Outcasts, Outsiders, and Outlaws - Week 5

 During this season of Lent we have been taking a journey through the gospel of Luke and each week we have seen how Jesus had a special burden and concern for the outsiders, outcasts and outlaws.  Jesus came to lift up the lowly, welcome those that society and the religious leaders wanted to keep out, and love those that others found unlovable.  Through this series we have been reminded that the heart of Jesus needs to be our heart as well.  We need to be mindful of the outcasts and outsiders and we need to extend a love and grace that will draw those on the outside closer to God.  

Last week we looked at the response of two people considered outsiders and outcasts to learn what a faithful response to Jesus looks like.  It looks like giving thanks in all circumstances for God’s love and grace and then allowing Jesus to enter our lives to not only save us but to change us.  Jesus truly stands at the door of our life asking to come in and if we open the door, Jesus will enter to forgive us and redeem us and to make us new.

Today we are going to look at another situation where Jesus lifts up the lowly and we are going to see here an example of how Jesus is calling us to live.  The story takes place in the Temple courts after Jesus has ridden into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd.  They welcomed Him as the coming King, but He wasn’t going to deliver the people the way they expected.  They wanted someone to free them from the oppression of Rome.  Israel was occupied and ruled by the Romans, and they wanted to be free from the taxes and the presence of the Roman troops, but Jesus came to bring a different kind of deliverance, and He continued to use the lowly as an example of faithful and righteous living.  

Jesus is in the courtyard teaching, and He has just talked about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.  Jesus said that they prayed long and loud prayers to be recognized and praised by the people.  He said many of the religious leaders wore long robes and loved to be greeted by the people with honor because of their position.  They didn’t really care about the poor, they simply wanted recognition.  As Jesus was talking, people were putting their offerings into the offering boxes set up in the Temple.    

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  Luke 21:1-4

We believe that Jesus may have been sitting by the offering box that would have been for voluntary offerings.  There were 13 boxes placed in the temple courtyards for different offerings and one box was simply for voluntary offerings that you could make out of a grateful and generous heart.  The boxes would have had a long trumpet-like opening where people would have dropped in their coins and as the rich came by and placed lots of coins in the top, it would have made a lot of noise.  

While it doesn’t happen as often today, it used to be that if you were in a casino and hit it big on a slot machine, quarters or silver dollars would pour out and make a lot of noise.  When someone won big - everyone would turn to see what’s going on.  Who won?  How much did they win?  Was it the big jackpot?  It’s not like that as much now because everything seems to be tied to a card and the money goes on and the money goes off, but you know the sound I’m talking about when someone hits the jackpot.  

That’s what it would have sounded like when the rich put in their offering.  They gave a lot, and it would make a lot of noise and they would get a lot of attention - and they liked getting that attention.  Jesus is watching them give great sums of money, but they aren’t the ones He lifted up.  It’s not that their offerings weren’t good, Jesus wasn’t condemning them, but they weren’t the ones Jesus lifted up - it was the poor widow.  Once again it was the lowly, the outcast, and the one others looked right over that Jesus focused on and this time He lifted her up as an example for all to follow.  

She, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on.  Jesus used her giving to teach us how to be faithful not just in giving but in all of life.  This isn’t a story about how to give, this is a story about how to live.  When we follow Jesus, we give Him all we have to live on; all our love, all our energy, all our trust, all our gifts and talents, all our time, and at times all our money.  

When Jesus comments on this lowly widow, He is making her an example for those who are listening.  He is using what He sees as a teachable moment.  He is saying to the disciples and the crowd around Him - live like her!  But notice that we don’t know who she is.  We don’t know her name.  Jesus doesn’t go over and talk to her.  He allows her to continue in humility and anonymity.  Like this woman, we need to be humble.  

When we give, when we serve God or others, when we strive to make a difference around us, we can’t do it for recognition or honor, we have to do it for the glory of God alone.  When Jesus talked about giving, He once said, don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.  Give quietly.  Give without fanfare and without drawing attention to yourself.  Give in ways that will lift others up and not yourself.  I like that we don’t know this woman’s name because it teaches us that we need to be humble.  She shows us that humility has to be at the foundation of our faith and life.   

