Brad Huber
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- Joined
- Jul 7, 2012
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I was listening to the radio while on lunch break today and heard a teaching on a subject already forgotten (that doesn't sound good does it-that's my memory nowdays), but one thing the speaker did say that I soundly remember was speaking about John 8:3-11, which I listed below...
3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When 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 stoneat her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,”Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Many a Christian and non-Christian alike have wondered what it was that Jesus wrote on the ground which is not spoken in the recorded words. The speaker on the radio said what it was that he thought was written, that would dissipate the crowd with just a couple of words written. He thought the words written might have been ... "Where is the man?"
If the woman was "caught in the act", then that would mean the man was as well, but only the woman was brought forward, and if caught in the act, both according to the Law should have been stoned. He believed this whole act was staged. A 'religious' man no doubt propositioned the woman who being a prostitute could be counted on to agree to the act, but when caught the man was 'of course' let go. And the woman was brought forward, hoping that Jesus would either say to forgive her and prove himself not adhering to the law (which it was actually very rare that anyone was stoned for this act), or to condemn her and so lose popularity with the people. When the words were written in the dirt (if those words), they would make the Pharisees unable to produce the man, to prove it was caught in the act.
I loved this idea on the possible words written in the dirt, and although it might not be those words, those words may well have worked as the scenario played out.
3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When 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 stoneat her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,”Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Many a Christian and non-Christian alike have wondered what it was that Jesus wrote on the ground which is not spoken in the recorded words. The speaker on the radio said what it was that he thought was written, that would dissipate the crowd with just a couple of words written. He thought the words written might have been ... "Where is the man?"
If the woman was "caught in the act", then that would mean the man was as well, but only the woman was brought forward, and if caught in the act, both according to the Law should have been stoned. He believed this whole act was staged. A 'religious' man no doubt propositioned the woman who being a prostitute could be counted on to agree to the act, but when caught the man was 'of course' let go. And the woman was brought forward, hoping that Jesus would either say to forgive her and prove himself not adhering to the law (which it was actually very rare that anyone was stoned for this act), or to condemn her and so lose popularity with the people. When the words were written in the dirt (if those words), they would make the Pharisees unable to produce the man, to prove it was caught in the act.
I loved this idea on the possible words written in the dirt, and although it might not be those words, those words may well have worked as the scenario played out.
