What did Jesus write with His finger?

Lafftur · Jan 21, 2023

Jesus wrote in the ground with His finger… what did He write and why did He write what He wrote?

A woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus by the Pharisees which were Jewish religious self-righteous religious leaders, eager to condemn sinners and condemn Jesus the True Messiah as false… much like today…

In the Old Testament, God wrote with His Finger… What did God write…

And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the Lord spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deut.9.10,Deut.9.11&version=KJV

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passag....8.8,John.8.9,John.8.10,John.8.11&version=KJV

I believe our Lord and Savior and King Jesus Christ wrote the Ten Commandments in the ground that day showing Himself as God because He wrote with the Finger of God the Ten Commandments and..,.

NO MAN COULD STAND RIGHTEOUS BEFORE JESUS; NO ONE COULD CAST THE FIRST STONE….

Perhaps we should ALL FOCUS MORE ON FORGIVENESS than judgment and condemning one another….

stonesoffire · Jan 21, 2023

That's a good thought Laftur. They would certainly stike the hearts if they were breaking them. lol

Aussie52 · Jan 21, 2023

Maybe He was writing the dates and times the pharisees messed up?

SteveEpperson · Jan 22, 2023

I like what Dr. Thomas Constable says about this passage. He states that even though there are many guesses circulating about what Jesus wrote in the dirt, the writer wanted to convey why instead of what.

Jesus performs this act of writing on the ground for the first time in the sixth verse. Dr. Constable notes that it could have been to remind the Pharisees that God had written the 10 Commandments with His finger.

However, it's the fact that Jesus waited to speak that is most important. Perhaps he was giving the Pharisees in this scene time to repent and reconsider what they were asking. He did the same thing in verse eight.

God was gracious enough to wait over 30 years for me to repent and come back to Him. So, I guess it would not be out of the question for Him to wait on the Pharisees to repent, also.

Amanuensis · Jan 22, 2023

Maybe he was trying to get them to notice that they had neglected to keep the temple clean of dirt? That dirt was over pavement that should have been swept clean wasn't it? Clean up your own house first?

Mem · Jan 22, 2023

I speculate it to be most fitting, i.e. the perfect word at the perfect time in line with His character, that Jesus wrote the Aleph (אֵ ) as the scribes and Pharisees (who'dve been first to recognized what He was writing) were trying to test and accuse him before saying, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her" , considering that the aleph is the first letter and denotes "first" in order, and then after saying bent down and wrote the Tav (ת ), the last letter. The aleph tav, the first and the last. And indeed, He had the last word concerning the woman they had brought to Him, "...neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."
And then ensues the argument about Who He Is...

Strong's Concordance
eth: untranslatable mark of the accusative case.
Original Word: אֵת
Part of Speech: Untranslatable mark of the accusative; mark of accusative
Transliteration: eth
Phonetic Spelling: (ayth)
Definition: untranslatable mark of the accusative case

Komentaja · Jan 22, 2023

I believe he wrote down the law about the subject matter at hand. The pharisees were trying to trip Jesus up into breaking God's law. The pharisees were doing it themselves, the law says you are to bring both the man and the woman and stone them, these pharisees only brought forth the woman!

Leviticus 20:10
‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

Notice, not just the wife, but BOTH shall be put to death

Webers.Home · Jan 22, 2023

.
• John 8:6 . . Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with
his finger.

Maybe the names of girl friends they thought nobody knew about?

• John 8:7 . . If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a
stone at her.

Possibly the same sin.

• John 8:8 . . And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

More girl friends?

NOTE: The woman was caught in the act, so I think it safe to assume her
lover was too, but where is he? It appears Jesus' opponents were practicing
a double standard.

Some years ago I was familiar with a co-worker's liaisons with women his
wife knew nothing about, even spending household money on jewelry for
them; and he had two small children at home. So one day I asked him how
he'd feel if his wife took a lover. He said he'd kill her, and I really think he
meant it.

• Rom 2:21-22 . .You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit
adultery?
_

BonnieClaire · Jan 22, 2023

I hope he wrote this . . .

Matthew 7:1
Judge not, that ye be not judged. ~KJV

Webers.Home · Jan 22, 2023

.

BonnieClaire said:

We should probably keep that together with what follows because it doesn't
condemn all judging, rather, it teaches that folks risk being judged by the
same standards that they impose upon others; i.e. what goes around comes
around.

• Matt 7:2 . . For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

For example: of late, the Biden administration tried to roast former US
President Donald Trump for improper possession of classified documents but
now they are under scrutiny for the same thing.
_

Magenta · Jan 22, 2023

Webers.Home said:

We are to judge rightly, and fairly. Jesus' words in John 7:24 ~

New International Version
Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.

New Living Translation
Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.

English Standard Version
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

Berean Standard Bible
Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.

Berean Literal Bible
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge the righteous judgment.

King James Bible
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

New King James Version
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.

hornetguy · Jan 22, 2023

I don't think it matters what Jesus wrote..... if it DID matter, God would have made sure one of the 12 would have documented it....
Whatever it was, it seemed to have primed the Pharisees to be aware of their own sins, so that when he made the statement about "casting the first stone" NONE of them even attempted to counter it....

Seeker47 · Jan 22, 2023

As I have posted this before (sorry if this is redumbnant). I believe the answer to this question can be found in Numbers 5.

Jesus is perfectly referencing the process given to Moses by God to test a woman suspected of adultery. Every element of Numbers 5 is present EXCEPT the required covenant. Covenants were ALWAYS written in the name of YHWH. When the suspected adulteress was required drank the water used to rinse the ink from the covenant, she as evoking Gods holy name.
I believe Yeshua was writing the name of his Father.

Requirements of Numbers 5:
The husband is to bringing his wife suspected of adultery to the Tabernacle
Dust from the floor of the Tabernacle is to be mixed with living water
The woman is to be placed under a written covenant attesting her innocence
The writings from the covenant are to be added to the water
The accused woman is to drink this “bitter Water”

In John 8:
The accused woman has been brought to the temple
Dust from the temple floor is being used
Water is present, the Living Water of Christ
A covenant is being written
The woman is cleansed by the water

Pilgrimshope · Jan 22, 2023

Lafftur said:

The ot is prophetic

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the prophetic shadow in the law

“And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭31:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the fulfillment when God was commanding the people his word

notice the subject is the law of Moses

“Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.

But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:5-9‬ ‭

Id say Jesus wrote what he said to them and then wrote what he said to her after he wrote twice and gives two principles one to the accusers and one to the accused but the figure is meant to show us who he is it happens a lot

Like this in the ot at the creation of man

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The new testament regarding Jesus when he was preparing to soon give them the holy spirit of life

“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:”
‭‭John‬ ‭20:22‬ ‭KJV‬‬

It’s like a figure of affirmation to a believe of who Jesus is the same who spoke here

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

came forth and walked among us and spoke the gospel thise shadow figures in the law like writing with his finger and showing his authority is above Moses authority is one of those affirming points of faith eventually we realize oh it’s him the same God in the ot

“God created the heaven and the earth.”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word ( who was God )was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:1-3, 10-14, 16-17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

shadow and a figure came by Moses reality came by Christ so there are many figures found in the law like a person casts a shadow but you see the person and they look a bit different from the shadow

The ot is filled with these figures of the New Testament that were fulfilled in the gospel

shadow and figure of Jesus and the gospel they sinned and God sent a punishment of deadly snakes to bite and kill them then they repented and asked for mercy so

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭21:9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the reality of that shadowy figure

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:14-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

One last obvious example of a prophetic shadow and figure of Christ and the gospel in the law ( god rains bread for then to eat from heaven )

“And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This isn’t a contradiction or saying Moses was lying or wrong but it’s a fulfillment of the figure pertaining to Christ

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:32-35‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Id say him writing with his finger is to the point of prophetic figures and fulfillments like these very few and basic examples the

( i think just my own thought ) it’s perky to convince believers of Christs identity who was hidden in the ot behind a veil

Nehemiah6 · Jan 22, 2023

Amanuensis said:

Not very likely. On the other hand there is a strong possibility that Christ wrote what was written in Leviticus 20:10 regarding adultery:
וְאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִנְאַף֙ אֶת־אֵ֣שֶׁת אִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִנְאַ֖ף אֶת־אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֵ֑הוּ מֹֽות־יוּמַ֥ת הַנֹּאֵ֖ף וְהַנֹּאָֽפֶת
And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Both sinning parties -- the man and the woman -- should have been brought before Christ. Not just the woman. So the Lord was waiting for the man to be presented. And when that did not happen, then the law could not be applied. So Christ simply forgave the woman. Is it possible that had both of them been presented that the law would have been applied? Yes. Because Christ was fully upholding the Law of Moses throughout His life.

Pilgrimshope · Jan 22, 2023

Nehemiah6 said:

“Christ was fully upholding the Law of Moses throughout His life.”

“And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭19:21‬ ‭

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:38-39‬ ‭KJV‬‬

equal revenge is no longer the law turning the other cheek and overlooking an offense and not taking equal revenge is

This that Moses taught

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭24:1-2‬ ‭KJV‬‬

is contrary to what Jesus the lord taught
About the same subject and we learn why by observing the interactions of those who the law is given to and the christ who the law promises will one day come and speak Gods word

“And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:2-5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This concept is true

“For the law was given by Moses,

but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:6-9, 11-12‬ ‭

So you have Moses word

“write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.”

And the lords word which is different or contrary literally if I obey Moses law there and decide I don’t want to be married to my wife because I don’t like some things I learn about here I’m obeying Moses but I’m also conmiting adultery according to Gods word

“Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.””

