IN THE DUST

John 8:1-11
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

A Woman Caught in Adultery

Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

11 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”


Have you ever wondered what Jesus was writing in the dust? Scripture does not tell us. Imagine if Jesus, in His all-knowing divinity, was beginning to chronicle the sins of mankind. He could do that you know.

Cain killed Abel.

Moses got drunk.

Canaan looked on his fathers nakedness

Abraham lied about his true relationship to Sarah.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed.

In response to the Pharisees demand for an answer, Jesus says, “… let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone…”. As Jesus begins to write in the dust again, He begins to write sins that are more current events. Maybe they were the sins of the parents and grandparents of those standing around watching Jesus write in the dust.

Jethro used unfair weights in his business dealings.

Laura had a problem with a gossiping tongue.

Neither Cathy nor Jimbo were virgins when they got married as they claimed.

I can imagine that they would slip away quickly before their own sin was exposed.

I am also thankful for the promise that my sins have be covered by the blood of Christ (Romans 4:7) and cast in the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), never to be brought up again.