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gospel. John is a very careful and crafty author. Nothing is ever simply<br />
accidental with John.<br />
Jesus is bending over from the seat of Moses to write. Remember it is<br />
the finger of God that writes the tablets of the commandments for Moses.<br />
And God has to write for Moses twice just as Jesus does in this scene. Think<br />
of the finger of God that writes on the wall in the book of Daniel. Remember<br />
the finger of God at creation. Look at the magnificent ceiling of the Sistine<br />
chapel in the Vatican and see the finger of God stretch out to Adam. The<br />
finger of God writes all human history.<br />
And the finger of God doodles before the self-righteous of this<br />
world–whether they be in the temples and synagogues of first century<br />
Palestine or scattered throughout the pews of churches in our own 21 st<br />
century. God, Jesus says, is not what we make God out to be! There is no<br />
need to buy righteousness. There is no need to repent first. God forgives.<br />
Period! This too is an up-side-down God Jesus preaches.<br />
There is a beautiful Rembrandt painting of this scene. Jesus is turning<br />
toward the elders pointing a finger at them (the same finger of God by the<br />
way). But at the bottom of the frame, barely noticeable, the young woman<br />
has quietly entwined her fingers around Jesus’ other hand. And he holds her<br />
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