What Did Jesus Write in the Sand?

notice Jesus responds to them by writing in the dirt that's a weird response right but John's really clear that Jesus responds by bending down and writing with his finger on the ground and John tells us this people usually miss us that Jesus did it twice so he's clearly emphasizing it's a gesture that's meant to be called attention to it's meant to draw our attention and yet at the same time it's it's strange as well what does Jesus doing writing in the dirt well you can imagine over the centuries commentators have gone wild trying to figure out you know what is Jesus doing why is he writing in the dirt and again you've probably heard preachers or harmless speculate about this you know some people will say that Jesus wrote the sins of the scribes and Pharisees in the dirt and when they saw their sins being you know listed in the sand they were kind of moved to repentance and and they left in shame that's very popular explanation of it others will say that he was just you know ignoring the scribes and Pharisees you know kind of doodling on the ground that's that's one possibility as well if you look at the history of interpretation they're kind of three major explanations first some people just say that it's a sign of indifference in other words he is just basically snubbing the scribes and Pharisees that's one possibility a second one is that he writes the sins of the accusers in the dirt that actually goes all the way back to Jerome interestingly enough I just learned that as I was reaching researching for this this explanation is fascinating so in Jerome's book against Pelagius he speculates that that might be what had happened but the the most popular explanation the one that's taken actually not just by Saint Ambrose but by Saint Agustin himself as well as more recent Catholic biblical scholars is that Jesus here is performing a sign that's a fulfillment of prophecy so if you go back to the Book of Jeremiah chapter 7 there is a passage in the Old Testament that actually talks about writing in the dirt and it's got some couple striking parallels with the Gospel of John in Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 1 and verse 13 we hear these words the sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron that's first one if you skip down to verse 13 this is the main verse it says this Oh Lord the hope of Israel all who forsake thee shall be put to shame those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth for they have forsaken the Lord the fountain of living water alright so pause there in its original context with Jeremiah is basically describing is that the names of those who forsake is the God of Israel who've abandoned him they're gonna they're going to be written in the in the dirt as a kind of sign of condemnation that's gonna come to like sign up judgment upon them because they've forsaken the fountain of living water the Lord now in light of that prophecy if you fast-forward to the New Testament it's really fascinating in John 8 Jesus is writing in the dirt and saying let he who is without sin cast the first stone and in in John chapter 7 what does Jesus identify himself as right look the fountain of living water he just says him out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water okay so when you like link up the image of sin being written in the dirt and the fountain of living water being rejected by the leaders of Judah the leaders of Israel some scholars have suggested that what Jesus is doing is basically performing a sign of judgment against the leaders in Jerusalem describes in the Pharisees who have rejected him the fountain of living water so that their sin is being written in the earth as a judgment against them as a condemnation of them it's it's a riddle it's a prophecy that puts the scribes and Pharisees in the role of the sinful leaders of Judah that Jeremiah had side against in the Old Testament and when they see the sign performed in light of that prophecy they are convicted and Jesus says each one of them beginning with the eldest walks away and leaves Jesus and the woman alone so that's the third explanation for it a kind of prophetic sign which Jesus does all the time the gospel and that's the one I'm most inclined to and that's the interpretation of st. Augustine in any case what matters for us is Jesus Springs the trap on them right so that they are unable to push him force him into either letting the woman go or um authorizing her being stoned and then getting in trouble with the Roman authorities now there's one other aspect of this that I would just highlight real quick as a side note which is this some of my students my used to teach on this would say well dr. Petrie though doesn't Jesus break the law in doing that if the law of Deuteronomy 22 says you know she used to be stoned isn't he breaking the law by not stoning her well what's interesting is in the book of Deuteronomy 17 verse 6 it also says that no one shall be put to death on the testimony of just one witness you have to have the testimony of two or three witnesses in Deuteronomy 17 verse 6 and so what happens in John chapter 8 is that all of the witnesses right depart and so when Jesus looks up from riding in the dirt what does he say to the woman has no one condemned you write another one no everyone's left no one has testified against her and all that are left are he and the woman right so it's just him and her and she says well no one Lord and Jesus says neither do i condemn you go and don't sin again so again I'm speculating a little here but I think it's interesting at least that Jesus creates the situation where there actually aren't two witnesses to testify against her which is what would be necessary in the law for someone to be put to death so even here by springing the trap he he he is faithful to the mosaic Clau it would in other words it we've UI elation of Mosaic law for him to pick up a stone and put her to death just on with one person okay that's not that would that would break the law you have to have two public witnesses to testify if you want to analogy this remember at the trial the Sanhedrin they're trying to drum up two witnesses to testify that Jesus said he would destroy the temple because they can't put him to death if you don't have at least two people willing to publicly charge him with the crime and that's what doesn't happen here with the woman so he says to her neither do i condemn you and then those final words so important go and sin no more he calls her to repent to change her life to turn away from her life of adultery and to not commit that sin again beautiful beautiful story of divine mercy and also the call to change one's life from a life of sin [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Catholic Productions

Views: 127,701

Keywords: brant pitre, catholic, jesus write in sand, woman caught in adultery

Id: 9PKtoubfK6w

Length: 7min 54sec (474 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 17 2019