Judgment Day

In the book of John, Chapter 8, we are told the story of a woman caught in the act of adultery who is brought before Jesus:

³ And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

⁴ They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

⁵ Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

⁶ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

⁷ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

⁸ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

⁹ And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

¹⁰ When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

¹¹ She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Many expositions have been written about this passage. The motives of the scribes and Pharisees is obvious. They are seeking to trick Jesus into either affirming Moses against the Roman law or affirming the Roman law against Moses. Some suggest that Jesus wrote their sins on the ground, which convicted them to leave. Others suggest that Jesus forgave the woman as a demonstration of His power as God. Some see it as a lesson in the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.

As a simple man, I can extend my interpretation with the certainty that it can be easily discounted. Nonetheless, here goes. Everyone who came before Jesus in this passage is guilty of adultery. The scribes and Pharisees have pledged themselves to serving God, but they have supplanted God with the law. As they approach Jesus, they address Him as Master (Teacher in other translations), but they do not accept Him as such. They don’t accept that He is their master or teacher, much less the Son of God. In their address of Him they flatter and pander while concealing their true purpose to try and ensnare Him so that they may condemn Him. Their motivations in coming before Him convicted them of the same spiritual adultery of which God convicted Israel in the book of Hosea. The woman they brought with them may have been guilty of physical adultery, but she was merely a pawn in their ploy.

What did Jesus write in the dirt that day? We don’t know, and neither probably did the scribes and Pharisees. Have you ever written in the dirt? It is nearly impossible to decipher even if you are the one doing the writing. The scribes and Pharisees knew their guilt in their hearts and feared what he might be writing.

At the end of the passage, all have left. Of them, who did Jesus condemn? No one. Of them, who did Jesus forgive? No one. Jesus did not forgive anyone but simply said that he did not condemn anyone. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus did not condemn anyone. His purpose was to share the gospel, even as He has likewise commissioned us to do. The scribes, Pharisees, and the accused woman left that encounter with neither condemnation nor absolution; but all left with the opportunity for salvation. What they made of that opportunity is unknown to us. The Bible tells us that there will be a judgment day, but it wasn’t that day.