The pharisees are becoming more concerned of this new issue by the week.
Upstarts regularily arrive, they always find a weakness and take full advantage of it.
They are sure of doing the same to him, they have the torah on their side.
The Romans don't care what they do, long as there is no untoward disruption from this far flung corner of their empire.
It has been a hot week, no respite for the past few nights. Everyone is scratchy. It's a powderkeg primed to blow, the pharisees know how people work.
Time to spring the trap.
The pharisees seize a low class woman, accusing her of adultery. Making a goodly amount of commotion they drag her around publically.
A crowd follows, a few antagonists provide the lever. Soon the crowd become a mob and are ready to let off some of their heat inflamed emotions.
Nothing like a good stoning to appease the masses in a heatwave.
They drag her around till Jesus is present. "What are you doing to her, what has he done ?"
"She is an adulteress, she will be punished as per the Law."
Jesus sees her terrified eyes, the crowd panting for blood, the pharisees smug look.
The pharisees stand back in the crowd, overseeing their plan. 'We have him in a spot now. He knows the Law, he quotes it well enough'
The mob hushes, stones gripped in some hands, her eyes plead to Jesus.
"Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone."
She faints, the pharisees frowns crease. 'What does he mean ?'
Jesus steps in front of her prone figure and stands before the heaving sweaty hot mob.
A young man springs forward, his arm tensed.
Jesus kneals before him and using his finger writes something in the sand only the young man and Jesus can see.
The man pauses, reads it, his arm slacks. He stops, regrips the stone, relaxes again. Drops the stone, slumps his head, turns aside and walks away. Ashamed.
Jesus wipes out what he has written in the sand.
'What did Jesus write?'
Another man walks forward, confidantly. Jesus writes something else in the sand. Again the man hesitates and is defeated.
Again and again men come forward, only to be bested by Jesus personal private words in the sand.
Everyone has sinned, Jesus has written down a sin of every man that has come forward.
She has watched from the ground, sobbing, shaking and in shock.
The crowd dissipate.
Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
John 8:10-12