Not only is her gift anonymous, but her gift is also voluntary. We think she was putting her money into the true offering box at the Temple.  It wasn’t the box for the Temple tax or sin offerings, it was a voluntary offering.  No one was compelling her to give.  She wasn’t being told she had to give, she was giving from a grateful and generous heart.  This kind of giving was just part of who she was.  

That’s the way we need to live, with a heart that tells us to give all we have to God.  We can’t give and serve and worship and be involved in mission and ministry because we feel like we have to or that it is expected of us.  We don’t worship, join a small group, and serve God and others to check off boxes to show God how good and faithful we are, we do all this because we truly love God and we others.  Following Jesus can’t just be out of duty or obligation, it has to be voluntary with a heart overflowing with love for God.  

In the Old Testament, the prophet Samuel said to King Saul, the first king of Israel, to obey is better than sacrifice.  Saul knew how to make sacrifices to God.  He knew how to go through the motions of honoring God with a ram or a bull, but his heart wasn’t in it.  He wasn’t willing to obey God’s word.  Voluntary obedience is what God desires because that comes from a heart committed to God.  

The widow gave anonymously, she gave voluntarily, she also gave sacrificially.  Jesus said, she, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on.  While others may have given more money, her gift was truly sacrificial.  She gave all she had and this is what Jesus honors and lifts up.  

I don’t think this means we empty our bank accounts and give it all to God, but I do think it means challenging ourselves to give a little more.  If our giving to God, both through the church but also through our gifts to those in need around us, doesn’t push us to rely on God, then maybe we aren’t truly giving sacrificially.  Jesus talks more about money in Luke’s gospel than any other gospel, which is why you might be hearing a lot about how we give during this series, but Jesus does talk a lot about our need to free ourselves from greed and being dependent on money.  The only way that happens is by challenging ourselves to give a little more.  That giving can be to the church, it can be to family and friends in need.  It can be to those considered outcasts and outsiders in our community. Any and all ways we give helps us become more dependent on Jesus.  

But Jesus isn’t just talking about money here.  He is also talking about giving our time and energy and gifts and talents.  Are we sharing our expertise with those who might need it?  Are we offering our presence to those who are lonely?  Are we offering our love and care to those who feel unwelcome and overlooked?  Jesus doesn’t lift up this woman just for her example in financial giving - it’s an example of faithful living.  How can our sacrifice in all areas of life help bless and lift others up.  

The last thing we learn from this woman is something I can’t prove but believe.  I believe she gave because she knew that her offering, in the hands of God, would make a difference.  She knew what she was giving was going to bless someone else and make their lives better.  She didn’t need to know how it was going to be used, she didn’t need to see the outcome or results of her gift, she simply knew that in God’s hands it would make a difference.  In God’s hands it would be a blessing.  

We need to know that when we give ourselves to God, we are making a difference.  We might not see that difference.  We might never know how we have blessed others, but when we humbly, and freely and sacrificially put our lives in the hands of God, we will bless others.   

In a moment, Pastor David is going to come and lead us in a time of reflection on how we can make blessing others an ongoing rhythm in our lives.  Blessing others involves making the world around us better and that always requires us to give in some way.  It might be money given to others, it might be money placed in the hands of God, but it might not be money at all.  It might be the sacrificial gift of our time.  It might be an invitation you extend to someone to join you in worship.  It might be an intentional prayer for someone in need.  

The gift of this woman, that others overlooked, continues to bless the world because Jesus made sure we would still be talking about her and using her life as an example.  He lifts up the lowly and through them He teaches us how to live faithfully today.  

Next Steps

Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws - week 5

Read Luke 21:1-4. For greater context, read Luke 20:45-47.

Jesus lifts up this woman as an example of faithful living.  

Here are four lessons we learn from her story:

1. Live with humility

● How is humility displayed in her life?

● Do you give and serve to be noticed or to be a blessing?

● Find one way to silently and anonymously bless someone this week.

2. Choose to be faithful

● Why do we think her gift was voluntary?

● Do you give because you choose to or out of a sense of duty and obligation?

● Choose to give or serve in some new way this week.  

3. Live sacrificially

● How do we know her gift was sacrificial?

● Have you ever made a gift that was truly sacrificial?   (Not just financially but a gift of time, energy, faith…)

● Does your giving to God challenge you?  If not, how can you give in ways that will?

4. Live to bless others

● How does your life bless others?  

