As I read Amy Peeler’s wonderful words in Women and the Gender of God, my eyes keep getting caught on this one: “trustworthy.” This word is used of God, but Dr. Peeler specifically uses it to describe Mary.
She calls Mary a “trustworthy proclaimer” and “one who speaks truly about God.” I’ve had to pause at how simple yet stunning these words are. Especially when, over and over again, the rhetoric surrounding women’s testimonies, their sense of calling, their interpretations of Scripture, their experiences of abuse and more have been questioned.
Women have been labeled suspicious, overreacting, biased to a fault. Untrustworthy. While I’ve only rarely received this criticism directly, it is the culture that Christian women—and really just women—live in, and one it’s near impossible not to be affected by.
That’s why Dr. Peeler’s word choice is profound. In the pages of holy Scripture, Mary is a reputable source. She’s not only a key witness for Luke’s gospel behind the scenes, with her insights coming through the voice of Luke. No, up close and personal, Mary’s own words were written down for us to hear. And now we call her words the Word of the Lord. (Thanks be to God).
As a forerunner of trustworthy New Testament women, might the women at the tomb have drawn inspiration from Mary?
Mary, to her friend, Elizabeth, was the first human to proclaim the incarnation. At the end of the gospels, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others with them are the first to proclaim the resurrection. An entire crowd of women witnesses to the risen Christ. I don’t think it’s any stretch to say that these women are some of the first teachers of theology (systematics, I might add ;)).
It was ultimately Jesus who gave them the honor of sharing this good news. Yet, with these women following Jesus for years, we’d imagine they shared stories with one another. Might they have heard about the moments Mary treasured up in her heart? Might seeing her prophetic role have encouraged them in their own?
Peeler writes, “Representation matters for every woman who claims Christ, whether she stands behind the altar or pulpit or sits in the pew. By seeing women represent God, every woman knows that she, in her distinct embodiment, is included in Christ along with and no less than her fellow male confessor” (emphasis mine).
From Jesus’ conception, he reversed the paradigm of who we consider trustworthy.
While we can’t know for sure what Mary did or did not share, we can know that she was reliable from beginning to end. God–Father, Son, and Spirit–chose Mary and entrusted Jesus to her. She held him in her arms, instructed him in her home, and proclaimed him with her voice.
May we also recognize the trustworthiness of women who faithfully proclaim Mary’s son. May we believe their testimony. May women feel the reality of their own trustworthiness from the God who has commissioned them.
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