MOMMA’S BOY

By Rick Ashlock

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.” Francis Maitland Balfour (1851-1882).

I preached a sermon a few weeks ago entitled “In Defense of Paul” in which I tried to make a case for both the authority of his teachings and the basic goodness of the man. Paul has once again become the subject of sharp criticism and one of the more prominent issues modern scholars take with him is his treatment of women. Some are saying that he was a misogynist and that his feelings concerning women mean that we are not bound by his teachings.

This is one of the many ways in which Paul joined the sufferings of Christ. Many critics would have us believe that not only is Paul sexist, the Bible as a whole is degrading to women because it reflects the prejudices held by the chauvinistic men who wrote it. The truth, however, is that the Old Law gave women far more rights and protections than they had in most of the cultures of the day. While women may not have been treated as true equals under the law, it is undeniable that when the men of Israel faithfully kept the law, the women of Israel enjoyed a much higher quality of life, including favorable social status.

Of course, since Israel for most of its existence did not keep the law very well, the plight of women at the time Jesus arrived on the scene was not what God had intended at all. Those who say Christianity is sexist may well be able to point to specific acts by individuals professing to be Christians or perhaps even whole cultures that have been generally classified as Christian, but they can not look at the interaction Jesus had with women and say He was sexist. Jesus saw women as precious souls He was there to save. He did not view them the way the society of the day saw them. In His eyes, they were not property to be acquired, objects of sexual desire, or mere bearers of children. He looked at them with respect, honor, dignity, and real godly love.

He also did not see them the way so many try to portray women today. He knew that women were not exactly like men. He knew there were differences between the genders just as God knew when He wrote the Old Law. Ultimately, Bible teaches us that men and women are equal but not identical in the sight of God.

The Gospels contain many wonderful stories depicting the interaction Jesus had with many different women but the most educational and inspirational relationship Jesus had with a woman was with his mother. It is impossible to conceive of the pain in Mary’s heart as she witnessed her son endure the suffering of His last hours of human life. However, through His words to her at the end and indeed throughout His ministry, we can see the love, honor, respect, and care He had for her even though His ministry prevented Him from always being with her the way she wanted.

Jesus loves everyone who loves Him. Because of the unique circumstances of their relationship, no human has ever loved Jesus the way Mary did. She saw Him as not only the Lord and Savior of all mankind, but also her little boy. He saw her not only as a precious soul He came to give eternal life, but as the one person who had given Him earthly life. He lived His life and treated His mother in such a way that every day was Mothers’ Day for her. Sounds like a real “momma’s boy” to me.

July 16th Kids Day

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