BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

This Sunday’s lectionary text is John 4:5-42.  Yes…a lot of verses, and that is significant because it’s the longest recorded conversation Jesus ever had with anybody, including his disciples.  There is so much preaching material in this passage that I hardly know where to start.  The Bible doesn’t have a lot to say about women, and  most of the stories told about them are not bedtime Bible stories for children!  Of course there are a few exceptions, and the same thing is true about men, but as someone has noted, the sorry men are usually liars, cheaters, or other assorted crooks, while the women are often prostitutes or promiscuous. 

Jesus had his share of contact with such women, and his attitude toward them was amazing!  Think of the woman in John 8 who was caught in the act of adultery.  Jesus never even condemned her, just lifted her up and told her that today would be a new beginning for her.  Then in Luke’s gospel there’s the prostitute who dried Jesus’ feet with her hair, and Jesus praised her for doing what his male host, Simon, had not had the common courtesy to do.

In a time when many Jewish rabbis began their day by praying, “I thank Thee, God, that I was not born a Gentile, a dog, or a woman,” Jesus’ words and actions were shocking!  We’re quick to think that we would not have been so narrow and prejudiced, but maybe we need to be reminded of a few things before we get too self-righteous:

The U.S. has one of the highest rates of violence against women and the abuse of young girls.  We are one of the deepest pits of pornography with its depictions of women as toys for male gratification. 

Perhaps if we were to adopt the attitude of Jesus, who always showed women the deepest respect, treated them with dignity, and lifted them up in a world which constantly put them down, we could change things here in our own backyard. I say it’s about time!

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday