#5 – Jesus responded to criticism creatively.

“They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.” (John 8:6)

This verse is taken from the account of a woman caught in adultery and hauled before Jesus to trap him. If he answered that, yes, she should die, then he was subverting Rome, which alone had death-penalty authority. If he answered that, no, she should not die, then he was arguing with instructions in the law of Moses.

In his book Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and Creativity, recording artist Michael Card helpfully points out how creative Jesus was in choosing to deescalate the volatility by writing on the ground. Was he writing words? Drawing? Doodling?

Whatever it was, it was a creative pause which drew people in to hear more.