Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. (Jn. 8:6)
The woman caught in adultery stands in the midst of the crowd ashamed of her actions and afraid for her life. The Pharisees are feverishly using that woman to set up Jesus. Many of the townspeople are gathered around with great curiosity, some eager to hurl the stones in their hands. And Jesus bends down and writes with his finger on the ground.
I’ve always been fascinated by this moment because Jesus is so calm. Everyone around him is anxious, or ashamed, or afraid, or bloodthirsty, and Jesus is at peace.
When I look at my life, it grieves me to see how often I’m frantic and harried. It also grieves me to acknowledge how many bad mistakes I’ve made when I wasn’t calm and at peace. When I allow people or circumstances to drive my life, I can fall into impatient actions and impetuous decisions.
Why do so many of us lead such noisy and frantic lives? Do we think that the busier we are the more important we become? It’s like we can’t stand to be alone with our selves, our thoughts, our questions, even our prayers. Are we afraid to listen to what our mind, heart, or soul might be saying?
I’ve given much thought to how Jesus was always—well, almost always—so calm. I think it was because of the following: He knew who he was; He knew how much he was loved; He knew his mission.
Do we want a calmer life? If so, we need to know what Jesus knew.
Who are we? The children of God. How much are we loved? Loved so much that God gave his Son Jesus for us. What is our mission? To be the disciples of Jesus, sharing light and hope and love with God’s other children.
With all “heck-breaking loose” around him, Jesus is completely calm. I’m not only fascinated by this moment, I also know how much I need this same calm and peace in my life.
If you know the same, I encourage you to know what Jesus knew. That fascinating moment when Jesus was so calm can be ours when we do.
Reflection Questions:
- Jesus’ calmness and peace saved that woman’s life. If you were to have more calmness and peace, what would happen in your life?
- What are the things that drive calmness and peace from your heart? Are you willing to give those things to Jesus, or are you afraid to do so because you wouldn’t know who you are without them?
- How well do you know what Jesus knew? That you are child of God? That you are loved? That you have a mission? What would it take for you to know with more clarity and assurance what Jesus knew?
This is the only occasion in the Gospels where we are told that Jesus wrote something. What did he write? I’ve always liked the theory that Jesus knew the most secret sins of every one of the men who accused the unknown woman of adultery, and that he wrote them down one after another: liar…extortioner…thief…fornicator…blasphemer…murderer…and so on. And one by one the woman’s accusers were so overcome with guilt that they dropped their stones and slunk away in shame. “Woman, where thine accusers?” Maybe it didn’t happen quite that way, but that’s how I like to imagine it.
Humans put an extraordinary amount time in our daily life proving we are loved by others. After-all, it might be our biggest fear -to be unloved. We forget we are loved by the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Creator of all. Thank you for the thoughtful reminder.
Glad I stumbled on your blog. Must have been one of those God moments.