“Many Lydias”
Acts16: 9-15 and John 14: 23-29
How many women
referenced in the bible can you name? I suspect unless you are a biblical
scholar you won’t need to go beyond the fingers on both hands and maybe a few
toes when you make your list. Here are some that probably are on most lists.
There is Eve who, of course, led Adam down the
proverbial garden path and out into the cold cruel world by convincing him that
the serpent was right and it was OK to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.
There was Sarah, Abraham’s wife of many years who
laughed when God said she would have a child in her old age. Yet she did --
amazingly giving birth to Isaac.
Of course, there is Rebekkah, Isaac’s wife and
mother of their sons, Esau and Jacob. Though she loved both sons, she helped the
younger one, Jacob, trick his father, Isaac, into giving Jacob the family
birthright, allowing Jacob to become the patriarch and one of fathers of the
people of Israel.
There were Rachel and Leah -- wives of Jacob --
who between them gave birth to sons who were the founding fathers of the 12
tribes of Israel.
Ruth and Naomi probably are on your list. Ruth was
the Moabite woman who stayed with her Jewish mother-in-law Naomi out of love and
loyalty even after the death of their husbands, instead of returning to her own
people. After leaving Moab for Israel, Ruth eventually marries Boaz, Naomi’s
relative, and their son is King David’s grandfather.
There are the women from the New Testament who
must be included. There is Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist and cousin of
Mary. And, of course, there is Mary who courageously bears a son named Jesus
under extraordinary circumstances and stands by him throughout his life. There
also are other woman named Mary who should be on the list. There is Mary
Magdalene -- among the foremost of Jesus followers. She knew even before the
male disciples how Jesus’ earthly life must end, was with him at the end, and
was –some say – the first to see the Risen Christ.
By my count -- that is 10 women on our list. To
be sure there are more that we could list – Miriam, Deborah, Mary and Martha,
among others. But no matter who is on the list -- the number of women playing
major roles in the Bible pales by comparison to the number of men. Biblical
scholarship has helped us to understand that this gender disparity is more
sociological than theological. In the early period of the Old Testament, society
was structured in large extended families (essentially clans) with patriarchal
leadership. Typically, these extended families wandered over large areas. The
men hunted and herded while the women tended the dwellings, provided meals and
nurtured the next generation, especially the males whose labor was critical to
survival of the clan.
Even in the later classical era of the Old and
early New Testament -- when a more nuclear family was the norm – the leadership
was male-dominated. In Jesus’ time -- even with heightened Roman and Greek
influence -- the structure of society continued to be male-dominated. So it is
not a surprise that women are so few and far between in the Bible. Indeed, in a
way it is remarkable that we have as many as we do.
Most of these women on our list reflect two
things: love of God and love of others. Out of devotion to God these women
often left their own family and the familiar -- as Sarah, Ruth and others did --
to fulfill a divine plan. Their primary role was “mother” -- they were the women
who bore and nurtured the children who were to lead the people of Israel. Quite
simply, bearing, nurturing and raising children stand as highly valued and
revered roles in the Bible.
Today is, of course, Mother’s Day. All of us have
or had mothers. It something every human being shares. And I suspect at least
half of us here today are mothers. Most – though sadly not all of us -- have
been blessed with mothers we would not trade for anything. Indeed, most can’t
imagine anyone else in that role in their lives. What is it about motherhood
that is so important and so remarkable at its best? Of course, there is the
biological aspect of it. Even with the advances of medicine there is still some
period of time when a fetus critically needs to be linked to a woman whose body
supports the baby.
But beyond that there is so much more. Love is
that emotion that is at once accepting and yet also desires the best for
another. My favorite description of love is that it is the affirmation that it
is wonderful that another exists. For many of us our mothers embody – indeed
define -- such love.
Often they know us better than we know ourselves.
