Always, I ask myself: What did Jesus write in the dirt before a situation so complicated as what happened in front of him: a woman that was accused of adultery about to be stoned by those that accused her.

Why did he write? Wasn’t there a better thing for Jesus to do in this moment?

Really, no, there was not.

That woman is encountered in the worst situation that one could be, she was completely vulnerable, humiliated and without strength to react. She found herself at the bottom, there did not exist a lower level to descend.

Jesus, appeared to be quite calm and tranquil, perhaps he wanted to pass tranquility to her that who was in panic, and thus He leaned forward in front of the woman and began to write in the dirt.

I soon learned that what Jesus wrote in that moment did not possess any value, but the gesture of inclining possessed enormous value for that woman.

Jesus . . . inclined in order to bring come to a level with her that is encountered by writing in the dirt. The eyes of condemnation and at the same time remaining tranquil.

But then Jesus rises in defense of the woman and gives this celebrated phrase:

“Let the one without sin be the first to throwa stone at her.” (John 8:7b)

And those that were the accusers, became then the accused.

Only Jesus possessed the to reverse that which otherwise was a dead end road. Inclined and then rising before the woman in sin, He returned hope to the eyes of that woman.

Jesus inclined and rose to the woman, not to the sin, and therefore, He bowed once more in order that now upon rising, rising no more to a woman adulterer He simply rose to a woman. (Jn 8:10a)

The salvation entered in the life of that woman not in the moment that Jesus rose in her defense to those who accused her, but when Jesus rose for the second time being alone with her asking her:

Woman, where are those that accused you? No one has condemned you? (Jn 8:10b)

Jesus upon expressing the words “no one” included the woman herself.

For that which that woman had done caused an evil so great that never would she be able to pardon herself.

But having encountered Jesus and experiencing the of love of God in her life, in that situation she finds herself, the weight of condemnation is no longer put on her shoulders.

The pardon given to herself already happened, but she needed to take conscience of the pardon, then Jesus asks the question and thus the woman assumes this truth in her life responding correctly.

No one, Sir. Then Jesus said to her: Nor do I condemn you. Go and do not commit more sin.” (Jn 8:11)

In order that pardon would happen in her life she needed self pardon to happen.

Jesus then completed a full inner healing of that woman.

Jesus does not act partially and always acts with an objective.

I came upon this and realized that I no longer was interested in what Jesus wrote; for what was interesting was what the evangelist himself wrote in his Gospel. But this began to interest me a lot and each day that passed even more: the objective that Jesus had in writing in the dirt.

Pablo CN

translated from Portuguese