Violence Against Women - Part II

In the first passage, I tried to show how Jesus protected a woman threatened with stoning for adultery. She was a mere pawn in someone's political agenda--that of discrediting Christ. Jesus appealed to the conscience of the crowd when He said, "Let him without sin cast the first stone."

The second passage, from Mark's gospel, chapter 14, and the parallel passage in John 12, describe Jesus' response to the disciples who tried to put a big "guilt trip" on a dinner host, Mary, for "wasting" a large container of perfume she had poured out on Jesus. While Mark shows all the disciples' involvement, John's gospel brings out the fact that Judas was at the root of this harassment. Judas manipulated this woman and the other disciples because he was a thief, and wanted to profit from this gift.

The amount was large; it was a container that would have been purchased by a retailer from a wholesaler or a caravan. It had to be "broken" because it was hermetically sealed at the source--somewhere near India--to prevent tampering, i.e., someone's diluting the product as it passed through the many hands of trade. It was sealed to prevent exploitation of the purchaser--the very objective of Judas.

The sad thing was that Mary was doing what the disciples and everyone else should have been doing--honoring the perfect, sinless Son of God for the sacrifice of himself on the cross, a preparation for his death and burial. Her unselfish, caring, worshipful attitude contrasted sharply with the ugly self-seeking and shameful theatrics of Judas. The rest of the disciples were unknowingly carried along by this skillful, professional manipulator.

While we see Jesus taking the disciples aside for private correction in other passages, Jesus in this passage was instant and direct in his rebuke. "Let her alone!" This is what the church should be saying to men who abuse women. We should not be embarrassed for these men or coddle them.

Some husbands and boyfriends abuse women with this day-after-day weapon of guilt. Mothers have their service to their families thrown up in their faces in the same way Judas manipulated Mary: "Why was this not sold and the money given to the poor?" Like Judas, men who abuse women have their own selfishness at the root of their manipulation.

"Why are you bothering her?" Jesus said. This is the very question Judas should have asked himself; he knew the answer, for Jesus spoke to his conscience. I suppose the other disciples were brought to contrition by Jesus' unusually strong rebuke. But Judas' next steps, as we see in verse 10 of Mark 14, were to the chief priests in betrayal of his friend and teacher.

But Jesus honored Mary with his words. The others could "help the poor" at any time, with their own resources. Jesus said that Mary "did what she could", meaning that she used her own resources in contrast to the disciples who speculated about what "could have been done" for the poor, with someone else's resources. Mary sought to give Christ a memorial; Jesus left a memorial for her in stating that wherever the gospel was preached, her unselfish act would be spoken of.

Jesus demonstrated what our response should be in protecting women; we, as church officers, friends, and counselors, should be careful that we don't beat them up again. We should extol their good deeds; we should honor them. Many men (including teenagers) have been guilty of abusing girlfriends, wives and mothers this way--of turning a deed of service into some kind of offense.

We should remember that if Jesus had said nothing, this weapon of guilt formulated by Judas, and hurled by the rest of the disciples, would have been successful in bringing Mary down; her good deed would have been in her own eyes as something bad--a memorial to her own selfishness or poor judgment.

We see in these passages (including from the previous blog) that Jesus stood up for women who are victims of a political agenda, or of a selfish personal agenda. Hopefully we will be ready to defend the weak when these common scenarios present themselves. Is there any question that Jesus is calling his church and Christians everwhere to prevent domestic violence.