As women's history month draws to a close I have been thinking about why there are so many Mary's in the gospels. Just who were these Marys?
What we do know is that Mary the mother of Jesus, was absolutely devoted to her son and his ministry. That she herself had knowledge of healings and herbs, and that she was the embodiment of so much Sophia or wisdom, itself an ancient idea that what is truly wise resides in the mystery of the divine feminine. Think about it: where would a Jewish man get the idea that the first shall be last and the last shall be first? Where would an itinerant preacher who had no standing on his own, learn to heal the sick and give comfort to the downfallen? Where would even the messiah, stoop down, write in the sand and answer the angry men who wanted to stone an adulterous to death, “he who is without sin, cast the first stone”. Where but through the women in his life, starting with his mother? Not just any mother, but a Jewish mother.
What we do know is that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene most of all. Although the women in the story are conflated into virgins and harlots, was it Mary who cleaned his feet with her hair and perfume before he was crucified? Was it Mary who Jesus defended to the male displaces as doing God work and not their constant doubting? Was it not Mary the Magdalene who the gospels are really referring to and not John, painted as a woman in Da Vinci’s last supper? And would not a powerful and wealthy woman in her own right have taught her husband to stand up for what he believes in? While Mary his mother, imparted wisdom and healing, Mary his wife, gave him courage. Isn’t this the best of the women in our own lives?
What we do know is Jesus and all compassionate men have been taught and cared for by strong and compassionate women; they who embody the goddess. The goddess is not just for women but for men who can learn from the power of intuition, powerful, if not always predictable emotions, and the courage to stand up for what is right.
With Grace and Grit, John
