The first-century Middle-Eastern world that Jesus experienced in the flesh was a patriarchal culture several millennia old. Although Jewish patriarchy had been shaped by the Law of Moses early on, its views about women had become distorted over time in its oral traditions, or midrashim, and were often influenced by […]
“I Have Seen the Lord”
Today is Saturday, the day before Easter, and I’m wondering what Saturday was like for the women disciples of Jesus two thousand years ago who had just experienced the unthinkable. Their Lord, this amazing teacher whom they believed was the Messiah (Christ), the Son of God, the Hope of Israel—this man […]
Risky Business
What do the following have in common? – Reaching out in a crowd to touch a rabbi’s robe, even though it will make him ceremonially unclean. – Waltzing into a house full of hostile religious leaders who all know about your immoral past. – Sacrificing a year’s worth of wages […]
All the Single Ladies
Despite all our best efforts, the number of single adults in the U.S. now nearly equals the number of married adults. Just under half of those single people are women. Women today are single for a variety of reasons. Some are completing their education and getting established in a career before […]
Protecting God’s Daughters
Yesterday, my daughter Jessi and I attended a conference on violence against women at the UVA Nursing School. We learned more about the emotional and physical tolls of abuse on its victims, about interventions to protect victims and aid in their recovery, and about efforts here and abroad aimed at […]
Re-Imagining the Woman at the Well
I love the whole “Gospel of John the Film,” but my one of my favorite sections is the portrayal of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. It made me see this interaction in a whole new way. Watch it and see what you think: Don’t you love the actress […]
Doing or Being?
Accomplishing Serving Teaching Managing Supporting Contributing Working Do any of these activities contribute to your sense of self-worth? These kinds of action words—and many others like them—validate our beliefs that we are making a difference in other people’s lives. It’s a great feeling to do something and then feel the […]
Women of Notable Faith
Jesus explicitly mentions the faith of only three women in the Gospels. Can you guess who they are? His mother maybe? Mary Magdalene? Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus? Nope. These women may have possessed notable faith, but the Gospel writers never mentioned it. The faith Jesus commented on […]
Beware of Over-Focus on the Family
Family is an important topic in the Gospel of Matthew. The book opens with a genealogy, and among the 42 fathers in Jesus’ lineage four notable mothers are also named, plus of course his mother Mary. In fact, the word mother occurs more in Matthew than in any other Gospel. […]
Putting Guilt in Its Place
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 […]