And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the ground.
τουτο δε ελεγον πειραζοντες αυτον ινα εχωσιν κατηγορειν κατηγοριαν κατ αυτου ο δε ιησους κατω κυψας τω δακτυλω εγραφεν OMIT μη προσποιουμενος
11 Church Fathers comment on this verse
In the known works of St. John Chrysostom, the passage 7:53-8:11 is not cited. However, the Catholic preacher Jacobus de Voragine, in the thirteenth century, says that, according to John Chrysostom, He wrote: "Earth, swallow up these men who have rebelled." At present it is unknown whether Jacobus confused the names, or whether a work once existed that has not come down to us. It is also unknown whether it belonged among the genuine works or the Spuria.
Why did they have cause to accuse Him? Had they caught Him in committing a crime? Or was the woman in some improper relationship with Him? What does it mean that they were testing Him, so that they might find something with which to accuse Him?
A wondrous meekness shone forth in Jesus, for they had already observed His surpassing gentleness. Indeed, there was a prophecy concerning Him: "Ride forth because of truth and meekness and righteousness," Ps 44:5.
Thus, as Teacher He bore truth; as Liberator, meekness; as Advocate, righteousness. Each belongs to His kingship, as the prophet foretold through the Holy Spirit. When He spoke, truth was acknowledged. When He acted against His enemies, He did not resort to violence. His meekness was praised.
They set the stumbling block for Him in the third element, righteousness. The Law prescribed stoning for adulterers, and clearly the Law could not suppose anything unjust. Anyone who said something against the Law had to be regarded as unrighteous.
Therefore they said among themselves: "If He decides that she may go, He will not be righteous." Yet, in their view, in order to remain good, for which so many people had already accepted Him, Jesus had to decide to let her go.
They hoped to find occasion to accuse Him as a transgressor of the Law, so that they might stone Him together with the woman. But our Lord, in His answer, preserved His righteousness and did not diminish His meekness. They set a snare for Him and fell into it themselves, because they did not believe in Him Who could save them from the snares.
We shall see, brethren, what wondrous meekness was manifested in the Lord. They had noticed that He was very gentle and very meek. Of this, of course, it had been foretold: "Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, in Your glory and Your beauty. And in Your majesty ride forth prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness," cf. Ps 44:4-5.
Thus, as Teacher He brought truth; as Deliverer, meekness; as Examiner, righteousness. In both the psalm and Augustine's text the word is iustitia, meaning righteousness or justice. Augustine also calls Christ cognitor, a term that can mean advocate or examiner.
That He would reign for this reason was foretold by the prophet in the Holy Spirit, see Is 11. When He spoke, truth was revealed. When He was not provoked by His enemies, His meekness was glorified.
Because of these two principles, His truth and His meekness, His enemies were filled with envy and malice. Concerning the third, righteousness, they wished to test Him. How so? The Law commanded that adulterers be stoned, and of course the Law could not command what is unjust.
If someone says something contrary to the Law, he will be convicted as unjust. So they said among themselves: "He is considered a herald of truth and seems meek. We must seek accusations concerning His justice.
Let us bring before Him a woman caught in adultery and say what the Law prescribes concerning her. If He confirms that she should be stoned, He will cease to possess meekness. If He advises that she be released, He will depart from justice.
And so, they said, lest He lose the meekness by which He has already gained love among the people, He will undoubtedly say that she should be released. Here we shall find occasion to reproach Him and accuse Him as a violator of the Law.
We shall say to Him: 'You are an enemy of the Law. You answer contrary to Moses, indeed contrary to Him Who gave the Law through Moses. You deserve death. You should be stoned together with that woman.'"
Such words and thoughts could inflame hatred, produce an accusation, and bring about condemnation. But what was set against what? Perversity was against uprightness, falsehood against truth, a crooked heart against a right heart, foolishness against wisdom.
When could they ever set snares without first falling into them themselves? See how the Lord in His answer both preserves justice and does not depart from meekness. He Who was being caught was not caught. Rather, those who were catching Him were caught, for they did not believe in Him Who could draw them out of the snares of deceit.
The scribes and Pharisees accused her and pressed their demand, wishing to stone her according to the law. But Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground, evidently the sins of those who accused her and of all mortals. This accords with what is written in the prophet: “Those who depart from You shall be written on the earth.”
Knowing this, the Lord Jesus bowed His head and wrote on the ground. What did He write, if not the God-inspired words of the prophet Jeremiah concerning Jeconiah: “O earth, earth, write down” (cf. Jer 22:29-30) these men as rejected? When the Jews demand punishment, their names are written on the earth. When Christians make supplication, the names of the faithful are written not on earth, but in heaven. The rejected are written on earth, those rejected by the Father, who tempt Him and insult the Creator of salvation.
Knowing that Jesus Christ is merciful and compassionate, they thought He would spare the woman. In this way they would have an accusation against Him, that He unlawfully spared one who, according to the law, ought to be stoned.
Before showing mercy to the sinner, the Lord wished to write on the ground. He did this to show that He is the One who inscribed on stone the Ten Commandments of the law with His finger, that is, by the action of the Holy Spirit. And the law was rightly inscribed on stone, because it was given to soften the hearts of a stubborn and stiff-necked people.
After asking such a question, the scribes and Pharisees looked insolently at Jesus, as though they had placed Him, in their opinion, in an inescapable position. But He bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground, paying no attention to them.
The next morning Christ appeared again in the temple and continued His preaching. But His enemies had already been prowling around the temple, plotting snares against the Teacher whom they hated.
They evidently had not slept all night. They rejoiced greatly when they found a way, as they thought, to place Christ suddenly in an inescapable difficulty.
