Today, January 29, Asia Bibi was fully acquitted after an appeal of her case.

I referred to the case of Asia Bibi last fall, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan first acquitted her of charges stemming from a 2010 conviction. Asia, a young Christian woman, had been condemned to death on charges of supposedly blaspheming the prophet Mohammed. The case stemmed from an argument over a water container, when a couple Muslim women were angry that Asia had touched it and thereby, in their view, defiled the water.

In its October ruling, the Supreme Court had quoted Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, saying that Asia had been “more sinned against than sinning.” The October ruling was followed by angry mobs of radical Islamists screaming for Asia to be hanged. Now, with her acquittal upheld, she is finally free to seek asylum in another country.

Around the world, there are many groups of people who become the object of hatred. No people are perfect, but when people are subjected to hate and defamation, they inevitably become “more sinned against than sinning.” You could think of many examples. Certainly one example would be the LGBTQ community, whose acceptance in the church – or too often rejection – has been a subject of our current sermon series.

Jesus turns all this around, moving us to recognize and confess our own personal sin, and – having experienced God’s grace – to extend God’s grace and love to all.

Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Acts 10:9–16, 34–35

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.