Saturday, May 12, 2018

Mothers

May 12, 2018

There can be little doubt that the Bible is a male-dominated book. Whether for good or ill, it  is a fact that history is by and large a record of male activity, which makes it an especially significant event when a woman manages to insert herself into the record. Of course, it starts out badly, with Eve’s seduction by the serpent; but in all fairness, she wasn’t there when the command was given to Adam, and shining knight that he was, he stood by while she blundered into sin. He on the other hand, dove in with his eyes wide open.

As with the men in the Story, it is a checkered history. There is Sarah, who laughed at the prospect of bearing a son in her old age. I can hardly blame her for that; I would laugh, too. Rebecca plotted against her own husband to pass the paternal blessing on her favorite son. Zipporah on the other hand, intervened for her husband Moses, actually preserving his life and therefore, the nation of Israel. Rahab started out badly as a prostitute, but saw her chance for a different life and took a risk that ended with her becoming an ancestor of King David, and ultimately, Jesus Christ himself.


There are plenty more—Miriam, Deborah, Jezebel, Abigail, Bathsheba, Esther, and the Marys of the New Testament—good, bad, and everything in between, just like all of us. They are part of the story of redemption, a story that tells of the Father’s love so great for this messy lot of human beings that he gave up his own Son that we might become sons and daughters of God. I am grateful that my mother was one of the good ones; not perfect, but good; and that my wife (if only for living with me these nearly 48 years) is next to a saint. I am grateful too, that for those who avoid looking into their family tree for fear of who they might find hanging from it, there is hope for redemption. If God changed the course of history with the raw material he had to work with, he can surely change the course of our lives by the Word of the Cross and the power of the Resurrection. Happy Mother’s Day to all!

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