We do not know the sinful woman’s backstory at all. A careful reading of her account reveals this is not the same event as when Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus at Simon the Leper’s house, and she is also not Mary of Magdala, who had been possessed by seven spirits. (An early conflation, in 591 CE, of stories about these women has since caused much confusion.) Whatever her growing up story, there must have been trauma and soul wounds. And then she met Jesus.
Jezebel: Priestess and Queen
Jezebel was a Phoenician princess, born in Tyre during the reign of King Omri of Israel. Among royalty, marriage was seldom a love match, and far more often had to do with brokering political, military, and political benefits between nations. And, it should not come as a surprise that Jezebel worshipped the premier deity of her people. But Jezebel was more than a nominal adherent. She was the high priestess.
Share this:
Virgin Mary: Mother Meek but Never Mild
We might get the impression that as a young girl, being visited by Archangel Gabriel she was soft, submissive, gentle, meek. And certainly, she had these qualities, but is it possible we’ve missed the real person underneath the patina of two thousand years’ worth of iconography?
Share this:
Elizabeth: Filled with the Spirit
Being a biblical woman, from Elizabeth’s example, means living faithfully even when it seems unrewarding, believing boldly, even when circumstances seem unlikely, speaking prophetically when filled by God’s Spirit.
