The Gentle Savior

Seeing Jesus Through the Eyes of the Women Who Met Him

Putting Guilt in Its Place

January 19, 2012
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As I read a new Christian book recently, I realized that I am often selfishly concerned about my physical appearance and what people think of me. A familiar feeling of guilt rose up in my heart. Like you, I want to please God, but when I compare myself to the ideals of scripture and the sinless perfection of Jesus, it seems like I will never do enough or be enough. Since I know I’ll never get life completely right, it almost seems like it would be wrong not to experience a pervasive sense of guilt. Read more of this guest post I wrote for the blog Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud.

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Guest Blog: A Lesson from Peter’s Wife

January 12, 2012
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I’m delighted today to introduce you to Sharon Hodde Miller, author of the blog She Worships. Sharon is working on her PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. She’s a deep thinker who knows not only the Bible and church history but the contemporary relevance of it all. I liked her post from last August on Peter’s wife so much that I invited her to adapt it and repost it here for you to read. What I love most is her confidence in the strength of Christian women – strength that has its source in the power of God.

 

Did you know that Peter was married?

I’m sure I learned this fun fact at some point in my life, but I had forgotten about it until recently when my pastor mentioned it. Part of the reason Peter’s wife doesn’t enjoy much remembrance because she doesn’t appear directly in Scripture. In fact, the only biblical reference to Peter’s marital status comes from Matthew 8:14– 

When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law
lying in bed with a fever.

Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, by the way, and it is probably because of miracles like this one that Peter’s wife became quite the committed disciple herself. We know this from an account written by Eusebius, a Roman historian born in the late 4th century who documented the growth of the early church. 

According to Eusebius, Peter’s wife was martyred the same day that Peter was famou (Read More)

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Truth Prompted by an Outspoken Woman

January 2, 2012
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As [Jesus] said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27-28 ESV)

Here is another of those obscure interactions between Jesus and a woman that is easily overlooked but valuable nonetheless. Earlier in Luke 11, Jesus had freed a man from his demon, which amazed the gathered crowd. Then he had faced down the skeptics who said his power came from Beelzebul (the “prince of demons”). 

Obviously impressed by Jesus’ discourse, a woman in the crowd yells out her opinion, “Wow, I bet your mom is really happy to have you for a son! Even her body parts that nurtured your life are blessed.” 

(Read More)

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Q and A: An Interview with Author Lynn Bell

December 21, 2011
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How did you come by the title “The Gentle Savior”? 

I chose this title because it describes the way the women who met Jesus must have perceived him. I looked in the Gospels at the way Jesus treated women, what he said to them and about them and even the things he didn’t say. He was kind to women in every situation, whether they suffered physical or emotional pain or were trapped by sin or were being condemned and criticized by other men. In a society where women were mostly treated as property—and at the least, were considered inferior beings—the respect Jesus showed to women was truly remarkable. I don’t believe he was kind because he viewed women as weak or pitiable, but I think he considered the kind of life women had to endure. He also knew what they were capable of, if they were given the chance.  Read more of this interview at New Christian Books: An Online Magazine.

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Guest Post: Mary and Martha

December 17, 2011
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Today, I would like to introduce you to guest blogger Zeke Lam. Zeke is the founder of SUBMISSION Ministries—a ministry devoted to seeing lost souls encounter God and live lives fully surrendered to the risen Christ. Zeke reminds us that the power of the stories about Jesus and women touches men’s lives too!

Scattered throughout the New Testament Gospel books are several interesting and powerful interactions between Jesus and women. In each case, an intriguing lesson is brought to light for the individual and very applicable to our present day. From the story of the widow and her two mites in Luke 21 to the lady touching the hem of Jesus’ garment in Luke 8, to the woman at the well in John 4, each case provides valuable truths.