● Take time to read the handout on the rhythm of blessing provided in worship.

● Between now and Easter, find one way you can be a blessing to others, then be that blessing.  

Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws - week 4

We have been working our way through the gospel of Luke looking at how much of the message and ministry of Jesus is focused on lifting up the lowly.  Those that society considered outsiders and outcasts were the very people Jesus sought out to welcome into the family of God.  This compassion for the lowly not only shows us what the heart of God looked like and how we, as children of God, need to live, but the response of those Jesus welcomed and honored is often an example of how we need to respond as well.  Today we are going to look at two people whose response to Jesus teaches us what it means to follow Him.  One person was considered an outcast, and the other one might have been seen as an outlaw.  The first story comes from Luke 17,  

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  Luke 17:11-13

Because of how contagious leprosy and other skin diseases were, anyone who was sick with a skin disease was literally cast out of society.  They were not to live with their families, be part of a community, and they were not able to worship in the synagogue.  This is what the law said about people with skin diseases.  

Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp. Leviticus 13:45-46

These 10 lepers had heard about Jesus' power to heal so when they heard He was in the region, they ran to Him and cried out for mercy.  For some, this may have been their last hope, their last chance at healing and life.  Others may have been grasping at straws trying to find a way to return to their family.  In their desperation they turned to Jesus, and this was His response.  

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.  Luke 17:14

It seems like an odd response, go, show yourselves to the priests, but the priests were the only ones who could officially pronounce lepers as being clean.  These lepers would not have been able to return home and be part of society without the approval of the priests, so Jesus sent them to the priests knowing that they would be healed along the way, and they were.  

As they were walking along, they must have noticed that their skin was healing.  Maybe fingers and feet that had been misshapen by the disease were straightening out and growing stronger.  Maybe they noticed the white of their hands was turning pink and their skin was looking healthy.  They must have noticed that things were changing, and that Jesus had in fact healed them and this made them even more eager to show themselves to the priests and return to a normal life.  Nine were eager to do that and ran along, but one was eager to return to Jesus and say, thank you.    

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?  Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”  Luke 17:15-19

Jesus had compassion for a group of lepers.  He was willing to heal them all and offer them new life.  A group of people that others would have run from, Jesus listened to, loved, and cared for.  In another healing of a leper in Luke’s gospel, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the leper saying that He wanted to make him clean. Once again, we see Jesus caring for the outcasts and giving time and attention to those that society literally forced out.  

But what we need to learn from this story is how to respond like this outcast and outsider. 

How can we cultivate a rhythm of gratitude in our lives so that we are like the one who returned?  How can we make sure that gratitude flows through us every day?  Gratitude is a choice which means it is a discipline we can learn.  The apostle Paul tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, so gratitude has to be a practice we can develop.  

This week, Pastor David was here with one of his children and I had half a banana from an event we were hosting and asked if I could give it to her.  David said sure, so I asked her if she wanted a banana, and she said yes.  I asked if she wanted me to start peeling it and she said yes, and when I handed it to her, her immediate response was, thank you.  We teach our children to say thank you.  We instill in them the practice of saying thank you, and that discipline can shape our lives.  

One really encouraging experience I had witnessing gratitude in others was several years ago at one of our 5th quarters.  If you aren’t familiar with our 5th quarters, we invite Jr. & Sr. High School students to come to the church after home football games to play games and have a safe place to hang out.  As you might imagine, when you get 200+ students together, it is a bit chaotic and I’ll be honest, it is not my favorite place to be, but I was there helping that night and I was sitting at the door signing kids in and giving them wristbands.  I was amazed because most of the students coming in said, thank you.  I was giving them a wrist band.  I wasn’t doing anything big or significant, but almost every student said, thank you.  That says something about our community and the parents out there. 

If we can teach gratitude to our children, we can learn to be grateful ourselves, it just takes discipline.  Even if everything seems to be falling apart, there is always something you can find to give thanks for. I've seen people with terminal cancer, facing the end stage of their life, still be filled with gratitude.  They aren’t grateful for the cancer, but they are grateful for the life they have lived, the family they have loved, and the support they are receiving.   

