Writing on the ground with the finger

“What do you say?” They tried to test him, but he began to write on the ground with his finger. (Jn. 8,5b-6)

You know well this story of the woman caught in adultery. They tried to test Jesus, but he never enters into their morality game. He never falls into their trap. Jesus is not interested in moral purity. He does not waste time on such issues. The funny thing is that all those around him, and most of us, do. He knows that entering that road will lead us into two paths: denial and disguise. It’s a good way how to feel better than others or to deny it completely. It will never lead us to transformation. So they ask him to accuse the woman, but he refuses to enter into that argument and bends down and writes.

By writing on the ground he gives them time to think on what they are asking. He wants them to arrive at the truth by themselves. But it seems that they are not able to do so on their own.

But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And again he bent down and wrote on the ground. (Jn. 8,7-8)

When you do not understand on your own, Jesus comes with a strong word to help you see clearer. So here he is saying - you think that this woman is a greater sinner than you; you believe that there is a great difference between her sin and your sin; you decide that she deserves to be stoned, but you don’t. If you do so, then start throwing the first stone.

And he bends down again to write on the ground and to give them more time to think and maybe the permission to leave. We are usually fast to condemn, so Jesus speaks, pauses and gives us a chance to withdraw.

Jesus is not interested in condemning the woman but in freeing her. He is interested in seeing a transformation taking place, not finding a way how to deny or disguise the truth. While we are interested at the symptoms, he is interested at the cause.

So I see his “bending down and writing on the ground with the finger” as a way to avoid entering into our blaming game and to give us time to grow, face the truth and see the way God sees.