Those were the words of one of the girls in my Year 10 RE class today. The comment came right out of the blue for me - we were talking about ways in which we people around the world image Jesus in different ways.
We stopped for a bit to discuss this idea. Several of the girls joined in. They felt that they would be able to relate better to Jesus as a role model if he was female. When I asked why this was, and whether she felt she could relate to any men as role models she thought further and said:
"It's just that I think if Jesus was a woman, men in the church over the years wouldn't have treated women the way they have."
What a great insight!! I then explored with them some of the ways Jesus showed enormous respect for women- far in excess of the cultural mores of his time. We also talked about the ways the church had changed in the last 30 years or so.
Amazing the insights of kids who are not church goers. Amazing the disarmingly honest and open questions and comments they make in class! Whoever said that last period friday was the hardest class of the week???
Thanks for sharing, class, it's a pleasure to work with you!!
Ms B
1 comment:
Yes, indeed, a profound and powerful insight...and, of course, it is precisely because Jesus was a man who did not act in explicitly "male" ways that gives his words and deeds such counter-intuitive power...
Love your work, my love.
BB
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