He Wrote on the Ground

(John 8:2-11 NIV) When the religious leaders brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, he was teaching in the temple courts. After hearing their accusation, Jesus stooped down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. We all know his reply, "Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus wrote on the ground again as the accusers left one at a time. When there was no one left to condemn the woman, he commanded her to, "Go and leave your life of sin."

It's easy after reading that story to seek answers. Where was the man? Why was he not condemned like the woman? Obviously the Pharisees just wanted to trap Jesus. The other question that might haunt the memory is What was it the Master Teacher was writing on the ground? Were they words of wisdom, a scripture text, or time-killing doodles? There is no way of knowing, though I'm pretty sure the Lord wasn't doodling. I'm saving that last question for when I get to the Pearly Gates.

This story makes me think of a time when I drew in the dirt. Did you ever play marbles? We would draw a bull ring about 3-5 feet in diameter on the ground. Inside the ring we would scatter a designated number of marbles from each participant's drawstring bag. Positioning ourselves around the ring, we took turns using a shooter to knock marbles out. When the last marble was tapped out, we counted how many we each had knocked from the circle. The player possessing the most marbles was the winner. It was good clean fun except for the dust that ended up covering our clothes and bodies.

photo by Crissy Jarvis/Unsplash.com 

Oh, the innocence of children's games. Drawing a game board for marbles on the ground was much more frivolous than whatever Jesus was sketching with his finger in the dirt.

More Questions

Any list of questions that can only be answered when I finally arrive at or inside heaven's gate is bound to be as endless as time itself. Here are a few more of my personal queries for eternity.

Who warned Jochebed? (Exodus 2:3) We know why Moses' mother put her baby in a bullrush basket on the Nile. It was to save him from Pharaoh's decree threatening to drown all Israelite male babies. There was no electronic warning system...no Amber Alert that Moses was in danger. It is easy to believe what occurred was simply God's plan to save the man destined to lead the enslaved people from Egypt to the promised land. Did Jochebed dream it or have an angelic messenger appear to her? It happened that way to others in the Bible, but we have no answer to how it occurred this time.

What became of the ear? (John 18:10) In the Mount of Olives garden on the night Judas betrayed  Jesus, Peter fought the mob. He drew his sword and wacked off the right ear of Malchus, servant of the high priest. Luke 22:51 relates that Jesus, "touched his ear and healed him." Trivial though it may sound, did Jesus pick up the sliced-off ear lying on the ground and restore it to the man's head. It is just as reasonable to think the Lord simply touched the spot where the ear had been, and all was made whole. If that were the case, was the original ear still in the dirt or...what?

Did Thomas actually put his hand in my Savior's side? (John 20:27 NIV) Jesus told the doubter to "reach out your hand and put it into my side." The King James version asserts a bit more dramatically that he was to "thrust it into my side." That effort by Jesus to make Thomas a believer again did not go unrequited. Thomas immediately exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" I can suppose he said those words from his knees." I'd only be guessing.

As with my previous blog Questions, there are no definitive answers to any of these. There are no solutions at all...only cognitive apparitions in my mind's eye of why or what might've happened. I do enjoy imaginatively pondering some of the unwritten details. It is fun and gives me joy.

Questions?

In this era of global information, Siri and Alexa grant wishes and follow instructions. YouTube demonstrates how to create, fix, or assemble just about anything. The answers to many, but not all, questions are at our fingertips on the keyboards of our gadgets. Google makes every life better...or NOT! Many of us have a list of what we want to ask when we get to heaven. The solution to some queries can only be imagined. Allow me to mention a few of these.

First, what happened to the piece of bread? (John 13:30 MSG) "Judas, with the piece of bread, left." In the upper room during the last supper, Jesus dipped and then handed a piece of the dinner bread to Judas. Satan entered Judas, and he left the room with bread in hand. He may have eaten it. I'm pretty sure he didn't take it with him to meet with the Jewish leaders to "sign the betrayal contract." More than likely he tossed it to the dogs in a timely fashion.

Second, who started the hymn? (Matthew 26:30 MSG) "They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives." We are not told the instigator. Perhaps Jesus led it needing some soothing music before facing what he knew lay ahead. Peter, who was always one of the first to speak, might have thought the occasion warranted something special. Any of the apostles could've played conductor. Truth is, we have no clue.

Finally, who folded the kerchief? (John 20:7 MSG) "Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen clothes lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself." Did Jesus initially remove and neatly fold the face cloth then hurry with the other garments dumping them to the side as Mary Magdalene approached? There certainly was no maid service or gadget that would respond to, "Alexa, fold the face cloth." Possibly angels assisted him in those first minutes of rebirth.

Given these Biblical scenarios for which there are no recorded answers, what do you think? We know little, but we can imagine a lot.