Luke 10:38-42 Pentecost VI
Jesus showed great openness and respect toward women. They provided for Him along the way, but Jesus
shows interest in them as disciples, sharing the Good News with them, talking
with them, healing them, including them and making them examples of faithfulness for His other
disciples.
Here, Jesus is at the home of Martha. It was common for Jesus and His disciples to
stay in people’s homes, eat their food and bless them with the Good News,
healing and wholeness. Martha’s sister,
Mary, sat at Jesus’ feet as a disciple.
She was learning the Good News of the Kin-dom. Martha was distracted from the Good News by
many tasks in her home, and complained to Jesus that Mary was not upholding the
social mores of household tasks assigned to women as Martha was, but was
sitting at Jesus’ feet as a disciple.
Jesus gently rebuked her and pointed out that there is only ONE most
important thing – the Good News of the Kin-dom of God. Mary had chosen wisely the better part, and
it would not fail her.
It seems to me that men have done great harm to
women over the centuries. Failing to see
their equality of gifts and perspectives, treating them as objects for male
pleasure, reducing them to subservience in life and holding them down, back and
out by not giving equal consideration, respect or pay continues on in this part
of the history of humanity. I was raised
to be one of those men, and I confess that it took me far too long to realize
the errors of that way.
It also seems to me that women have sometimes bought
into their own subservience, and that when some women are empowered others work
to pull them back down to a less equal role.
Even women who rise in the ranks of formerly male-dominated fields such
as business and politics look with some contempt on other women who work toward
equality and equitable recognition and renumeration, along with equal
rights. They even work against other
women getting equal and civil rights, equality of respect and pay. And there are some who falsely believe
themselves superior because of their race, ethnicity or culture of origin. They have learned that well from the purveyors
of bigotry.
The church that bears Jesus’ name has done a disservice
to women for generations as well.
Refusing to ordain, relegating women to auxiliary functions, using their
hands and hearts for service while ignoring their minds and leadership
qualities, the church has ignored the very people who have been more faithful
than the men who disregard them in the church.
The church did not learn that from Jesus.
Rabbi Jesus did not disregard or disrespect women. He broke Sabbath and rabbinical laws to
engage with women, taught and healed them, raised them as examples of
faithfulness and called them to discipleship.
And women were there for Him.
They hosted Him, followed Him, helped Him and did not abandon Him when
all the other disciples did. Women were
then the first witnesses of His resurrection, because they went to serve Him out
of loving devotion, even after His death.
Mary had chosen the better part. She belonged as a disciple among
disciples. There was need of only one
thing, and Mary recognized that. It will
never be taken away from her or any women (or men) who make the Good News of
Jesus their priority in life. Jesus in
Luke makes Mary an example for other women who would be His disciples, no less
than the men.
When will we learn the Agape Love of Jesus and
commit it to how we live our lives in this part of God’s Kin-dom, here and now? When will we actively commit our lives to the
well-being of those especially vulnerable in our society, as women and children
have always been, and work to bring Shalom to all people, equally? When?
Are WE at the feet of Jesus, learning His Good News of Agape Love, or
are we distracted by many other things?
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