One of ten lepers returned to thank Jesus. Just 10%.  Now here’s the good news for you.  You are part of that 10%.  You have taken time to return to God and say thank you.  You have stopped at home and joined us online to thank God.  Just keep it going.  Thank God for the blessings you find around you even if you are going through some difficult times.  God is good all the time…  which means there is always something we can find to say thank you, God.  

Another outsider Jesus encountered was a tax collector named Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus wasn’t just an outsider; many would have seen him as an outlaw because he was not only a traitor to his people but he had cheated people out of their money. Tax collectors in Israel were mostly Jewish people who worked for the Roman government.  Rome occupied Israel.  They were an enemy of Israel and if you worked for Rome, if you even cooperated with Rome, you were seen as an enemy of Israel.  

How tax collecting worked was that a person would buy the rights to collect the taxes in a certain region.  They would pay Rome for all the taxes of the people up front, and then collect as much money as they could to cover their expenses and make a profit.  Most tax collectors would tax people as much as they could and keep the rest for themselves.  

This was how tax collectors became both rich and hated.  They were crooks, they were outlaws, they were despised by their own people, and yet there were many who were also spiritually hungry and longed for God’s grace and mercy.  Zacchaeus was this kind of tax collector.  He had heard about Jesus and how He welcomed people like him and so he wanted to see Jesus for himself, but the crowd was so large that he was not able to force his way to the front and he couldn’t see over the people because he was… short.  Zacchaeus was a wee little man…

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:1-10

While the crowd worked to keep Zacchaeus out, his hunger to see Jesus moved him to humiliate himself and climb a tree so he could get a glimpse of Jesus.  What’s interesting to note is that while it says Jesus was just passing through Jericho, it seems like He is headed right for that tree and Zacchaeus.  

When Jesus gets there, He doesn’t ask Zacchaeus his name - He already knows his name. He knows his story. He knows his heart and he knows that Zacchaeus is longing for God.  Jesus isn’t just passing through Jericho; He came to meet Zacchaeus.  Jesus said, I need to stay at your house today.  And while Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus into his home, it is Jesus who welcomed Zacchaeus into God’s house.  He says that Zacchaeus is a true son of Abraham.  

This scene reminds us of the powerful words of Jesus found in Revelation 3:20  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

It doesn’t matter who we are, what kind of life we have lived, or how much we might have messed things up, Jesus comes directly to us. He knows our name. He knows our story, and He calls out to us.  If we are willing to invite Jesus into our hearts and lives, He will enter and share with us the power of God’s grace which makes us new and gives us a new life.  

Zacchaeus had this amazing grace of God pierce his heart and in response to Jesus' welcome and love, Zacchaeus pledged to return 4-fold the money he had cheated from people, and he was going to give half of what he had to the poor.  Zacchaeus' heart had already begun to reflect the heart of Jesus.  He was going to give his money to the poor.  Zacchaeus was now willing to reach out and care for those that others might overlook.  This is true repentance. Repentance isn’t feeling sorry for our sin, it's turning from the life we were living to live a life that reflects the life of Jesus.  

One lesson from Zacchaeus that we can’t overlook is that being a Christian does have an economic impact on our lives.  If we are serious about following Jesus, we have to get serious about how we spend our money.  Most of us are not able to give half our income away, but what can we give away?  Are we giving 10% back to God?  Have we pushed ourselves to consider what 11 or 12% looks like?  What about 20%?  

If you are like me, you might be finishing up your taxes right now and it’s a good time to look at your financial picture.  How much did you earn this year?  How much did you spend?  Where did the money go?  As I looked at my tax return, I asked myself, could I have given more to the work of God?  And the answer was, yes.  The answer is always yes.  I can always give more and every dollar I give is an opportunity for God to change someone’s life, but more importantly, it is an opportunity for God to change my life.  

As we close, let’s look at the last verse in this story.  

The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:1-10

It’s important for us to notice when Jesus says this.  The meeting with Zacchaeus is the very last interaction Jesus has with someone before He enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  This meeting with Zacchaeus is a week before Jesus will die and it marks the end of much of Jesus' ministry.  This one verse is a summary of all that has gone before, and a foretaste of all that is to come.  

What has come before this verse has been Jesus seeking out the lost.  He has been acknowledging them, helping them, healing them, and welcoming them into the family of God.  Jesus has been seeking out the lost; the outcasts and outsiders.  What is coming is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross which is what saves us.  All of us are the lost that Jesus has come to save.  Jesus came to seek you and me when we were lost.  

