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Commentaries
English
John
  
7When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."8Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.9a At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, …


When the Pharisees accused the adulteress before Jesus, he bent down and using his finger, wrote on the ground. But we do not know what he wrote perhaps a new commandment in a word – Love.
The elders failed to see the reason for his "hesitation", not realizing that the judge of the world is patient and was to prick their consciences. They thought that they had entangled him in a mesh.
Jesus stood up and looked at them sorrowfully; it was a divine look, and his word was truth not to be denied. He said in "judgment", "He who is without sin among you, let him be first to cast a stone at her." Jesus had not altered a single clause of the law, but was completing it. The adulteress deserved death; this Jesus conceded.
By his action Jesus judged the "pious" as well as the adulteress. So he challenged them to prove their innocence by casting the first stone. With this, he tore the masks of piety from their faces. No man is free of sin. We are all weak, tempted and failures. Before God there is no difference between a sinner and a pious hypocrite. For all have strayed and become corrupt. Whoever transgressed one commandment has broken the law in its entirety, and deserves eternal perdition.
The elders and legalists were sacrificing animals in the temple to atone for their sins, confessing thereby that they were sinners. Christ’s word touched their consciences. They had wished to arrest the Nazarene, but he it was who had uncovered their wickedness and judged them. At the same time he kept the law. The accusers bowed their heads, feeling they were in the presence of God’s Son, awed by his holiness.
The elders and their sympathizers departed, and the place was empty, Jesus alone staying behind.