Women have always been viewed as lesser than their male counterparts. Some of the saints of old would use Bible verses such as “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. or the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Ephesians 5:22-24 (King James Version)
Many denominations will not accept, acknowledge or allow women to sit or speak from the pulpit.
Part of the problem is reading the details of scripture that only affirm our biases without doing and background study (history of the people, cultural norms, and time in history)
As women, when we are in teaching situations, we must present the whole story from historical and biblical perspectives. I shared with my young students that as a girl growing up in Wisconsin, where the temperature drops to 30 below zero, we were not allowed to wear pants in school. The shock and horror on their faces were priceless. I explained the normans during this period in history. Girls had to arrive at school early, take off their pants, boots, and the rest of their winter gear, and put it in our lockers. When school was out, put all back on to go home.
As I prepared a sermon surrounding Martha recently, I developed a similar distaste for the way her story is almost always labeled, “Let’s be a Mary, not a Martha.” Martha was eager to invite, when she became upset - to whom did she go? JESUS! This is not shameful, yet those who relate to Martha often feel ashamed bc of the sticky label we’ve given her. I ripped that label right off during the sermon! In understanding the culture of that day, I believe Martha’s concern regarding Mary wasn’t just that she was left to do all the work, she was also trying to protect Mary’s reputation (and possibly their family’s) since Mary was doing something so seemingly inappropriate (sitting at the Rabbi’s feet which was only for men). Jesus showed tremendous grace for Martha’s concerns, and made it clear that not only were Mary’s actions not inappropriate but were good. To me, it is evident that He was not condemning her busyness because of what happened at their next dinner party - Martha was once again in the kitchen and Mary was once again at His feet, but this time Martha was not distracted by society’s view of what she and her sister were doing because she learned from Jesus after going to Him with her concern. Who wouldn’t want to be a Martha?!? Welcoming, goes to Jesus with her concerns - and LEARNS from Him so that she can move confidently forward in peace. Martha’s my girl! Thank you, Susy, for pointing out other labels we’ve stuck on these women so that I can pay closer attention to what the text actually says.
Excellent post!
Women have always been viewed as lesser than their male counterparts. Some of the saints of old would use Bible verses such as “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. or the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” Ephesians 5:22-24 (King James Version)
Many denominations will not accept, acknowledge or allow women to sit or speak from the pulpit.
Part of the problem is reading the details of scripture that only affirm our biases without doing and background study (history of the people, cultural norms, and time in history)
As women, when we are in teaching situations, we must present the whole story from historical and biblical perspectives. I shared with my young students that as a girl growing up in Wisconsin, where the temperature drops to 30 below zero, we were not allowed to wear pants in school. The shock and horror on their faces were priceless. I explained the normans during this period in history. Girls had to arrive at school early, take off their pants, boots, and the rest of their winter gear, and put it in our lockers. When school was out, put all back on to go home.
Next school day, repeat the process.
As I prepared a sermon surrounding Martha recently, I developed a similar distaste for the way her story is almost always labeled, “Let’s be a Mary, not a Martha.” Martha was eager to invite, when she became upset - to whom did she go? JESUS! This is not shameful, yet those who relate to Martha often feel ashamed bc of the sticky label we’ve given her. I ripped that label right off during the sermon! In understanding the culture of that day, I believe Martha’s concern regarding Mary wasn’t just that she was left to do all the work, she was also trying to protect Mary’s reputation (and possibly their family’s) since Mary was doing something so seemingly inappropriate (sitting at the Rabbi’s feet which was only for men). Jesus showed tremendous grace for Martha’s concerns, and made it clear that not only were Mary’s actions not inappropriate but were good. To me, it is evident that He was not condemning her busyness because of what happened at their next dinner party - Martha was once again in the kitchen and Mary was once again at His feet, but this time Martha was not distracted by society’s view of what she and her sister were doing because she learned from Jesus after going to Him with her concern. Who wouldn’t want to be a Martha?!? Welcoming, goes to Jesus with her concerns - and LEARNS from Him so that she can move confidently forward in peace. Martha’s my girl! Thank you, Susy, for pointing out other labels we’ve stuck on these women so that I can pay closer attention to what the text actually says.