BIBLE STUDIES

Downloadable · Shareable · Created by Yale University women

FEATURED STUDY:

HOLY WEEK WONDERINGS: Women of Holy Week Study

By: Anna Grace Glaize

“Among the many things that religious tradition holds in store for us is a legacy of wonder.” (1) ~Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

“Stories of The Life and Passion of Christ” by Gaudenzio Ferrari, 1513, Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, from Wikimedia Commons.

Palm Sunday

“Entry into the City” by John August Swanson, 1990, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.

“After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this, “The Lord needs it.”’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’” (Luke 19:28-40)

During the time of Passover, Jews from all over the diaspora would travel to Jerusalem. The Jewish historian Josephus claimed around 3 million people took part in the Passover celebration in 66 C.E. (2). Jesus, a Jew himself, is on his way to Jerusalem throughout much of his ministry in the Gospel of Luke. In the above passage, his journey begins to near its end.  

Luke 8:1-3 attests to the fact that Jesus had many women followers. Later in the week, we’ll see that some of Jesus’ women followers accompany him all the way to the cross. Imagine Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and the many other unnamed women as part of the “whole multitude of the disciples” crying out, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”

  • I wonder what it felt like to be in the crowd. I wonder if any of the disciples noticed the Pharisees asking Jesus to make his disciples stop. (3) What do you wonder? 

  • Jesus was one of many Jews who went to Jerusalem for Passover. Are there places you return to, year after year, to celebrate or commemorate? Are those places always physical locations?

Immediately after Jesus' entry, he weeps over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41-44, saying “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” 

  • I wonder if this surprised Jesus’ disciples. I wonder if it scared them. What do you wonder? 

  • What are the things that make for peace in your life? In your community? In our world? 

Holy Monday

“The Widow’s Mite” by JESUS MAFA, 1973, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.

“He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.  Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’” (Mark 12:41-44)

The day after Jesus enters Jerusalem, he goes to the temple. There he criticizes the temple officials as being “a den of robbers,” quoting from the prophet Jeremiah. (4) In the Gospel of Mark, this action is what leads to the Romans taking an interest in Jesus. (5) Jesus’ interactions with the temple in the final week of his life are arguably what led to his death. 

It is of significance, then, that what Jesus says about the poor widow takes place as he leaves the temple for the last time in the Gospel of Mark. Having neither fathers nor husbands to protect them, widows occupied an incredibly precarious position in society, which is why the Bible advocates so often for their care. (6) Just before he observes the widow, Jesus once again calls out Israel’s religious leaders, saying the scribes, “devour widows’ houses.” (7) Read together, Mark 12:38-44 presents a striking contrast between the respected scribes and the poor widow.

  • I wonder how long the woman had been a widow. I wonder how often she went to the temple. What do you wonder?

  • The poor widow gave all she had, though what she had was little. Have you ever been given a gift that was worth little but meant a lot?

In Mark’s telling, just after Jesus leaves the temple for the last time he predicts its destruction in Mark 13. 

  • I wonder how Jesus felt about the prediction. I wonder what the temple’s destruction meant for the widow. What do you wonder? 

  • In context, it seems Jesus’ message is as much about what Israel’s authorities have not done as it is about the widow’s own actions. Who are the widows of today? Are there actions we’re called to take in light of the widow’s story?

Holy Tuesday

“The Parable of the Ten Virgins” by Phoebe Anna Traquair, from Wikimedia Commons. 

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them,  but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.  Later the other young women came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:1-13)

This parable unique to Matthew is placed after Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple and before the plot to kill Jesus begins. In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), parables make up roughly one-third of Jesus’ teachings. (8) While Jesus may be the most famous teller of parables, they’re found in the Hebrew Bible, too. (9)

In her book Short Stories by Jesus, scholar Amy-Jill Levine informs us Jesus’ followers, “...knew that parables were more than children’s stories or restatements of common knowledge. They knew that parables and the tellers of parables were there to prompt them to see the world in a different way, to challenge, and at times to indict.”(10) With this in mind when it comes to parables, “we might be better off thinking less about what they ‘mean’ and more about what they can ‘do’: remind, provoke, refine, confront, disturb. . . .” (11)

  • I wonder why the bridegroom is late. I wonder if the five young women should’ve asked the bridegroom to wait for the others. What do you wonder? 

  • When have you felt foolish? When have you felt wise?

Holy Wednesday

“Anointing the Feet of Jesus in the House of Simon” by El Greco, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.

“While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, ‘Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.’ And they scolded her.  But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’” (Mark 14:3-9)

The anointing of Jesus takes place in all four gospels. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the woman is unnamed. (12) John identifies the woman as Mary of Bethany. (13) Luke calls her “a woman in the city who was a sinner.” (14) Matthew, Mark, and John all have the event taking place during the last week of Jesus’ life, while in Luke, the event comes earlier. 

Despite the differences, in every version of the story Jesus is anointed by a woman. Her actions cause objections. And Jesus takes her side. 

