If I had an editor, she would have put this article first. As a preface to the introduction of a five week study of who Jesus was with the women he encountered; and who they were because of it. Then would come the clear assertion of who Jesus was and is; then a quick jaunt through history to recall the context in which we find these women. And then we could meet each one individually and examine what scripture teaches us about her relationship with Jesus. And discover what that means for us today.
I’m still a student.
As such, I’ve had the spectacular opportunity to really dig into God’s
word regarding topics I’m passionate about.
A topic that is particularly close to my heart is Jesus’s interactions
with women, as found in the gospels. How
the living, breathing Lord acted and spoke around living, breathing women in
first century Palestine, with all the cultural parameters of that time. And what that means for us, as a body of believers,
today. After completing this project, I
was surprised, not at what I’d found, but that people outside of school wanted
to read my paper. Why?
Though, during my research as my spirit was stretching
out into this new, wide open space I was discovering, I recall driving home,
asking God, “why haven’t I heard this before?”
I could feel Him smile. And
though I can’t give a precise reason, I have a hunch that this topic drove me
deeper into His word than I’d been before; and it had me climbing up onto his
lap with my books, pointing out passages and talking excited about them to Him.
And I am guessing that He, as I do with
my own beloved children, delighted in the time we spent together; relished
watching me make discoveries that were not new to Him, nor to many other more
mature believers; and thoroughly enjoying my deepening love for Him and His
Son. After I was done, I tucked my
newfound discoveries away, sure that I had simply uncovered what everyone else
already knew.
And yet…
As I listen to dear friends and trusted teachers, I
find my head cocking to the side. I flip
to the passages they are talking about and wonder, “Does scripture really say that; or is that just what we’ve
been taught for so long that it’s tradition?”
And I felt the certainty I held so close a few semesters ago slipping
into the background. I felt a pull to
share what I’d learned. To not be stingy
and hoard the insights I’d been allowed to discover, but to set these treasures
out in front of my friends and family, so each may adorn themselves with the
beauty that is the Truth of Scripture.*
Thus, every Tuesday and Thursday for the next four
weeks, I’ll provide an article in this series which will examine the
interaction of Jesus and a woman found in scripture. We’ll put aside what we’ve heard about her
before. We’ll turn off that pastor-in-my-head,
and look at the passage with fresh eyes.
We’ll listen to what scripture is telling us, through these encounters,
about whom Jesus is; and who we are because of it. I welcome, or more accurately, I ask for your
comments and questions. Leave them in
the comment section below, Facebook them to me, e-mail me, tweet them at
me. Drive by my house and leave them taped
to my door. But join me in taking a
fresh look at stories we’ve heard taught time and again; open your hearts and
minds to a new work by the Holy Spirit. Let
the accounts of these women draw you closer to Jesus and His Father. And experience the wide-open space in your
spirit that is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in you.
I know the title for this series is hardly a catchy one:
The Women Who Knew Jesus,
but, I’ve heard editors help with that, too.
* And on the off chance that any of this idea gives you
pause, let me assure you: I have had more than one set of eyes on this project
(one set belonged to a Distinguished Professor of New Testament, and he hasn’t
branded me a heretic yet. Though, this
coming semester of Greek may provide that opportunity). Thus, let me assure you that what I present
is very safely within the bounds of scripture.
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