Those without sin cast the first stone
by Pastor Joseph Cortes Open your Bible to John 8:1 and step into this moment with a heart ready to see not only the scene, but yourself within it. “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.” There is a calmness here—Jesus teaching, people gathered, truth being given. But even in the midst of truth, interruption comes. Not from those who are hungry to learn, but from those who are eager to accuse. “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,” she is no longer just a person—she is now a spectacle, exposed before all, surrounded by those who believe themselves righteous. They speak with confidence and accusation, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.” Their words are not merely informative—they are calculated. They appeal to the law, saying, “Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” But the Scripture reveals their true intent: “This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.” This is the spirit of accusation—quick to expose sin, but never interested in restoration. And if we are honest, this spirit has not disappeared; it still works in the hearts of many, even today. Yet Jesus does not respond as expected. “But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground…” He does not rush to answer. He does not engage their trap immediately. Instead, He lowers Himself, writing in the dust. What a powerful picture—while men stand in pride, the Son of God stoops in humility. What did He write? Scripture does not tell us plainly, but Jeremiah gives us something to consider: “O LORD, the hope of Israel… they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.” (Jeremiah 17:13). Whether it was names, sins, or something else entirely, we know this—whatever He wrote, it reached deeper than their words ever could.