  • I wonder how the woman got the ointment. I wonder if she knew what she’d done would cause anger. What do you wonder? 

Author Rachel Held Evans points out that, “In Jesus’ culture, the act of anointing signified selection for some special role or task. Kings were often anointed with oil as part of their coronation ceremony, usually by a prophet or priest. The Greek word christos, ‘Christ,’ is a translation of the Hebrew word for Messiah, which means ‘the anointed one.’  And so this anonymous woman finds herself in the untraditional position of priest and prophet.” (15)

  • I wonder if the woman was surprised to hear Jesus talk of his burial. I wonder what Jesus means by connecting her remembrance with the good news. What do you wonder? 

  • Jesus says the woman’s act should be remembered. What can we do to remember her today? 

Maundy Thursday

“The Denial of Saint Peter” by Caravaggio, from Wikimedia Commons. 

“Then seizing him [Jesus], they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, ‘This man was with him.’ But he denied it. ‘Woman, I don’t know him,’ he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, ‘You also are one of them.’ ‘Man, I am not!’ Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, ‘Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.’ Peter replied, ‘Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:54-62)

Shortly after the Last Supper, Jesus is arrested. His arrest will bring him before Pilate, which leads to the crucifixion. (16) Earlier that very night, Jesus predicted Peter’s betrayal. (17) It seems like Peter may overcome the prediction. After all, Peter follows Jesus after his arrest. But then a servant girl looks at Peter closely and speaks the truth. And Peter denies the truth of who he is. The Galilean who promised to follow his Lord to prison and to death falls short at the words of a servant girl. (18)

  • I wonder what made the servant girl look closely. I wonder how she recognized one of Jesus’ followers. I wonder if she was ever a follower of Jesus herself. What do you wonder? 

  • Who in your life sees the truth of who you are? In what situations do you act differently from who you’d like to be? 

Good Friday

“Crucifixion of Jesus” by Andrea Previtali, 16th century, from Wikimedia Commons. 

“Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.” (Matthew 27:55-56)

In all four Gospels, women are present at the crucifixion of Jesus. (19) Luke just says the women who followed him from Galilee, while Matthew, Mark, and John choose to specify notable women, all three of whom name Mary Magdalene. The many women at the cross “confirm the contrast with the fallible male apostles.” (20)

  • I wonder if the woman who anointed Jesus was there. I wonder if they thought Jesus would come down from his cross. (21) What do you wonder? 

  • Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus, an event that took place in the first century, a time and place very different from our own. In the 21st century, who are the crucified? The Salvadoran Jesuit priest and theologian Ignacio Ellacuría, assassinated in 1989, once offered this challenge: “Ask yourselves: What have I done to crucify them? What do I do to uncrucify them? What must I do for this people to rise again?”

Holy Saturday

“Christ Carried Down to the Tomb” by Eugène Delacroix, 1859, from Wikimedia Commons. 

“Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.” (Luke 23:50-56)

According to Jewish law, the body of an executed criminal was not allowed to remain exposed beyond sundown. (22) The good and righteous Joseph of Arimathea and the women from Galilee try to do what they can to ensure Jesus has a proper burial. Joseph ensures Jesus’ body is placed in a tomb, and the women confirm Jesus is in the tomb before going to prepare spices and ointments. (23) They plan to complete the burial once the Sabbath is over; they do not know what’s to come.

  • I wonder if Joseph had met Pilate before. I wonder why the women go to see Jesus’ body in the tomb. What do you wonder? 

  • Holy Saturday is a day of liminality. Good Friday is behind us, and Easter is ahead. Grief and hope stand side by side. What do you need to see in yourself before transformation can occur? 

Easter Sunday

“Christ and St Mary Magdalen at the Tomb” by Rembrandt Van Rijn, from Royal Collection Trust.

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. 

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew. ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and she told them that he had said these things to her.” (John 20:1-18)

Women are the first to learn of the resurrection. All four Gospels attest to this. (24) The number and identities of the women differ in each telling, but Mary Magdalene is there in each version of the story.  Mary Magdalene’s role in the resurrection story led Thomas Aquinas to call her, “an apostle to the apostles.” (25)

On encountering the empty tomb, Mary thinks Jesus’ body has been taken. “Mary’s confusion reflects the world-shattering dimension of the empty tomb…The world cannot make sense of an empty tomb with any theory except grave robbing.” (26) It’s only when Jesus calls her name, as he called the name of Lazarus, that Mary recognizes her teacher. (27)

  • I wonder why Mary Magdalene stayed when the other disciples left. I wonder what the disciples said when she told them she’d confused the risen Jesus with a gardener. I wonder why there’s so much running in the story. What do you wonder? 

  • Why do you think Mary only recognizes Jesus when he says her name? 

  • Where do you see signs of resurrection in your own life? How can we reflect the hope of Easter in our world?

This Easter season, may you be welcomed into wonder. 

“A Choice” by Laura Wright Pittman, 2018, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.