Amid the merriment and revelry of the Feast of Tabernacles, immoral and dissolute deeds also occurred. The usual order of life was disrupted, and the city's inhabitants stayed with great crowds of visitors in booths outside the city.
This made more occasions for temptation. A woman caught in adultery fell into their hands, and the scribes did not fail to use the occasion to trap the hated Galilean by legalism (Jn 8:1-11).
In essence, it was not their place to accuse her, but her husband's. Moreover, she could not be subjected to legal punishment beyond divorce, if he himself was not a man of pure life.
In difficult cases, however, the Jews had the custom of consulting some famous teacher. They wished to hide their treacherous design precisely under cover of this custom.
They thought that if Jesus condemned her and insisted that she be stoned according to the law (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:24), this would harm Him in the eyes of the people.
That law had long ceased to be enforced because the crime itself had become so widespread.
If, on the other hand, He released her, they could accuse Him of trampling upon the law, since formally it still remained binding.
Moreover, for Him to condemn her to death would be an infringement upon a right belonging exclusively to the Roman governor.
In any case, they thought they would place Him in an inescapable position. Insolently dragging to Him the wretched, disheveled harlot, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery.
"Now Moses commanded us in the law to stone such women. What do You say?"
Tempting Him, and so forth; compare Mt 22:18 and the note. By pointing to the direct law of Moses and asking His opinion, they intended to place Him in a difficult position and accuse Him whatever He answered.
If He decided according to the law of Moses that she should be stoned, the scribes would accuse Him before the Roman government or governor.
The Roman criminal law, which also applied to conquered peoples, as the Jews then were, did not punish adultery by death. Stoning in particular was forbidden by the Romans.
But if the Lord decided the matter contrary to the law of Moses and against the stoning of the offender, they would accuse Him before the Sanhedrin as an opponent of the Mosaic law.
A similar deceit occurred when the Lord was asked whether it was necessary to pay tribute to Caesar or not; Mt 22:16 and following, compare the note.
That they wished to hear a decision in the first sense is shown by their citation of the law of Moses. Yet they could also expect from the Lord a decision in the latter sense.
"They knew that He was merciful and loved mankind. They expected Him to speak of this, so that they might accuse Him of unlawfully sparing one who, according to the law, ought to be stoned" (Euthymius Zigabenus).
He stooped low and wrote, and so forth. This is "what people often do when they do not wish to answer those asking something untimely and unworthy.
"Knowing their malice, He continued to write on the ground, paying no attention to what they were saying" (Euthymius Zigabenus).
The Evangelist does not say what He wrote. All conjectures would be vain. The more common one is that He wrote the answer He gave to those who questioned Him in verse 7.
But Jesus stooped down and wrote with His finger on the ground, paying no attention to them. The phrase "paying no attention," rendered from Μη προσποιουμενος, is an explanatory addition.
According to Jerome, the Savior wrote on the ground the sins of the stern accusers of the sinner. According to Ambrose, He wrote a rebuke of their failure to attend to themselves.
But in the Evangelist it is not clear whether the Savior traced definite words or merely made marks. It is clear only what He wished to show.
Those who accuse another with an unclean conscience are not worth speaking with. Before all else, they must turn their attention to themselves. They must consider themselves, who they are and what they are like.
The zealots of the law could have been reminded that they did not accurately present Moses' prescription. His law condemns adultery to death, but it did not determine the kind of death, nor did it say to stone them.
See Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22. But the Lord Jesus was silent, leaving them to their conscience. They again asked Him for an answer.
And He answered with heavenly wisdom: "He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
According to the law, the witnesses were first to cast stones at the convicted criminal, though not at an adulterer, and then the people. Deut 13:10; Deut 17:7; Josh 7:25.
By pointing to this law, the Lord also points to the shameful history of Susanna's accusers in Dan 13.
He says, as it were: If you are not accusers like those who accused Susanna, and if you are not judges who only wish to show yourselves before men as zealots for truth and purity, then act according to the law's strictness.
But if you remain in your hearts dark sinners yourselves, the matter is left to you.
The putting to death of adulterers is directly indicated in the law, Lev 20: "The man who commits adultery with another man's wife... the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."
The kind of execution is not specified, as also in other offenses in Lev 20:9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16. Yet in such cases they usually stoned the offenders, drawing the whole people into carrying out the sentence.
So it is in Deut 13:9-10 and Num 15:32, 36; compare Acts 7:58.
Generally speaking, as Jewish scholars indicate, the Sanhedrin was not especially cruel or bloodthirsty. Yet in the present case, malice against the Lord would certainly have driven them to stone her if the Lord had shown mercy to the harlot.
They would have done so even under the danger of Roman vengeance, since the Romans did not allow anyone to be put to death without the procurator's consent.
It is true that the Romans treated such cases with great indifference. This is clear from the martyrdom of St. Stephen, when the person killed had no special importance for the Romans.
Therefore the Lord did not answer the accusers. Indeed, paying no attention to them, He stooped down and "wrote with His finger on the ground."
This action of the Lord could have been described only by an eyewitness of the event. He vividly presents to us, in a real image, a touching scene from the Lord's life.
On the one side stand men embittered and thirsting for blood, with a trembling woman before the Lord. On the other side stands the merciful Lord in human form.
He desires to save both the body and the soul of the unfortunate woman. As He knows, she was brought not so much for her offense, very common among the Jews, as the prophets had said.
Rather, she was brought in order to satisfy the Jews' malice against the Lord. And the Lord first saves the woman's life by His silence, and after this by the power of a word of mercy and highest justice.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS