(ii) "HE WROTE ON THE GROUND"
Allan Brown
This is another writing by Jesus, two writings indeed. I think it is intended to affect us that the same Lord Jesus who has operated with each one of us and has had to do with us has written indelible things in our hearts. It is the same One who came here and was found in the lowly conditions in which we read of Him. He is confronted here with a case as to which there was no possible doubt. The guilt of this woman was beyond dispute, the law said she had to be stoned, but Jesus, "having stooped down, wrote with his finger on the ground". We were affected this past Lord's Day morning, where we were, with the stoop; I do not know whether this scripture was referred to, but we were certainly affected by the thought as to the Lord having stooped. We need to be softened in our hearts; to think of the way that Jesus has gone, to meet us in our need because our guilt was beyond dispute. The law demanded that we should die, stern justice demanded it, but Jesus, having stooped down wrote with his finger on the ground. "His finger"; I am impressed with that. Elsewhere it says "if I by the finger of God cast out demons." John brings out particularly Who this person was, His deity. Think of Him writing on the ground, think of every step that He trod, of the footprints that He left. We sometimes sing, 'We love to trace Thy footprints'. I believe that wherever He went, whatever He did, you could see the finger of God in it. What a life was the life of Jesus!
He spoke not a word; it says "they continued asking him". Then He says "let him that is without sin among you first cast the stone at her". That is to bring conviction, and He says no more. The Lord has a way with us, He conveys something and leaves it with us. I think I could say that from my own experience. The Lord leaves you to work things out. He said no more and again ·stooping down, he wrote on the ground". There was a day in the life of Jesus when the divine finger was pointed to the cross. I think we have been taught that the second stooping and writing refers to the fact that the Lord Jesus went into death. Who can measure what He undertook for us! There is great poignancy about the silences here. The Lord is very economical with His words. He speaks very briefly; it says, they continued asking Him but He spoke very briefly and then stooping down, he wrote on the ground the very earth upon which we walk is the earth upon which he walked, and on which He wrote and on which He took the road that led to the cross, to death, with all that that involved for God, and all that it involved for us. What can man say to this, what can religious self-righteous man say to this? They having heard that, went out one by one, beginning form the elder ones until the last, and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing there. This, I think in principle, introduces the spirit of the new covenant which has been referred to already; "neither do I condemn thee". We cannot say much about this woman, we have no evidence that much came of it. The woman here is not so much the point, it is divine movements in view of blessing. Whether she got the benefit or not we cannot say, but the glory of the new covenant shines through when the Lord says, "neither do I condemn thee". What a wonderful sphere we are brought into! This is our day, this is our place. How affecting to think that the Lord has gone to such lengths and stooped so low, so that a place might be secured for us so that we can be brought into an area of blessing. When you go on in the epistles, you find that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. These are further features of the truth and how wonderful are the blessings that flow out of the new covenant! May our hearts be touched by the thought of how the Lord has stooped so low, to write such indelible things that affect everyone of us, will affect the world to come, will affect the eternal day, all secured through what He has done. May our hearts be encouraged. For His Name's sake.