Daily Bread

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’

Whenever I read this passage I wonder why Jesus was bent over and what he was writing with his finger on the ground. Knowing John's gospel, there must be some deeper meaning to recording this action. John includes all the posturing in his account. Jesus sat down to teach, the woman was made to stand, Jesus bent down, Jesus straightened up, Jesus bent down, the woman remained standing, and finally Jesus straightened up. Why include all this (seemingly) irrelevant information about how the woman and Jesus positioned themselves?

The honest truth? I have no idea! But... I do know that rabbis sat down to teach, yet both times Jesus taught in this story, he had straightened up (presumably standing). The Pharisees had forced this woman to stand. Perhaps it is not too much of a stretch to imagine that Jesus (especially in John's gospel) was being subversive, and that through his actions, by standing with her, he aligned himself in support of this woman. If she was made to stand, then he would too.

If this is a true interpretation of the text then it makes Jesus even more wonderful and compassionate, and it would certainly be synonymous with his calling to identify with the broken, marginalised, hurting, and despised.

Jesus, literally stands with us. How utterly amazing is that?

Holy God
Thank you for Jesus, who aligned himself with
the broken, hurting, and marginalised.
Thank you that he had, and still has
the authority to forgive sins.
May we who have put our trust in him
never waver from our faith,
trusting in God's manifold goodness.
Now and forever.