It really is personal with Jesus.  He didn’t come to save the world, He came to save me, and you, and your friend, and your neighbor.  Jesus knows our name, He knows our story, He knows our needs and He wants to enter our lives so that He can bring us healing, hope and grace.  He wants to give us new life here and now, not just an eternal life to come.  Jesus wants to make a difference in our lives, and He can if we will invite Him in.  

If you are desperate to experience wholeness and new life like the lepers, or longing to feel connected to God like Zacchaeus, then know that Jesus stands at your door today.  He is knocking.  He is asking you to open the door.  He wants to heal you and change you and welcome you home.  

No matter who you are, no matter what you have done, no matter what kind of life you are living - Jesus is here for you.  Ask Him in and give Him all you have and all you are and find the new life only He can offer.  Responding to Jesus' invitation is not hard, it’s accepting the grace He offers and saying, thank you.  Thank you, Jesus, for knowing me.  Thank you, Jesus, for loving me.  Thank you, Jesus, for accepting me today as I am and working to make me all that you want me to be.  May that be our prayer.   

Next Steps

Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws - Week 4

Read Luke 17

Why were lepers outcasts in society?  

● When have you felt like a true outcast?  

We see the compassion of Jesus as He heals them.  Compare this healing of lepers with the one in Luke 5:12-16? 

● How do these stories show the compassion of Jesus?

One leper returned to give thanks. 

● Why might the other 9 have kept going?  

How can you practice the discipline of gratitude?  

● Start praying 5 times a day.  Say thank you when you get out of bed, have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and when you get back into bed. 

Read Luke 19:1-10

Why were tax collectors so despised? Why were they drawn to the ministry of Jesus and John the Baptist?  

Zacchaeus shows us that those we might consider outsiders can still long for a relationship with God.  

● Who do you know that might be longing for a relationship with God?  

● What can you do to let them know God is there for them?  

How has following Jesus changed your financial practices?  How can you give more to Jesus (and not just more money)?

How does Luke 19:10 summarize the gospel of Luke?  

● How has God been seeking you through life?  

● How has the salvation He has given changed you.  

● Memorize this verse as a reminder of what Jesus was all about. 

Outsiders, Outcasts and Outlaws - Week 2

In case you didn’t know March is Women’s History Month and this coming Wednesday is International Women’s Day which celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.  I have been blessed with some amazing women in my life.  My mom not only cared for our family when I was growing up, but she was a full-time elementary school teacher, worked part time as a secretary for a beach association, was the secretary of the teachers’ association, and served in several different leadership positions in our church.  She did it all and always had time for us.  She remains an amazing woman.

My Grandmother was one of the smartest people I have known.  In a day and age when many women didn’t go to college, my grandmother went to Vassar college where she studied both math and horticulture.  She was just smart, and she helped teach us numbers by playing cards and words by reading to us and asking for our help on crossword puzzles.  We were not of any help with the crossword puzzles, but she made us think we were, and she was teaching us the entire time.  My Great Grandmother also lived with us for a few summers which meant that there were 4 generations of women who surrounded me growing up and their love and support have helped make me who I am.  I am grateful to them all.  

My Dad was a hospital chaplain who supervised seminary students when they interned at the hospital. Through the years we saw several groups of seminary students come through our home and many of them were women.  Seeing women serve as a pastor was simply part of growing up.  Since it is women’s history month, let me give you a little women’s history from my childhood.  

One of the students who came through the chaplains program my dad taught was Lorraine Potter who became a good friend of our family.  In 1972, Lorraine applied to be a chaplain in the US Air Force but was told that the position was only open to men. After a few weeks she received another letter saying that if her church would endorse her, she could become a chaplain.  Her church did endorse her and Lorraine was the first woman commissioned as a chaplain in the Air Force.  When she retired from the military in 2004 she was a Major General serving as the Chief of Chaplains for the US Air Force.  She was a pioneer among clergy women who wanted to serve both in the church and in the military.  

