What Did Jesus Write on the Ground?

One of the most intriguing episodes in the Bible is the story of what Jesus did when He was confronted by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who brought in a woman caught in adultery, demanding to know Jesus’ stance with respect to a Mosaic law that calls for death in such a situation.

The episode is narrated in John 8: 4 – 11 (KJV):

⁴ They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

⁵ Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

⁶ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

⁷ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

⁸ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

⁹ And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

¹⁰ When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

¹¹ She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

We therefore come to a very fascinating issue:   What did Jesus write on the ground? Here we put forth the argument that what Jesus wrote was a portion of His very own Prayer.

Using the Method of the Verse Identification (MVI) expounded in the book, let us look at the identity of the verses from 4 to 11, which provides a precise synopsis of the story of  the adulterous woman.

Book#	Chapter#	Verse#	SUM	TOTAL
43	8	4	55	55
43	8	5	56	111
43	8	6	57	168
43	8	7	58	226
43	8	8	59	285
43	8	9	60	345
43	8	10	61	406
43	8	11	62	468

And here we stumble across one of the most fascinating results of Biblical Mathematics.  The 6th verse and 8th verse read:

⁶ This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

⁸ And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

The identifier of the verses up to the 6th verse is 168 and that of the verses up to the 8th verse is 285.

But 168 is the identifier of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke, and the 285 is the identifier of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Matthew!

Identifier of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:2-4 is 168

Book#	Chapter#	Verse#	SUM
42	11	2	55
42	11	3	56
42	11	4	57
			168

Identifier of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is 285

Book

Chapter

Verse

SUM

40	6	9	55
40	6	10	56
40	6	11	57
40	6	12	58
40	6	13	59

285

CONCLUSION:   The only logical conclusion is that Jesus wrote the following:

1. The first time He stooped down (John 8:6), He wrote:  “Forgive us our sins.”
2. The second time He stooped down (John 8:8), He wrote: “As we forgive those who sinned against us.”

If one of the teachers of the law or Pharisees had bothered to read what Jesus had written, he would have come to realize that he was looking at the essence of the greatest prayer of all times, the prayer that is a mini-Gospel of Jesus Christ containing the Great Commandment of Jesus Christ:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  (Matthew 22:37-40).

For he who forgives seeks love (Proverbs 17:9):

⁹ He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

And in love, there is forgiveness (1 Peter 4:8):

⁸ And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Jesus Christ was telling the teachers of the law and Pharisees to follow His Great Commandment on which hangs all the Mosaic law and what the prophets have said!

If we love Jesus Christ (and therefore His Father), we follow His commandments (John 14:15) by daily repentance (Matthew 4:17) and denial of self (Matthew 16:24). Hence, the necessity to petition the Father to forgive us our sins.  And by forgiving those who sinned against us, we seek love (Proverbs 17:9).