Becoming His Story. Mary-Elsie Wolfe

was trying to destroy it” (Gal. 1:13 NRSV). One might think that with his past, he would constantly be feeling regret and remorse, but his words to the Philippians are promising for all of us: “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Phil. 3:13 NRSV, emphasis added).

      What must have thrilled Paul even more was that his education, background, and life experiences all seemed to have moulded together so that his new life in Jesus became beautiful pottery. God used Paul’s abilities and experiences for his greater purposes. Paul lived in full partnership with God. We are invited to do the same. Wherever you are in your journey of faith, in your season of life, or in living out God’s call, it is my hope that reading Becoming His Story will be a journey of inspiration.

This book will be divided into three sections: To Learn from Jesus; To Live Like Jesus; To Lead Like Jesus. Section 1 is about call and inspiration: to learn from Jesus. The discussion is guided by the Gospel of John, as in it, more so than the other Gospels, we are invited to observe how Jesus interacts with women.1 One writer says, “Jesus’ approach to women was in such contrast to that of his culture that we can assume a deliberate modeling of a new way of relating to women.”2

      We are challenged to consider our formative, environmental, and cultural biases that hinder our full view when reading about the time of Jesus. In these stories, women were called personally by Jesus. How these women responded and interacted with Jesus gives us great insight into what Jesus aspires to for women. These portraits of Jesus and women offer deep theological significance.

      The culture at Christ’s time was influenced by Roman, Greek, Qumranic, and ancient Jewish thinking. Each of these groups held distinct yet somewhat similar perspectives on women, adapting to new opportunities for female leadership differently. But as Jesus meets these women in John, he seems determined not to be limited by cultural norms.

      Because of the boldness of Jesus’ mother Mary, we witness Jesus’ first miracle and learn about discipleship. Thanks to an unknown Samaritan woman, we get a preview of Jesus’ mission and then her personal commissioning to share about whom she encountered. In Martha, we have a powerful profession of faith articulating the identity of Jesus, followed by actions that convey her convictions about Jesus. When Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus anoints the feet of Jesus with perfume, we learn about costly followership. With the women at the cross in the final hours of Jesus’ death, we learn about being resolutely loyal and unwavering until the very end. We also see God including those who were within that close range in his declaration of the completion of his mission. From that we learn how abiding with Jesus entitles us to have firsthand communication about his work in the world.

      And finally, thanks to the example of Mary of Bethany at the tomb, we have the example of an unrelenting leader, the one who receives the first communication after the resurrection because of her relentless pursuit of Christ.

      Section 2 begins with women who led in how to follow Jesus. In Romans 16, we see that women are in leadership positions alongside of Paul. We see examples in Acts 21 of women teaching and prophesying.

      The early church that took form after the resurrection of Jesus existed between the “the already and the not yet.” Victory over death had been accomplished, but the full consummation of that victory was still to come. But living toward that consummation seemed natural.

      Men and women are equally called to serve as leaders. Unfortunately, church history and society have not always reflected that. Still today, in some denominational traditions, women are faced with obstacles to leadership. For new generations of women, who anticipate the world as their oyster, it seems odd and inconsistent to discover that cultural traditions or misperceptions will limit their opportunities within the church as part of the priesthood of believers. This results in competent, gifted women withholding their areas of giftedness in view of a perceived but misaligned obedience to Scripture. Or, talented, capable women might disregard Christianity altogether as the misconceptions in some churches taint their perceptions of following Jesus. Other women might have been raised in traditions that have excluded them from their true calling in the church.

      Section 3 is about leading like Jesus. Jesus defines leadership. Much of leadership theory seems to draw from Jesus. The difference with Christian leadership is that it begins with our love for God—which is in fact the foundational premise for Christian leaders. Following the example of Jesus, leaders give power away as they discern vision and then see it realized. The same observational, prayerful discernment is necessary for the church to participate in what God is doing in the world. If we are in fact in a time of transition as a Christian movement, recommitting women to leadership will better position us to receive the full potential of God’s blessing for the church. Jesus invites followership to replicate his investment in others and multiply leadership. Leaders follow Jesus and then invest in the making of other leaders.

      Regardless of your personal history, this book is for you. May you be inspired toward greater male/female leadership! As you learn, live and lead, experience how you can increasingly allow God’s story to live in yours—becoming his story.

1 For a more exhaustive study on women in the Bible, see Cynthia Long Westfall, Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016).

2 Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen, “Jesus and Women in the Gospel of John,” Direction 19, no. 2 (Fall 1990): 53.

      Section

      one

      TO LEARN from Jesus

      Anyone who wanders away from this teaching

      has no relationship with God. But anyone who

      remains in the teaching of Christ has a

      relationship with both the Father

      and the Son.

      (2 John 9)

      Chapter 1

      My Story

      As a fairly new believer I would say, “I just want to follow Jesus.” One morning while jogging, I reflected aloud to a friend on an upcoming course paper that I was assigned. As each step carried the weight of my stride, I verbally scrolled through my options of possible topics, pausing when I got to the role of women in the Gospel of John. My friend interjected, “I think that’s what you should do!”

      I reflected on this. I sensed that my life had and would continue to have calls of leadership, but for whatever reason, I resisted. It would have been irresponsible of me not to acknowledge that I was “surrounded by…a cloud of witnesses” who could give me insight via my research into the subject (Heb. 12:1 NRSV).

      Until that point, I had no need to research the topic. I was raised Roman Catholic, where the ordination of women certainly wasn’t an option. In addition, I was influenced by conservative Protestant teaching. I even recall my reaction when, at a cross-denominational Bible study in downtown Ottawa, I met a woman who announced that she had just quit her job and enrolled in seminary in Toronto. The voice in my head said, Why would a woman go to seminary?

      A few weeks after this encounter, my employer announced a restructuring of its Ottawa office. It seemed like a perfect moment to seize; within weeks, I too was on my way to Tyndale Seminary (then Ontario Theological Seminary).

      Well into earning my degree, I remained content to study about God, his relationship with his world and his plan for keeping relationship with us. Here I was in seminary, seeking to delve into God’s Word as it pertained to me and my relationship with God and yet disregarding my gender—even at the same time as the issue of gender was sometimes a hot issue in the church and at seminary. By God’s very gentle prodding, I realized I needed to look honestly at how Jesus interacted with women. I did