I grew up seeing these kinds of women and seeing women as pastors, so I was surprised when I went to college and seminary and heard people talk about how women shouldn’t be in ministry and how in some denominations, women weren’t even allowed to teach men.  It just seemed strange to me.  When I was a student pastor in a small town in NC, I was surprised to see the Sunday School opening devotional time with all the men on one side and all the women on the other.  They didn’t sit like that in church, so why now?  For them it was mostly tradition, after all they had a woman pastor at the time, but it just seemed odd, and I always had fun sitting on both sides of the aisle.  

Jesus must have also seen this as odd because while He lived during a time when women were not equal to men, He went out of His way to honor women, celebrate women, serve women, and even choose and use women in His ministry.  This month we are reading through the gospel of Luke and looking at Jesus' attitude and actions towards people that most would have considered outcasts, outsiders and outlaws.  Women were most definitely outsiders when it came to Jewish practices.    

In Jesus’s time, women were only important if they helped and improved a man’s life.  They were seen as weaker in body and mind and were not seen as worthy enough to be educated.  Women could not be rabbis or teachers of men, and in some places they couldn’t even testify in court because they were not trusted to tell the truth.  While all of this offends us today, this was the world in which Jesus lived and Jesus knew that the only way to change these things was to live differently, and so He did.

It is in the gospel of Luke that we find the most stories of Jesus' interaction with women.  If you were with us last week, you heard how two of the first three people God chose to bring the mission of Jesus into the world were an old woman named Elizabeth, and a young girl named Mary.  While we focused on their being very old and very young, let’s not forget the fact that they were women.  Women who were chosen and used by God.  Women whose names we know.  That in itself is significant.  In the Bible there are about 1700 people uniquely named and only 173 of them are women.  

In Luke 2 we hear about another woman, Anna, who was in the temple when Jesus was brought in by his parents.  Anna is another old woman, and she begins to tell people about who this child is.  Luke begins this story of Jesus with women taking important and prominent roles, and the importance of women is clear all through his gospel.  

In Luke 4, one of the first people Jesus healed was Peter’s mother-in-law who was sick with a fever.  In Luke 7, Jesus met a widow whose only son had died and Jesus was so filled with compassion for this woman that He raised her son to life.  The first time Jesus raised someone from the dead was because He had compassion for women in need.  

In Luke 8, there are two stories of Jesus healing women.  The first was a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  In many ways Jesus was her last hope, her last shot at having any kind of normal life, and so she reached out in faith to touch the hem of His garment knowing that if she could just touch Him, she would be healed.  She did touch Him and she was healed, but then Jesus stopped what He was doing, found the woman and blessed her again.  After years of being an outcast because of her sickness, Jesus called her a daughter of God.  

Immediately after this, Jesus went to the home of a ruler whose daughter was dying.  It wasn’t a son who was dying, it was a daughter and while I’m sure the man loved his daughter, she didn’t have the same value and worth as a son, and yet Jesus went to the home and raised the girl to life.  

It’s in Luke’s gospel that we hear about how it was women who were last at the grave when He died and first at the grave at the resurrection.  This is from Luke 23:55-56, 24:1-3

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  

Luke even tells us who these women were, he names them.  

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.  Luke 8:1-3

So, it was women who helped provide for Jesus and the disciples.  It was women who traveled with Him. Women who had been healed by Jesus and called by Him and used by Him in mission and ministry.  Some of these women were the first to proclaim the good news that the tomb was empty.  They were the first evangelists.  While they were not able to be called disciples because of the cultural context in which they lived, they were every bit the disciples that the men were.  They had been called by Jesus and were being used by Jesus in a ministry that changed the world.  

Another Mary we hear about in Luke is the sister of Martha.  These two sisters welcomed Jesus into their home and Martha was doing what women traditionally did, she was preparing the meal and getting ready to serve the men.  Mary, on the other hand, was at the feet of Jesus listening to what He said.  Mary was with the men listening, she had taken the position of a disciple, learning at the feet of the master, and Jesus doesn’t scold her, in fact He honors her choice saying, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42.

Now to be clear, we need all kinds of women and men serving in all different ways.  Some will serve by meeting the needs of those around them, in fact, the story Jesus tells before going to the home of Mary and Martha is the story of the good Samaritan.  The good Samaritan was the one who was willing to get his hands dirty and help a stranger in need.  That kind of service, the kind of work Martha was doing, was honorable and needed, but Jesus also honors the choice Mary made.  She chose to humble herself and listen. She chose to learn and maybe share what she heard with others.  She took a position with the men and Jesus welcomed her.  Jesus’ attitudes and actions toward women helped change society.  

