Nigerian columnist Femi Aribisala explained the episode of the woman caught in adultery
In Nigeria, columnist Femi Aribisala examined the Gospel episode about a woman accused of adultery and Jesus’ response to the demand that she be stoned. As Premium Times Nigeria writes, this is the second part of his column, “Article of Faith: Holding captivity captive.”
Interpretation of the Law of Moses
Aribisala writes that the accusers sought to use the Law of Moses to trap Jesus. The author interprets this story through the Christian teaching that Jesus took upon himself people’s sins and died in place of sinners.
The text includes excerpts from the Gospel of Matthew, the Epistle to the Galatians, the Epistle to the Ephesians, and the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. In particular, Aribisala refers to Jesus’ words about calling sinners to repentance.
Baptism in the Jordan
Aribisala separately reflects on why Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, although, according to Christian doctrine, he was sinless. In the author’s view, the baptism was connected with Jesus identifying himself with sinners. To explain this, he refers to the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and the words of the Apostle Paul.
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The author also connects the Jordan with the biblical story of the healing of the Syrian Naaman from leprosy. Aribisala interprets this river as a symbol of spiritual and physical cleansing.
The accusers and the image of God’s finger
The columnist notes that under the provisions from Leviticus and Deuteronomy cited by him, the punishment was to apply to both the man and the woman who committed adultery. Since only the woman was brought to Jesus, the author considers the actions of her accusers a manifestation of hypocrisy and suggests that they were violating the Law to which they referred.
Aribisala also interprets Jesus’ gesture of writing with his finger on the ground. He compares it with biblical references to the “finger of God,” in particular the creation of the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. The author believes that through this gesture Jesus attested to his divinity. The column ends with a note that it will be continued.
