Saturday 18 July 2026

Psalm 76

Background
This week we have been reading about Jesus in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus did not return immediately to Galilee. Instead, he went to the mountain ridge known as the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. In Jewish tradition this was the place where God’s divine presence lingered after the destruction of the first Temple (see Ezekiel 11:23), hoping the Jewish people would repent of their actions and invite him back.

It was believed the Messiah would once more reveal that divine presence on the Mount. In this hugely symbolic place Jesus is challenged by religious leaders to determine what should happen to a woman caught in adultery. They see this an opportunity to entrap him. If he says let her go, he shows he has no respect for the Jewish law which demands that she should be stoned to death. If he says she should be stoned, he undermines his own message of mercy and runs the risk of facing Roman punishment for promoting unauthorised violence.

Instead of answering immediately, Jesus bent down and wrote in the dirt twice. What he wrote is unrecorded, but theologians usually view this as a symbolic act. Exodus 31:18 describes how the ten commandments were written on stone tablets ‘with the finger of God’. It has been suggested Jesus was signalling that he had the authority of the original lawgiver but he was going to write not on hard, unyielding stone but on the human heart (earth being a symbol of humanity).

Jesus’ answer (see v. 7) reminds us that no one is sin free. This saved the woman’s life and, in the process, emphasised grace and forgiveness are more important than legalistic punishment. John makes clear that, although Jesus refused to condemn her, he did not condone her actions but instructed her to leave her life of sin.

To Ponder:

• How do you respond to the mistakes of others? When someone fails or slips up, is your first instinct to expose and condemn them, or to offer restoration and grace?
• Think about a time you recently judged someone. Did you consider your own flaws before speaking or thinking poorly of them?
• Are you a stone thrower? Are there areas in your life where you hold others to a strict standard while secretly excusing your own mistakes?
• Do you struggle to believe that Jesus does not condemn you, or do you carry guilt for past mistakes that he has already forgiven?

Prayer
Lord, thank you that you do not stand over me with stones of condemnation, but look at me with eyes of pure grace. Forgive me for the times I have fallen short, remind me of my worth in your sight, and help me to walk forward in the freedom of your unconditional love, seeking to be more like you. Amen.

Bible notes author: Gary Best
Gary was headmaster of Kingswood School from 1987 to 2008 and volunteer warden of the New Room in Bristol from 2009 to 2019. He has published over 20 books, including The Christian Alphabet, a study book for home groups.