The Holy Gospel: June 16, 2013 (Year C)

Read:  Luke 7:36–8:3

Meditation:  “Thank God for the Women”

I will leave it to the scholars to debate whether Mary Magdalene (8:2) is the same person noted in the bulk of today’s lesson.  And I’ll leave it to Dan Brown to allege she ended up being married to Jesus and having a child with him.

I say “leave it to” because there are times when scholarship becomes nit-picky and authorship becomes sensational–to the extent that obvious things get lost either “under the microscope” or “in the hoopla.”

But one thing is clear in today’s lesson—Jesus needed the women to keep his show on the road (8:3).  And when you add to that his respect for women and his treatment of them, the apostolic entourage becomes even more interesting, beautiful, significant, and exemplary.

It is beyond me how any notion of Kingdom community and apostolic leadership can posit a male-only paradigm.  If you had asked Jesus, he would have said, “Thank God for the women.” I think he still feels the same way.

Now, back to the scholars and the authors to study or spin this as they like.  The fact is, the “Jesus thing” moves along with both men and women.  Thank God for the women!