Early one morning, while Jesus was at the temple teaching, He had an encounter with the “nay-saying” Scribes and Pharisees. We can learn a great deal from this brief encounter. Let’s read it.
John 8:2-12 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Two key phrases in this verse: “they said to test Him,” and “He bent down and wrote on the ground.” How are they related? What was Jesus doing when He bent down to write on the ground? What is the Lord saying to us through this encounter?
Testing will always come because that is the way God has chosen to strengthen our faith in Him. The closer we get to Him, the greater our testing will be. Our true heart is revealed through testing. What comes forth from us during testing and trials indicates what we believe and who we trust. Testing is an essential part of being a disciple of Christ. When we get squeezed by life, what is inside us comes out.
They were testing Jesus, putting pressure on Him. They were trying to squeeze Him until something came out of Him that they could use against Him. Being slow to speak is just one of the many valuable lessons to learn here.
James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
When Jesus got squeezed, what did He do? He bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. Giving us a living example of how to deal with tests and pressure, and how to find the answers we need when we are getting squeezed and our feet are being held to the fire.
I doubt that Jesus was writing anything significant in the dirt. I believe He was checking on the inside with the Father to see how He should answer, how He should respond, and what He should do about this “test” that the enemy had brought before Him.
We know that in Jesus’s mind, He could do nothing of Himself.
John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
So, instead of answering out of His own understanding, He bent down, focusing on what the Spirit has to say about this. They continued to ask and pressure Him. We don’t know how long, but when He stood up the Spirit gave Him the words to say. Then once more, He bent back down and wrote on the ground, waiting for further instruction.
I am amazed at the wisdom and spiritual power of this answer. We could take every smart person in the world and collaborate all their ideas and still not come up with an answer like this. “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
We have access to the very same type of wisdom and understanding Jesus had, but we need to recognize that this answer came forth from His intimate relationship with the Father. Spiritual strength, power, wisdom, discernment, and understanding all flow from an intimate relationship with God/
Luke 12:11-12 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
May times throughout the gospels Jesus separated Himself in between times of ministry to connect and fellowship with the Father. Without this component in our lives, we will not be strong enough to keep our finger in the sand when difficult situations are thrust upon us.
When you get squeezed, what comes out of you? Do words of wisdom and grace come forth? Do you check with the Holy Spirit on the inside before you respond? Do you taste your words before you spit them out? Do you consider the impact those words will have on those that hear?
If we are not intimate with our heavenly Father, we will not produce the fruit of who He is when life squeezes us and demands a response.
When Jesus finally gave His answer He put to death the plan to trick Him and find an excuse to accuse Him. At the same time, His words gave life and hope to the woman being accused.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
James 1:19-20 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
~ Pastor Jack ~
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