Livin Lively

By Peggy Lively

           While I was watching my children play at the beach, I looked down and saw something written in the sand. I turned my head so that I could make out the letters, and as I did, I read my oldest son’s name written in large letters in the sand. As I looked at these letters, I was reminded of a story in the Bible I had read just a few days earlier. A story where Jesus wrote something in the sand.

           The Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, and they informed Him that the Law of Moses said they should stone her for this act. But they asked Jesus what He thought they should do with her. This is where we’ll pick up: “They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.” (John 8:6-9)

          I have always thought this was such an interesting response from Jesus. After being asked an important, life or death question, He just bends down and starts writing something on the ground with His finger. I’m not sure anyone knows exactly what He wrote, and I don’t think He was trying to give the Pharisees a written answer to their question.

          As I pondered why Jesus would do this, I thought about how when people ask me for advice or my opinion, I often say a silent prayer asking the Lord to give me wisdom before I answer them. I just wondered if Jesus, as He bent down and wrote in the sand after the Pharisee’s question, was silently asking His Heavenly Father for wisdom in how to respond. He was always about His Father’s will and timing while here on this earth.

        While I thought some more about Jesus’ mysterious writing, two other verses came to mind. One says, “Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) Jesus was slow to speak and slow to become angry as He bent down and moved His finger along the ground, realizing that the Pharisees were trying to trap Him. Today, someone might say, “Stop and count to ten, before you respond.” Maybe Jesus was writing 1,2,3,4…

          The second verse I thought of says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1) The Pharisees had stones in their hands and were ready to kill this woman when they brought her to Jesus. After Jesus stood from writing in the sand, He simply said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He bent down and went back to His writing. With this one gentle answer, fingers released their grips on the stones and accusers walked away.

        Jesus is so wise, even when we don’t understand His ways.  I don’t think what Jesus wrote in the sand was the lesson that day. But by His slow, gentle response, grace prevailed once again:

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you, Jesus declared.” (John 8:10-11)