Thursday, June 3, 2004

Diverse Women

LUKE 8:1-3

One of the things that always delights me about reading the Bible is how much is said in very few words if you know the "code." That is why William Barclay's commentaries hold such charm. Oftentimes something that I would skip over as a "throw away line" hold a wealth of meaning. In this case, describing the women who accompanied Jesus on his travels reemphasizes what we learned through watching him choose disciples. They are a varied and diverse group from all walks of life who normally would never be associated with each other.
There was Mary Magdalene, that is Mary from the town of Magdala, out of whom he had cast seven devils. Clearly she had a past that was a dark and terrible thing. There was Joanna. She was the wife of Chuza, Herod's epitropos. A king had many perquisites and much private property; his epitropos was the official who looked after the king's financial interests. In the Roman Empire, even in provinces which were governed by proconsuls appointed by the senate, the Emperor still had his epitropos to safeguard his interests. There could be no more trusted and important official. It is an amazing thing to find Mary Magdalene, with the dark past, and Joanna, the lady of the court, in one company.

It is one of the supreme achievements of Jesus that he can enable the most diverse people to live together without in the least losing their own personalities or qualities.

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