Outcasts, including women, were among Jesus' friends

Today, we strive to be like Jesus in His acceptance of all people; but during the time in which He lived, these actions were actually quite revolutionary, say scholars.

"Some religious leaders of His time would have seen Him as very presumptuous and dangerous -- completely out of line," said Brennan Hill, professor of religious education and theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He is also a former staff member of the Albany diocesan Office of Religious Education and author of "Jesus, the Christ: Contemporary Perspectives."

Jesus' treatment of women, the sick, the disabled and those who did not follow Jewish law are examples of His revolutionary behavior, say the scholars.

Love of God

Through His miracles, Jesus introduced people to a loving God rather than a vindictive one, Dr. Hill explained. "His miracles were to meet human needs and to show that all, especially outcasts, had access to the power of God," he said.

To understand the significance of Jesus' interaction with the ill and disabled, he explained, it is important to know that the Jews during this time viewed sickness as the power of evil. "Therefore, anyone involved with the sick could well be suspected of conspiring with the devil," he said. "Many disabled and sick Jews at the time of Jesus felt hopeless in the face of the demonic. It is easy to understand why Jesus' healings and exorcisms, which so dramatically revealed the utter defeat of Satan, came to the sick and disabled as such marvelous good news."

Attitude toward women

Christ's treatment of women was also revolutionary for the time in which He lived. Rev. Dennis Tamburello, OFM, professor of religious studies at Siena College in Loudonville, noted that "He spoke to them publicly, didn't condemn them, made them His disciples. They were the first witnesses to the resurrection. These very positive encounters cut across the grain. His approach to women and the downtrodden was revolutionary and counter-cultural."

Dr. Hill explained that a women's identity in Jesus' time was that of wife and mother. Women married young, around age 12, into arranged unions. Daughters were viewed as cheap labor by their fathers and were property to be sold into marriage or slavery. Women were not to be seen in public; but if they did go out of the home, they had to have their faces veiled. They were not allowed to speak to anyone in public, especially men. If a woman was caught speaking to a man, her husband could divorce her without a financial settlement.

"When dealing with women, Jesus neither idealizes them nor treats them as an inferior species," said Dr. Hill. "Rather, He sees women, as He does men, as persons worthy of love and respect."

Mary Magdalene

This respect for women was imitated by early Christians, Dr. Hill said, noting that Mary Magdalene played a prominent role in the early Church. "The early Church called her `The apostle to the Apostles.' She is a teacher. It's symbolic of where women were in the early Church."

Contrary to common belief, Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute. Rather, Dr. Hill said, she was a well-educated woman who had money and helped support Jesus and His followers. She was cured by Jesus of "seven devils," which is a symbol of an illness, Dr. Hill said.

At ease with women

Rev. Gerard Sloyan, author of "Jesus in Focus: A Life In Its Setting," agreed that Jesus' treatment of women was counter-cultural.

"There is no record of any other Jewish teacher who consorted with women" as Jesus did, said Father Sloyan. "There are numerous examples in the Bible that illustrate the manner in which Jesus regarded women. There are numerous examples in the Gospels that show that Jesus was at perfect ease with women in a public place. We do not have any other examples in the Bible of other Jewish teachers doing the same.

"There was also the friendship with the two sisters, Martha and Mary. Also Luke 8 makes it clear there were not just 13 guys with Jesus. There was a group of men and women, and the women were supporting the men. Add up all of those Gospel references and a pretty clear picture emerges."

Unpopular notion

Father Sloyan said that Jesus' attitudes about women, as well as other outcast groups of that time was not popular with Jewish officials.

"Popular teaching of the day was for conformity to the oral and written Torah," explained Father Sloyan. "All others were dismissed as `People of the Land' or `the Great Unwashed.' His consorting with those of disordered lives or lives of non-observance was not well received."

Christ's counter-cultural behavior led to His crucifixion, the scholars say. "This is one of the problems that led to Jesus being arrested," said Father Tamburello. "The leaders didn't come to his defense because he was counter-cultural."Dr. Hill said, "They had two choices. One was to accept Him; the other, get rid of Him."

(Dr. Hill's book "Jesus, the Christ: Contemporary Perspectives" and Father Sloyan's book "Jesus in Focus: A Life in Its Setting" are available for $14.95 through Twenty-Third Publications of Mystic, Connecticut. Call 1-800-321-0411.)

(03-27-97) [[In-content Ad]]