After a couple of distracted weeks, I am ready to turn my attention again to biblical examples of Bestowing Dignity. In my first post about biblical examples of this theme, I focused on how the miracles Jesus performed had the (perhaps) side effect of bestowing dignity up on the person(s) for whom the miracle was done. In this post, I will highlight some of the conversations and non-miraculous encounters Jesus had with people during His earthly ministry. It seems that Jesus doesn't have to work a miracle in order to bestow dignity on a person. Simply spending time in His presence and hearing His words seems to be enough!
First, however, I'd like to back-track to include one more miracle: turning water into wine.
This account is recorded for us in John 2:1-11. Jesus was in attendance at a wedding in Cana, along with His mother and His disciples. In the process of the celebrations, the wine jugs ran dry. It is my understanding that, in the cultural context of the time, running out of wine would have put the bridegroom in a particularly embarrassing predicament, as it was his responsibility to provide the wine for his own wedding feast. It is also my understanding that Jewish wedding feasts lasted for several days, not a single evening. The feast was well underway, probably several days in, but the bridegroom's supply was gone before the feast was ready to wrap up.
There is much that could be said about this story, but I would like to focus aspect: Jesus' miracle (turning water into wine) saved the bridegroom from major social embarrassment. Instead of being humiliated in front of his guests, his new bride, and his new in-laws, the bridegroom is commended for providing good wine so late in the feast. (The headwaiter to the bridegroom, in verse 10: "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.")
It seems a small and insignificant matter, but I clearly see the thread of dignity woven into even this miracle of Jesus: the bridegroom (and his bride) were saved from embarrassment by Jesus' miracle and could leave their wedding feast with their heads held high in dignity. (I hope they were also grateful to Jesus for His help in saving their reputations as hosts!)
* * *
Now, moving on, I would like to focus on those whose
lives were dramatically changed by non-miraculous encounters with Jesus:
The Woman Caught in
Adultery (John 8:1-11)
Early one morning, Jesus is teaching in the temple when a group of scribes and Pharisees bring before Him a woman caught in adultery, in the very act, they say. They set her in the center of the court and ask Jesus, "In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" (verse 5).
Here's what we DO NOT know: We do not know what this woman's attitude was as she faced Jesus. (Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ depicts her as trembling with fear.) We also do not know how she came to be in the man's bed with whom she is caught. (By the way, where was the man? After all, the Leviticus 20:10 says, "the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.")
Here's what we DO know: Instead of allowing her
to be stoned for her sins, Jesus extends this woman forgiveness and charges the men accusing her to consider their own sins before picking up a stone to pronounce judgement on hers. It is
thought that this woman was Mary Magdalene and that she went on from this
encounter with Jesus to be one of His closest friends and followers. Whoever she was, Jesus bestowed dignity on this woman by lifting her from the dirt into
which her accusers tossed her, forgiving her sinful lifestyle, and giving her a
second chance. He looked upon her with Love, instead of accusation.
He responded to her sin with forgiveness, gentleness, and kindness,
instead of harsh judgement and shaming. Jesus' loving response to her
past and present made all the difference to this woman's future. She could move forward from this moment with dignity, to "go and sin no more." (John 8:11)
The Samaritan Woman at
the Well (John 4:7-38)
While in Mexico, we learned that it is common practice for fathers to sell their daughters
into prostitution as early as 13 years old, which gives me a very different perspective
on the Samaritan Woman at the Well. For all we know, this woman has had 5 husbands
because she has been passed from man to man as a sex slave. For all we
know the 6th man is a friend of her 5th husband, who passed her along to this
man to benefit himself. The Bible does not
describe the circumstances of this woman's life beyond the fact that she's had
5 husbands and is now living with a 6th man who is not her husband. We
don't know how she got from her father's household to the 6th man's bed, but it
is not difficult for me to believe that she may have had very little choice in
the matter.
Still, the "upright" in her community would have
looked upon this woman with very great disdain. There's a reason she was
at the well by herself at the hottest hour of the day: noon. Most of the
women of the community would have gone to the well in the cool of the morning.