All through Luke we see women called by God, chosen by Jesus, and used in the mission and ministry of Jesus.  In fact, women had a large and important part to play in the ministry of Jesus and we need to remember this, celebrate the radical change Jesus was bringing, and work to continue to support women who are called, chosen and used by God today in the mission and ministry of Jesus.  

I want you to hear the story of two women from our congregation who have been called by God, chosen by God, and have been and are being used by God in the mission and ministry of Jesus.  Tirzah Gibboney and Linda Minns share some of what it was like to be a woman called by God and how God has and is using them. Let’s listen to their stories.  

God is still calling, choosing, and using women to advance the kingdom of God.  Like Jesus, we need to encourage them, support them, and advocate for them in the world today.  We also need to call women to positions of leadership and service the way Jesus did.  In so many ways, women still struggle to be seen as equal.  On average, women still earn less than men for the same job and at the national level, while we have made great strides in recent years, today only 27% of the current US congress are women.  

Here are some statistics that should make us, like Jesus, want to do something to change our world.  Statistics from the UN says that about 740 million women have been victims of violence during their lifetime, usually at the hands of their fathers, husbands, or boyfriends.  Covid increased violence against women globally so that number just increases.  In the US, 1 in 5 women will experience either completed or attempted rape, and 81% of all women in the US have experienced sexual harassment or assault.  As the church, we need to speak out and find ways to change attitudes and behaviors so all women are valued and protected.  

While we have come so far, we have so much farther to go before girls and women are no longer seen as outcasts or objects.  The church needs to be a place where we not just celebrate the lives and faith of women, but advocate for women, work for their wellbeing, support them when others turn away and be a safe haven for them to tell their stories and find healing, hope and peace. 

Certainly one great way to make a difference is to contact Tirzah and learn more about the work of Bridge of Hope.  80% of all homeless families are led by single moms who often find themselves at some point  living in a car. Bridge of Hope is hosting a “Night in a Car” event in a few weeks to both raise awareness of this situation and raise funds to help women in our community. You can get more information about this event and the work of Bridge of Hope in the lobby or at the digital bulletin.  

Jesus entered a world where women were seen as outcasts and outsiders.  Like so many today, they were marginalized and pushed down, but throughout His life, Jesus worked to lift them up.  Jesus honored women.  He healed women.  He welcomed women to sit at his feet and learn with the men.  He called women to be the first evangelists to share the good news of His resurrection.  Jesus worked to change the attitudes people had toward women so that women could experience the fullness of life.  We need to continue His work.  

I want to invite you to examine your own attitude toward women and see if anything needs to change.  Are there subtle words or attitudes that need to change?  Are there actions or behaviors that need to change?  How do our eyes need to be open so that we truly see the challenges women still face in our world and the value, contributions and blessing they bring.  

While a lot has changed since the days of Jesus, a lot more needs to change, and like Jesus, we need to be at the forefront making these changes happen.  

 

Next Steps

Outcasts, Outsiders, and Outlaws - Week 2

Read the stories of Jesus’ interaction with women found in Luke’s gospel:

Luke 2:36-38

Luke 4:38-39

Luke 7:11-15

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 8:40-56

        Luke 10:38-42

        Luke 13:10-17

        Luke 21:1-4

        Luke 23:55-24:12

● How did Jesus’ interaction with women challenge the attitudes and traditions of His day? 

● What does Jesus' actions tell us about how we need to see women today?  

● What attitudes and actions might you need to change?

Who are the women who have made a difference in your life and faith?  How can you celebrate and honor their work?  

Violence against women is still a problem in our world.  If you have been a victim of violence in any form and need help, please reach out to get support and counseling.  

If you want to learn about the challenges women still face and the inequity that still exists, and find ways to be part of the solution, contact one of these organizations.  All three groups are supported in the general budget of Faith Church.    

● The Pregnancy Resource Clinic - scprc.com

● Centre Safe - centresafe.org

● Bridge of Hope - centre.bridgeofhopeinc.org  

○ Bridge of Hope is looking for volunteers to assist with a widow and 4 children in the Bellefonte community.  For more information contact Tirzah Gibboney at Bridge of Hope.