While each are critical and essential depending on the season of life a person is currently facing, the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 has offered significant help at various times in my life. Hosting Jesus was a privilege indeed. Mary sat at the feet and Jesus and worshipped while Martha was busy with much serving. This busyness became a distraction in her life from her chance to be at the feet of Jesus. (Read More)

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Yes, Virginia, It’s Your Birthday

December 12, 2011
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Today is my friend Virginia’s birthday. Virginia was born 94 years ago in 1917 on a farm in the southside region of the state for which she was named.

Virginia is strong woman who has gracefully navigated a difficult life. She told me once about how as a child she watched her mother style the hair of her two older sisters and send them off to parties that Virginia was too young to attend. Little Virginia with freckles and straight hair was jealous of her sisters’ beautiful curls, clear skin, and exciting social calendars. “Your time will come, Virginia,” her mother would reassure her. Tragically, when Virginia was only 9, her mother died in childbirth. Virginia’s voice wavered when she told me, “My time never came.”  (Read More)

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What Would Jesus Notice?

December 2, 2011
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Talk about a busy ministry schedule, Jesus had one for sure. He was on a three-year mission to seek and save the lost, fulfill the Old Testament law and prophets, and prepare his disciples to turn the world upside down. The crowds were so hungry for both his teachings and his miracles that he could barely find a moment to himself.

Yet, Jesus was never so wrapped up in his mission that he ignored the people around him. He had an amazing propensity to notice individuals and to stop and engage with them. Living as he did in a patriarchal culture, where most men resolved to ignore females in public, the way Jesus noticed women is especially notable. (Read More)

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Our Princess to His Prince of Peace?

November 22, 2011
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Not every female grows up with a princess fantasy, but I certainly did. Mine was mostly about prancing around wearing jewel-bedecked dresses with full skirts and long trains. Now that I’m an adult, I realize how incredibly uncomfortable those things would be, but when I was 7, 8, 9 years old, I could not imagine anything better. Of course, the closest I ever got to looking like a princess back in those days was my mother’s old prom dress. This was before Disney figured out that parents and grandparents want little girls to believe they are princesses and will buy lavish costumes at almost any price.

In studying about Jesus in the Gospels, I noticed that he never referred to women as princesses. Have you ever thought about why? (Read More)

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One Woman’s Passion for Jesus

November 12, 2011
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While my husband and I lived on the West Coast back in the 1990s, I met a sister at our church who soon became one of my closest friends. Her love for Jesus compelled her to minister to hurting women in ways I had never observed before. She possessed an incredible compassion for those who suffer from deep emotional pain, and she taught me about the path to God’s healing for broken hearts. She was never content to be superficial with people. She always wanted to serve in ways that mattered deeply to others.

In our church tradition, her manner of service was often considered unorthodox. She advocated for women whom others labeled odd, needy, weak, even immoral. She told good churchgoing folks facts they didn’t want to hear.

Fellow Christians knew nothing of her own pain-filled past nor of the soaring liberation from bondage she had experienced with God. They didn’t perceive people and issues the way she did, and they didn’t understand her emotional intensity. Therefore, they criticized her and marginalized her ministry. She never let them know, but every negative, suspicious comment wounded her deeply. (Read More)

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God’s Heart of Love

November 4, 2011
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In Week 6 of The Gentle Savior Bible study, I wrote the following:

In the Old Testament, God made laws about providing for the needs of the defenseless, but Jesus came and demonstrated that God wasn’t just the founder of a charity. God actually loves these people. The good news Jesus brought them was that God’s heart is moved by their suffering. He notices them. He finds them worthy of his attention. He values them so much that he wants to give them the kingdom.

In studying scripture for this chapter of the book, I realized that my heart for the poor and oppressed also needed to reflect the heart of the Father. I have a long way to go, but one of the first steps I took was to begin volunteering with an organization called Love in the Name of Christ. Their mission is to mobilize churches on behalf of needy people in Jesus’ name.

Our local chapter of Love INC has produced a booklet of “Love Stories” that recounts some of the many situations in which caring followers of Jesus have reached out to help people in need. There are some lovely testimonies to the power of Christian compassion here, and I hope you are inspired as you read them.

Download Love Stories (pdf)

 

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