Being a woman of ill repute, this woman was either not welcome in their
midst or was not interested in facing the derision of the other women, so she
went to the well instead during the heat of the day to gather the water for her
household.
And then comes Jesus.
Not only is He a Jew choosing to walk through Samaria (most would have
traveled the long-way-around to avoid the Samaritan "half-breeds" and
"blasphemers"), He was also a man taking the time to talk to a woman,
and in a respectful manner.
Jesus bestows dignity on the Woman at the Well by taking the time to talk
with her, share the news of the Living Water with her, and making her His
representative to her community. He does not hide that He knows her past
and present circumstances. Rather, He offers to quench her spiritual
thirst.
Additionally, out of all
the people Jesus encountered in His life on earth, THIS woman's story is
included in God's written Word! [And this, to me, does not seem to be one of those stories recorded for us so we know how NOT to live. Rather, this seems to be a
story like Mary Magdalene's, the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears.
Jesus' response to that woman's critics was, “Truly I tell you, wherever this
gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told,
in memory of her." (Matthew 26:10) Here is yet another example of Jesus bestowing dignity on someone.]
As a result of this
encounter, the Samaritan woman returns to her community and tells them all about her
encounter with this man, Jesus. The account in John reports that many Samaritans
believed in Jesus after hearing her report and then encountering Him themselves. Jesus broke through multiple social norms by conversing with the woman at the well and, in so doing, marked her life from that moment on with a very special dignity.
* * *
The above stories were two that hit me in especially poignant ways after my week in Mexico. As I have pondered on the dignity theme, several other stories have come to mind that, I believe, strongly show the thread of this theme in Jesus' life and ministry.
Nicodemus. A hated tax-collector experiences major heart transformation after a meal with Jesus. Jesus deems Nicodemus worthy of His time and many lives are changed for the good, Nicodemus' as well as those he formerly swindled. (John 4:5-42)
Jesus' choice of disciples. Fishermen and a tax collector, among others from lowly trades, Jesus chose men not highly valued within their communities to be His closest followers in life and the leaders of the Church after His resurrection and return to Heaven. (Luke 5, 6)
The Generous Widow. A widow is looked upon with derision for giving only a mite to the temple collection box, but Jesus points her out as being a woman of great faith, and therefore a woman to be greatly respected. In this story, Jesus dignifies two classes of people generally degraded in the culture of the time: the poor and women. (Mark 12:41-44)
Upon His resurrection, Jesus appears first to women. This is one of the stories recorded in Scripture which gives me confidence in its validity. Women were not regarded as reliable witnesses in Jewish culture, so if mere men had been responsible for the Bible, I doubt this is how they would have chosen to write that women were the first to see Jesus at this incredibly important cross-roads in history. He gave a whole class of undervalued people, women, very prominent distinction by making Himself known to them before revealing Himself to His disciples (men). (John 2:1-10)
Jesus blesses children. The disciples considered children unworthy of Jesus' valuable time. Jesus, on the other hand, took time to bless and to be with the little ones. Again, an example of Jesus marking with dignity a culturally undervalued class of people: children.
The parable of the Good Samaritan. Jews hated Samaritans, but it is the Samaritan in the story (NOT the priest or the Levite) who is chosen to represent the point Jesus makes to love our neighbor. (Luke 10:25-37)
* * *
Women.
Children.
Samaritans (a.k.a., half-breeds).
Uneducated.
Poor.
Physically broken.
Spiritually broken.
Emotionally broken.
Jesus spent a lot of time and energy on people rejected or marginalized by the broader culture. He went to great lengths to bestow dignity and favor on the least of these. Someday we will be asked if we were willing to do the same with the time, energy, resources, and talents God has given us.
Does MY life reflect Jesus' passion for the worth of people?
Do my interactions with family and community bestow dignity on others?
Believe me when I say that, though I am easily distracted by lesser concerns, these two questions have not been far from the forefront of my thinking for the last month.
I hope that I can someday answer with a resounding, "Yes. I'm doing my best!" and that others will be able to back me up by what they've seen in my life.