He’s literally saying to obey Moses word about marriage and divorce is commiting adultery

notice when we really start learning of Jesus is after he is baptized by John and receives the holy ghost from heaven and begins preaching the gospel ?

“The law and the prophets were until John:

since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:16‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Until this time

“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:14-15‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the gospel is the long promised New Testament , it’s seperate from the Old Testament it’s a new thing and it’s contrary at many points like marriage and divorce , mercy and justice , how to interact with other sinners for instance Jesus wouldn’t teach or partake in this that Moses law commands

“If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, and give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid

they then check to see if she’s a virgin or not if not )

then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭22:13-14, 21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The new testement doesn’t condone such a thing as stoning any sinners to death for thier sins

Amy only point is Jesus was under the law until he was baptized and ordained tomoresch the gospel , the New Testament

So at several points not every point but several the law and gospel cannot coincide if I obey Moses law of marriage then I’m committing adultery according to what the gospel says

If I don’t witness against sinners under the law and partake in the required ordinations and oracles and behaviors and punishments I’m breaking the law and condoning the sin not dealing with the evil among the community of people

The new testement isn’t about keeping a camp in the desert holt so all that gives away one sinner judging another sinner is irrelevant because the judge comes to live inside of each person

notice jesus drives away the others by pointing out thier own guilt and then he alone is left there with her he offers her grace and forgiveness but also calls her to repentance but not until the accusers and those who would stone her gladly are taken away by hearing the truth “ your a sinner too do we kill the sinners or give them mercy ?”

Nehemiah6 · Jan 22, 2023

Pilgrimshope said:

Actually it was Jesus who gave Moses the Law on Mount Sinai, and it was Jesus who wrote the Ten Commandments twice on tablets of stone! And Jesus does not contradict Himself.

In view of that you will need to see why certain stipulations in the Law were elevated to their spiritual level whereas other stipulations were strictly observed by Christ. And keep in mind that the Old Covenant was still in full effect until the crucifixion of Christ. For example Christ sent the lepers He healed to the priests as stipulated by Moses. He paid the temple tax also as stipulated by Moses. So had both adulterer and adulteress been presented to Him, He would have addressed this issue as only God can do without contradicting Himself.

SomeDisciple · Jan 22, 2023

Considering the scripture never actually says this woman believed in Jesus, or that her sins were forgiven, I am always bothered whenever these scriptures are used in this manner: as there are far better verses that actually emphasize forgiveness and non-judgement.

The emphasis of this story is that the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus- if they had actually wanted to stone this woman, they probably would have done so... in secret, perhaps, but we do see they are willing to cast stones later on, in spite of the Romans.

I think these verses are best understood in light of the preceding chapter, and the rest of John 8. Jesus is in the process of being rejected as Messiah by his people. In John 7 the people are amazed and everyone is debating about Jesus, and the Pharisees, who want to take Jesus say:

47“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. 48“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.” 50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked, 51“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?” 52“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”g

The problem is not the Pharisees Judging this woman (The Pharisees were using her as a prop, and I'm not even sure that they would have stoned her without Jesus)... the problem is they are pre-judging Jesus and saying the people listening to him are under a curse!!!

So in Chapter 8 Jesus is in fact teaching the people, (like they should be doing) and he demonstrates to the Pharisees that he will not be fooled by them. He IS the Messiah, and everything he claims to be, and there was nothing the Pharisees were going to be able to say or do that would throw him off- like everybody else, they needed to repent and follow him.

Then the rest of chapter 8, even the some Jews that believed in him ran into the same problems as the Pharisees once he convicted them of sin... and they tried to kill him, just like the Pharisees were plotting to do. They were willing to believe, up to the point they were told that they were not right with God. So, I think the real lesson of this- John 7, 8, 9... is summed up pretty good at the end of ch.9.
“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.” “If you were blind,” Jesus replied, “you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” When we have blind-spots we don't want to shy away from conviction, we want to seek the Lord, so he will heal our bling spots.

SomeDisciple · Jan 22, 2023

Nehemiah6 said:

I am very concerned about Pilgrimshope's "law-contradicting Jesus." Does such a Jesus fulfill the old covenant and qualify as a spot-less lamb to be sacrificed for the blood of the new covenant? Why would the Jews or anyone else follow such a Jesus?

Mem · Jan 22, 2023

Mem said:

Isn't your name one the first things that you'd scribble into the sand? Jesus is scribbled His Name into the sand. Do a study on this seemingly "common" yet unuttered word found in scripture. And if you insert the middle letter of the hebrew alefbet, which is 'mem,' in between the aleph and the tav you make the word emet , which is "truth."

and btw, the pharisees pick up stones to fling at Jesus at the conclusion of the mentioned chapter where the context I spoke of is found, when He told them Who He IS.

They were all adulterers, having other gods before HIM, even as He, Him Who IS without sin, God, was standing before them.

What did Jesus write with His finger?

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