that this is what leads to the wickedness and selfishness in the world. We have become very good at convincing ourselves that we are okay; it's everyone else who is out of wack.

We must take a good look at ourselves! We must daily compare ourselves to our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." Hebrews 12:1-3 (ESV)

"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:21-23 (ESV)

When we lived in Southern California, we had season passes to Disneyland. We used to go for a few hours on Sunday evenings when the lines were not very long! One of our favorite rides was the "log" ride Splash Mountain. Although we enjoyed the whole ride, the favorite part for most of us was the big downhill slide after which your log would bump along many turns sloshing water up into the log until you finally finished where you started. Above the unloading area hung a large wooden sign which read, "Unload Your Logs Here!" Well, as a family we loved to laugh together, and for some reason that sign made us laugh! We will still repeat the words of that sign at appropriate moments for a laugh. But all laughter aside, as believers we must "Unload Our Logs Here". Where is here? At the foot of the Cross...

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 (NASB)

"Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work." 2 Timothy 2:21 (NASB)

Your job is to examine yourself; His job is to faithfully complete the good work which He began in you. The Bible says, "Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it." Psalm 37:5 (NASB) and "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NIV).

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV)

Dear Lord, I commit my way to You and I trust in You! I know that You are the Author and Perfecter of my faith and that You are faithful to complete the good work You began in me. Teach me to examine myself in the light of Your word and lead me in the way everlasting.