Rev. George Miller
Feb 23, 2025
Luke 7:36- 8:3
It’s another day. From the fields of grain to the fish filled
waters of Capernaum, from accusations of being a drunk glutton who eats with
street trash, to the table of a Pharisee, we witness once again how “Bam!”
another hammer is about to strike the hands and feet of Christ.
This time we explore another theory- Jesus
had the audacity to surround himself with independent strong women, even if the
Gospel writers and Church fathers tried to hide it.
The author of Luke goes out of their way
to show just how embodied Jesus is. He
eats. He takes his place at the table. His feet are kissed, dried, anointed.
This story is sensory rich- food to taste,
fragrance to smell, eyes that see, crying to hear, feet to touch, words of
forgiveness to celebrate.
Jesus is not a disembodied being who is
all miracles and show, Jesus is tangible, earthy, here.
Because Jesus is not disembodied, he
requires the same things we do- food to nourish his journeys, drink to quench
his thirst, companions to enrich the day, care to have the courage to keep on
going.
All these things he receives. Who does he receive it from? The women.
Mary Magdlene, Joanna, Susanna, the woman
with the alabaster jar and many others who provide for Jesus and the disciples
out of their own resources.
This is such a key reading to get a
better, richer, more realistic view of Jesus.
Here, we discover something rarely discussed-
The Disciples may get all the screen time,
all the glory- but it is the women, the women who were there all the
time, and it was the women who made the work of Jesus possible.
There is a good chance that these women
were rich, they were successful, and they had the time, ability, and desire to
be there.
One of the greatest sins of the Christian
Church is how the male leaders created an unrealistic, false, narrative that
either women are a perpetual virgin or a harlot.
Because here in Luke 7:36- 8:3 we discover
that there are women who extend hospitality and care to Jesus in a way the men
don’t, and there are women who are literally funding Jesus’s ministry through
their own personal resources.
Chapter 8:3 makes it clear- matriarchs
like Mary, Joanna, Susanna provided for Jesus through their own resources.
This does not mean they cooked or cleaned
or laundered or nursed. They could have
very well done some of these things.
But - they provided, they gave, they shared,
they donated, they offered what they had and what they could so that Jesus
could go from grainfields to fish-filled waters, from cities to villages,
proclaiming and talking about the Good News and Kingdom of God.
In other words, the Marys, the Joannas,
the Susannas were the ones who made it possible for Jesus to say “Love Grows
Here” and to show the world what that looks like.
How amazing to realize that as we read
these stories and hear about the miracles, the healings, the teachings, the
transformations taking place that there are women there, there are women making
all this possible.
How different would our faith be, our
culture be, if we had more of these stories, if our priests and pastors had
shared this information, if each and every grandmother, mother, aunt, niece,
girl was raised hearing this.
Maybe there would have been a Pope
Francine by now. Maybe our stairwell
would have a photo of a female Senior Pastor.
Maybe folk would be worshipping at a place
called Saint Susanna UCC.
Jesus surrounded himself with smart,
strong, steady, financially secure women and they were there.
They were there when he healed folk living
with paralysis, they were there when he taught the Beatitudes, they were there
when he had the 5,000 sit to be fed.
Women were always there to offer him their
tears, their broken hearts, their thanks, even as religious leaders said “How
dare he do what he does.”
They were there when the disciples
deserted him. They were there to prepare
spices to anoint his dead body.
The women were there on the first day of
the week, at early dawn, to find the stone rolled away.
The women were the first to remember his
words and say to the world that Christ has been raised.
So today, let us lift up and let us
celebrate all the women, throughout all time, who have been there to follow
Christ and to make the Good News known to all.
For that, let us say “Amen.”
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