What do you think Jesus wrote in the dirt at the stoning of the adulterous woman?

Answer 1

I believe he wrote the 10 commandments, but probably the ones the accusers had commited.


I wish Jesus was there when Mohammed had the adulterous woman killed.

Answer 2

As was earlier mentioned, this account does not appear in the oldest manuscripts and may, therefore, be spurious.

Nevertheless, verse 3 of that account specifically states the woman was caught in the act of adultery; verse 6 says the scribes and Pharisees were putting Christ to the test in order to have something with which to accuse him; verse 11 states that Christ told the woman to go home and sin no more. It is clear from the account that the woman had actually been caught in adultery and there is every reason to believe that they had the requisite two witnesses in order to carry out the death penalty – it would be futile to approach Christ if they did not; particularly since they were trying to find something with which to accuse him. They would leave Christ no wiggle room, as the saying goes.

Moreover, notice that they did not bring the man with whom she had committed adultery – only the woman. Keeping this in mind, suppose Christ had said to let the woman go: he would be guilty of teaching against the Mosaic law and they would have him right where they wanted him. On the other hand, suppose Christ had said to carry out the death penalty: he would have been seen by the crowd as cold and heartless, crying out for the blood of a poor, helpless, fragile female, thereby damaging his credibility as a teacher of the good news. How could Christ answer in front of the crowd without violating God's law and without coming across as cruel and heartless? By making the statement he made: and so he told them, carry out the law but let the one who is without sin throw the first stone. Now they would be the cruel ones – cruel and hypocritical. And the crowd would recognize them as such.

Whatever Christ was writing in the dirt, there is no reason to believe it had anything to do with their sins, the forgiveness of their sins, or the forgiveness of the adulterous woman. Indeed, he may well have been writing nothing. Perhaps he was simply ignoring them – for the moment – doodling in the sand to allow the tension to build to the finale of his last words.

Hannah

Answer 3

I have heard and I like this idea.

He wrote down the sins of that the pharisees had commited.

I have also heard theory that the Law states the exact conditions on which a person is to be stoned. She would have to of been caught in the act and there would have to of been 2-3 witnesses. If this did not happen than they would not have been able to stone her.

Answer 4

I just explained this to someone else not too long ago ...

Jeremiah 17:13 reads: "O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. “ Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters."

Jesus was writing the names and sins of all those who would stone the adultress. This is because the Mosaic Law prohibited anyone from accusing someone of committing a crime punishable by death if they had EVER committed that sin and not gotten caught; this would make that person a false witness. According to the Law, a false witness is deserving of the punishment that otherwise would have gone to the accused.

But it goes even farther than that -- the Law also tells us it stands as one unit: if you break even ONE law, you're guilty of breaking them ALL. Therefore, you would literally have to be sinless in order to accuse someone else; you would also have to be sinless in order to participate in the stoning.

Since none of the people there were sinless, they all dropped their stones. As suggested by Jeremiah, Jesus was writing their sins on the earth, ready to call them hypocrits. Notice that the only sinless person there refused to condemn the adultress; instead, He forgave.

Peace.

Answer 5

I believe HE wrote the names of all the people standing around ready to stone her, and their own personal sins the had committed and were committing.
I always try to think of that before I think of judging anyone else.
good question, thanks!

Answer 6

The sins of the individuals who were about to stone the woman.
"Let him who has NO sin, cast the first stone."

Answer 7

I also like the idea that he was writing, or preparing to write, the sins of her accusers. I think that's why they left. They knew He was, at the least, a prophet.

Answer 8

The names of the girlfriends of the scribes and Pharisees.

Answer 9

don't know but it was either long or he kept repeating the same thing coz he was at it for a long time. i bet there were a few people who went to look when he had gone.

Answer 10

You can stone her if you also stone the man she was with.