Daughter and Son

There’s really only one place where Jesus calls someone ‘daughter’ and there’s really only one place where he calls someone ‘son.’ There are a couple of times he quote the Hebrew Scriptures with those terms in them, but really only these two instances where he uses them as a term of affection, belonging and pride. They are in Mark 2 and Mark 5. As Brenna pointed out on Sunday, Jesus used the terms similar to ‘mija’ or ‘mijo’ in a Mexican family - a term of endearment and blessing.

There’s a woman who’s been bleeding for twelve years who gets called ‘daughter’ and there’s the paralytic let down through the roof by his friends who gets called ‘son.’ And these two instances are so instructive on how Jesus upended patriarchy.

The woman defied all cultural norms. She took initiative, she approached Jesus, she acted on her own. She had agency, even though her world would have taught her not to and would have shunned her had it know what she was doing. She flipped the script on what it meant to be a woman in that day and age.

The man defied all cultural norms as well. He took no initiative, but instead relied on his close friends. He was no Lone Ranger, had no physical strength, and spoke no words. He flipped the script on what it mean to be ‘a real man’ in that day and age.

These two people - amongst all the other healings and blessings Jesus freely gave out - got named by Jesus as daughter and son. These are the two who get gendered blessings - ‘daughter,’ ‘son.’ And yet these are the two who most defied the gendered norms in that culture.

How might Jesus flip the script today. Think in particular about your life and in the lives of loved ones.