Lutheran Pastor Blasts Jesus for His Treatment of Martha in Luke 10, Says Jesus was Wrong and ‘Needed to be Corrected’
Advent Lutheran Church in Madison is an inclusive ELCA congregation led by the Rev Nick Utphall. One of their most unique features is that they are in an ecumenical partnership with Community of Hope UCC, where they “own the church building together, have a typical budget, share in the education programs for all ages, fellowship events, youth ministry and worship together throughout the year,” all the while having their own distinct church life. Naturally, they are both progressive as they come.
In a recent sermon, Utphall goes off on Jesus and the writer Luke for their treatment of Mary and Martha in Luke Chapter 10, accusing them of trying to minimize her role and keep her from serving in the church.
First, he notes that they intentionally reversed the scripture reading, reading Numbers 27:1-10 in the New testament portion and Luke 10 in the Old Testament reading, because the former is good news and the latter is not. (Numbers 27 is where the five daughters of Zelophehad, following his death, beseech Moses to give his property to them as an inheritance, given that he had no sons. Moses asks the Lord, and the Lord agrees.)
Then, Utphall offers that this may be a case of Luke falsely attributing quotes to Jesus.
If you already didn’t like Luke, hearing implicit criticism of housework, of domestic labor, of what still is way too often known as ‘a woman’s place’, then let me go ahead and make it worse and say that this may actually be trying further to diminish women’s roles. It comes from the mouth of Jesus and I really hope that it was the writer Luke who just put it on Jesus lips.
Ultimately, Utphall accuses Luke and Jesus of trying to silence and minimize Mary, while insisting:
Jesus needed to have his world view and the purview of his goodness expanded…Jesus needed to learn his lesson and stand corrected.”
Note. Same church as shared this trans-affirming poem.
