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Living Epistles
"And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?' And they were saying this,
testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground. But 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.' And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And when 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 midst. And straightening up, Jesus said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?' And she said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more'" (John 8:3-11).
“And when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18).
“Being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3).
When considering the story of the adulterous woman in John chapter 8, it seems that most peoples' curiousity, at one time or another, has pondered the thought of just what the Lord was writing in the earth. Many times the Bible speaks as clearly by what it doesnąt say, as by what it does say. Just as when trying to figure out what Pauląs thorn was, if we agonize over that, we miss the real point. The real point was that Paul learned that God's grace is sufficient.
The Scribes and Pharisees thought they had a way to test
the Lord. As you know, they brought a woman to him who was caught in the very act of adultery. They came to the Lord quoting the law of Moses. You see, they were "experts" in the law. So why did the Lord stoop down and write in the earth?
I believe the significant thing here is not what He wrote, but in the fact that He wrote. Notice the word in verse 6. He wrote with his finger. The word "finger" takes us back to Exodus 31:18 where it is stated that the tablets of the Law was written with the finger of God. It is also significant that the Lord stooped to write.
Here you have the cream of the crop of the Jewish religion. So far as the Law was concerned, they were about as learned as you can get. Yet, with all their knowledge of the law, they could do nothing more than condemn this poor woman. And why a woman? If she was caught in the very act, then shouldnąt also a man have been caught in the very act? The reason that only a woman is brought before Him is because, in the Bible, Godąs people are portrayed as either one of two kinds of women, adulterous, or faithful. This woman represents Godąs people being caught in sin and unfaithfulness to Him. From this perspective, as one who fell within the scope of the law, all that were present were witnesses that it was only good to condemn her.
But! Praise the Lord! Jesus stooped to write in the earth (Phil. 2:6-9). By leaving His position with the Father and coming to be a man, He was stooping. Stooping to do what? To write his laws, . . . not on tables of stone which only result in condemnation. Rather! It was to write His laws on the fleshy tablets of our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). And this writing continues even in our day. For as we are creatures formed from the dust of the ground, He is still stooping to write in the earth.
The Jewish religious leaders really missed the point of the law altogether. Sadly, in so far as understanding the purpose for the law, they had progressed no farther than that of their fathers. For of old the shout of the people went out, “all that the Lord hath said,” in reference to the law, “we will do” (Ex. 24:7) So, here, the lawgiver Himself was demonstrating before their very eyes His purpose. He was telling them, "you think that the law was given to keep, . . . and to
condemn those who canąt keep it. But as all stand condemned before it, it is my intention to write the laws of the lawgiver into your very heart."
OH! that we would learn to submit to this, His intention for us. For it is the testimony of many, not only among those who have gone before us, but of those who have yielded in this day, that if we do, . . . over the course of time, . . . an amazing thing takes place. The Word takes on flesh, once again, and we become the living epistles of Christ. Creatures weak and feeble as those who are made of dust, yet strong in the power of the One we have come to know, having had the imprint of His finger touch upon the depths of our heart.
Excerpts taken and portions paraphrased from the insights of Paul Cox
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