Femi Aribisala publishes final part of column on mercy in Nigeria
In Nigeria, Femi Aribisala published the third and final part of his author’s column, “Article of Faith: Holding captivity captive.” In the piece published by the Nigerian outlet Premium Times Nigeria, he examines the biblical episode from the Gospel of John about a woman accused of adultery.
Aribisala focuses on Jesus’ words to the accusers: the one without sin may be the first to throw a stone. The author links this episode to a line from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah about those who depart from the Lord and will be “written in the earth.” In his view, this passage may have been understood by the scribes and Pharisees when Jesus wrote on the ground with his finger.
A trap for the accusers
According to the columnist, the accusers sought to trap Jesus but found themselves in the position of people condemned by their own conscience. He refers to psalms about people who dug a pit and fell into it themselves, and describes the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrisy.
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In Aribisala’s account, after Jesus’ call, the accusers realized their own sinfulness and left. The author writes that only Jesus, as the sinless one, could have condemned the woman, but did not do so. Instead, according to the Gospel text, he told her to go and sin no more.
The image of law and mercy
The columnist contrasts the Ten Commandments, written on stone tablets, with what was written on the ground. He interprets this as an image of the guilt of the woman and her accusers, which can be erased. To develop the theme of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, Aribisala also cites Psalm 103, the Gospel of John, and the epistle of the Apostle Paul.
As an example of mercy, the author cites the Apostle Paul, who in the quoted passage calls himself a former persecutor of Christians and speaks of having received mercy. At the end of the publication, it is noted that this part of the series is the final one.
