The Nameless Mom

The Gospel of Mark is my absolute favorite gospel account. I've tried to articulate why in the past, and the best answer I can come up with is this...

Mark doesn't seem to be all too concerned with fluff. And I can respect that. He gets to the point of telling us who Jesus is, why he's here, and what he's up to. In Mark's gospel -- we really come to see Jesus as 'servant leader'. Basically, I love this gospel because I love the version of Jesus we find in its pages. 

A huge inspiration for this blog project, "Because She Dared", comes from Mark's gospel. In his short retelling of Jesus's life + work, we are introduced to 5 nameless women. These women show us in just a few short verses, the character of Jesus. 

In this blog, I want to share some insights into the first woman we encounter. In Mark 1:30-31, we are introduced to Simon Peter's mother-in-law. All we know is that she was in bed with a fever. 

..."So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her and she immediately served them..." (vs 31)

A few things jump out at me from just that single verse. First, sick people were often seen as unclean and this isn't the first example we see of Jesus being willing to touch someone who is deemed untouchable. 

But as a mom, something deeper resonates with me. If you're a mom, you realize that the title "mom" never ends. As much as we would love for life to slow down when we're sick...our reality is often the opposite. The kids still need bathed, fed, shuttled to school, homework done, cuddles, and 100 other different things. 

Simon Peter's mother-in-law responded in such a mom way. She got up and made them a meal. But she also responded in such a Jesus way. The irony isn't lost on me on why Mark would include her in his gospel. She embodied the very servant heart of Jesus. 

So from my mom heart to yours, don't EVER believe that what we're doing, doesn't matter. We are molding, teaching, and shaping the lives of our own children. 

xxoo,

C ⚡️