While on holiday just recently, I went for an early morning walk along the vast sandy beach adjacent to where I was staying. The tide was a long way out, and my only company was the occasional jogger, dog walker or squawking seagull.
As I looked ahead, alongside the dry sand to my left, I could see an inscription in the wet sand to my right. When I got up close, I realised it was a declaration of love: the names of a man and a woman, with a heart shape between them. Beneath it was yesterday’s date.
Maybe it was written with a hand or foot or both. All I knew was that, later that day, the tide would come in, wash over and erase it. But in that moment, it was there for all to see.
Needless to say, it got me thinking about a well-known story from the New Testament, in which Jesus writes in the dust (or sand) of the ground with his finger.
But it also got me thinking about the little-known verse from the Old Testament, which helps us understand what Jesus was doing – and why.
***
In John 8:1-11, we find Jesus is sitting, teaching in the courts of the temple in Jerusalem. It is early in the morning, not long after dawn.
Suddenly, the teachers of the law burst into the scene, bringing a woman before him. They allege that she has been caught in adultery and, rather gruesomely, yet in accordance with the law of Moses, they want to see her stoned. (See Leviticus 20:10.)
[I have often wondered where the man was in this story, given it takes two to commit adultery, but John makes no mention of him.]
Jesus doesn’t say a word.
He simply stoops down, from his seat, and begins to write in the dust (or sand) of the ground with his finger.
Over his head, he is being bombarded with questions from the teachers of the law. But he is deliberately not answering them.
Then he straightens up and says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” before stooping down again and resuming his writing.
One by one, the woman’s accusers walk away, until Jesus is the only one left.
Asking if any of them have condemned her, she replies no.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declares. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
***
As I say, this story is well-known. But the aspect that I’ve been pondering is this:
Why did Jesus write on the ground? Why did he use his finger (rather than, say, a stick)? And what was it that he wrote?
And this is what I’d like to suggest …
In Jesus’ day, it was common practice for Jewish students to be taught to write, using their fingers to create the Hebrew letters and words, in the dust or sand of the earth. This way, any mistakes could easily be corrected. It was an integral part of the learning process.
Even today, some Jewish schools will still give writing lessons using boards covered in sand, or trays filled with sand, so that pupils can use their fingers in the sand and immediately erase any mistakes while they are learning how to write.
The reason this matters is that the Bible speaks of a contrast between words written on rock and words written in the dust or the sand.
Words recorded on rock are deemed to be permanent. They are considered to have been written down for eternity.
For example, as Job 19:23-24 says: “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!”
By contrast, words recorded in dust or sand are only ever momentary. Even the slightest breeze could scatter the sand and those words would be quickly consigned to oblivion.
For example, to quote Jeremiah 17:13: “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”
But what’s interesting here is that Jeremiah 17:13 isn’t just referring to generic ‘words’ written in the dust. Rather, it’s speaking specifically about ‘names’ written in the dust.
It’s saying that, if we turn away from the Lord, if we forsake him, our names will be written in the dust, fleetingly remembered, easily erased.
With this in mind, I have been pondering this thought:
Could it be, when Jesus stooped down that day, and started writing in the dust of the ground with his finger, that he was actually enacting Jeremiah 17:13? Was he deliberately reminding his onlookers of this biblical truth about the fleeting nature of words written in the dust? And if so, what was it that he was writing?
Might Jesus have been writing the names of the woman’s accusers, one by one, in the dust?
Was he calling them out for forsaking him as the Jewish Messiah? Was he suggesting that, in turning away from him, their names would be erased from God’s eternal plans?
Or might Jesus have been writing the sins of the woman’s accusers, one by one, in the dust?
Was he exposing their hypocrisy in bringing her before him, given that they, too, were not in right relationship with God? Was he reminding them that there is no-one without sin (apart from Jesus) and all of us need our sins to be erased?
***
At the end of the day, John’s Gospel doesn’t tell us what words Jesus wrote in the dust that day. So we will never know for sure.
But all of us, like the woman and her accusers that day, are guilty of sin. All of us are in need of forgiveness. And all of us will, one day, stand before Jesus and be judged.
So, with this in mind, let me ask you these two things:
Firstly, are you in right relationship with God?
Are you aware of your sins? Are you conscious of how far short of God’s standards you keep falling? (Romans 3:23) Are you acknowledging and confessing your wrongdoings, on a regular basis, knowing God will always be faithful in forgiving you because of what Jesus did on the cross? (1 John 1:8-10)
Secondly, where is your name written?
Is it written in the dust? Or is it engraved in the palm of God’s hand? (Isaiah 49:16) Is it written in heaven, never to be blotted out? (Luke 10:20) Is it recorded forever in God’s “book of life”? (Revelation 3:5, 20:15, 21:27)
As ever, I would love to hear your thoughts, so constructive comments are welcome below.
Photo by Nada Mohamed via Pexels