Rebekah helped her younger son Jacob to steal the family birthright by giving
him animal coverings so that Isaac, his blind father, would mistake Jacob for
his hairier, older brother Esau. At first glance we might think her complicity
was unfair and deceitful. I am sure Esau thought that Rebekah loved Jacob
more. And yet, perhaps it was more that Rebekah knew her sons well. Esau, the
strong outdoorsman, was destined to be a great herder -- not the father of the
Israelites. Jacob -- the shrewd, canny one -- was just the right person for that
job. Mother’s often uniquely know our skills and talents and have a special
sense for what we can do well and where we will find joy.
As a child I had reading issues. In elementary
school I had two pairs of glasses -- one for reading and one for distance. You
can imagine how great that was and how supportive my classmates where of me –
“Tommy 4 eyes”. Perhaps because of vision issues or because of a mild form of
dyslexia, I did not learn to read until the summer between 5th and 6th
grade. I made it through the early years of school because I was good at
remembering things that I heard. My high achieving father was seriously
concerned about me. My mother on the other hand was calm. She never wavered in
supporting me and in believing that I would eventually learn to read. My mother
was not perfect – no mother is. Frankly, I think that’s a good thing --for it is
important for us to see those we love most as also fully human. It helps us to
learn the basis of forgiveness. But the one thing I have never doubted is that
my mother always wanted what was best for me.
The essence behind the great commandment -- to
love God and our neighbors -- is the principle that we are most ourselves and at
our best when we place others at the center of our lives. Those mothers of the
bible -- Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Elizabeth, and Mary -- certainly did
this. They loved God and their neighbors, including especially their children.
However, it is not simply mothers who enter our
lives with such nurturing and supportive love. There are other women and men too
-- -- teachers, mentors, coaches and simply friends who want the best for us.
As I labored those first
few years of elementary school it was not simply my mother who stayed the course
and encouraged me. I had two remarkable teachers -- Miss Andrein and Miss
Maglinn. Both were unmarried and teachers of more than 30 years. They had seen
it all. With great affection they supported me and encouraged me even when I was
in special reading groups. They believed in me and let me know it. I also had a
coach like that. His advice to me about pitching, but really about life, is
posted today in my office. So while we rightly celebrate mothers this day – it
is also right to remember the others in our lives who also have nursed and
nurtured us, believed in us, and helped us up when we have stumbled.
X X
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Motherhood is as important a role as any a human
being can play. No woman should ever be made to feel ashamed to be a mother. But
it is not the only role that ought to be open to a woman. Sadly, the church --
invoking many of the women we listed -- has often been a part of that process
by which other roles and occupations have been closed to women. Though our
denomination can take pride in being first to ordain women to ministry in the
mid 1800s, it was still not until the past few decades that ministry became
truly open to woman. But we can go back even earlier for wonderful female role
models. This brings me to Lydia – the woman referred to in these words in our
passage from Acts:
A
certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from
the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to
listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were
baptized, she urged us saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the
Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
That’s all we know about
Lydia. Doesn’t seem like much. And yet it speaks volumes. Lydia is a Greek name
so we know she was likely a gentile. But she was a worshipper of God, which
means she had embraced the monotheism of the Jews of her age. She was a free and
open thinker. On a trip to Philippi she finds a group of women worshiping by a
river. How many of us seek out a house of worship when we are away on a trip?
Now, she is also a dealer in purple cloth, you might ask what’s so special about
that. First, it doesn’t say she is the wife of a dealer. No, this is an
entrepreneur in her own right and not just any merchant but one of purple cloth.
Purple cloth was for royalty and the wealthy; it was extremely expensive. Purple
dye, you see, came from a small group of shellfish found in one area of the
Mediterranean coast. To be a trader in purple cloth meant you were highly
successful. This is an extraordinary businesswoman – one who has overcome the
rules and roles of her time. And yet she was humble and generous in her faith,
“if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come stay with me.” We don’t
know if she had children. But I get the sense she would have been a great
mother. Like a mother she convinces Paul to accept her hospitality, as she
becomes the first convert to Christianity in Greece and Europe. On this Mother’s
Day it is right to celebrate mothers and those who have given us such critical
and sustaining nurture and support. But it is also important to remember that
motherhood is simply one wonderful role among many for women. The story of Lydia
suggests that there are no divine limits on what woman can do or be. As the
father of two daughters, I say thanks be to God.
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