From Daughters to Disciples (Lynn Japinga) - A Review

 

FROM DAUGHTERS TO DISCIPLES: Women’s Stories from the NewTestament. By Lynn Japinga. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2021. X + 154 pages.

                In recent years we have been paying greater attention to the fact that women play important roles in the biblical story. We know of Mary the Mother of Jesus and Eve, partner to Adam, and perhaps Mary Magdalene. But these are not the only women whose stories need to be told. The fact is that there are many more and it is worth our time to discover their stories, for that will enrich our faith journeys and will empower women as they participate in the life of the church.

                Among the growing number of books that invite us to explore these stories is Lynn Japinga's book From Daughters to Disciples. Japinga is a professor of Religion at Hope College in Holland Michigan and an ordained minister in the Reformed Church of America. From Daughters to Disciples joins her earlier book on the stories of women in the Old Testament: From Widows to Warriors: Women's Stories from the Old Testament.

                Japinga follows the same process here as in the earlier book, which I also reviewed. She simply lifts up the stories of women who populate this particular section of the Bible. She does point out that this particular book was actually more difficult to write than the earlier one because "the New Testament stories about women do not provide much material to work with. The women often do not speak. They are not named. They do not do very much" (p. 3). In other words, they tend to stay in the background. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus doesn't play that large a role in the story. I have always found it interesting that Mary figures more in the Quran than in the New Testament. Therefore, Japinga has to use her imagination at different points to fill out the story. Nevertheless, even if she has to read between the lines to do this, she brings the stories of the women present in the New Testament to the foreground.

                From Daughters to Disciples is written with a general lay audience in mind and is designed to be used for group study. Japinga breaks her book into eight chapters. The first chapter focuses on the birth of Jesus and lifts up the stories of Mary, along with the stories of Elizabeth and Anna. And as you might expect she draws primarily from Luke to tell these stories. Then in chapter two, she focuses on two women who are healed by Jesus, "the bold bleeding woman" of Mark 5 and "the bent-over woman of Luke 13. Chapter three focuses on three "outcasts," women who stood on the outside of Jesus' primary circle. There is the Syro-Phoenician woman of Mark 7, a Gentile woman who convinces Jesus to heal her daughter, challenging Jesus' seeming prejudices. Then there is the Samaritan woman of John 4, whom Jesus engages in theological conversation with concerning living water. Finally, there is the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Interestingly, Japinga opens up a new way of looking at this story through the lens of the #MeToo movement.

                Chapter 4 tells the story of two grateful women, the woman who anointed him in Mark 14 and a grateful woman who weeps over Jesus' feet and anoints them with oil as a sign of gratitude for an act of forgiveness. Then in chapter 5, Japinga turns to the stories of Mary and Martha, one of which is found in Luke and the other in the Gospel of John. The first, the one found in Luke, is the scene in which Martha criticizes Mary for sitting Jesus' feet when Martha was trying to prepare a meal. Japinga helpfully lays out how this story has been used to denigrate Martha, but she helps understand that both women have their areas of concern and need to be honored. The second story comes from John 11 and that is the story of the raising of Lazarus and the conversations the two women have with Jesus about friendship, healing, and the resurrection.

                The sixth and final chapter that focuses on the stories found in the Gospels takes us to the cross and the Tomb. Japinga divides the chapter into two sections. One focuses on the women who are present with Jesus as he is on the cross. She takes us through each of the four gospels, highlighting the presence of the women at the cross and then the eventual burial of Jesus. The other section of this chapter focuses on Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Jesus in John 20. Here the focus is on Mary's role as apostle to the apostles. Japinga asks an important question here. Since Mary was such a “strong and respected figure in the early church. Why is she not affirmed for this role?” (p. 97).  

                With the stories from the Gospels explored, Japinga uses the final two chapters to lift up the women present in the Book of Acts and the letters of Paul. Interestingly, while several women appear in the Book of Acts, Mary Magdalene is not counted among them. That is interesting. As for Jesus' mother, she is present in chapter 1 but disappears from the story after that. There are a few other women who appear in the story including Lydia and Priscilla. When it comes to the letters of Paul, Japinga is less focused on Paul's teachings about women and speaks more specifically to the women who appear in his letters. There are several women whom Paul takes note of, including Priscilla/Prisca, Phoebe, and Junia the Apostle. Of the women who appear in Acts and Paul’s letters, it is clear that women played active roles in the life of the church, including exercising leadership. She writes that “The few names and minimal descriptions are likely only the tip of the iceberg. Instead of dismissing these names as irrelevant or trivial or exceptional examples of minor roles, it seems more appropriate to see these names of representatives of a large iceberg below the surface, women who were active in the early church as leaders, as apostles, ministers, benefactors, and teachers” (p. 118).

                While many mainline churches have taken down many of the barriers to the full participation of women in the life of the church, challenges remain. So, the question is, how does the church embrace all the gifts of God's people? With that question in mind, in bringing her book to a close, Japinga observes that "to invite women to roles of preacher, teacher, worship leader, administrator, and counselor does not necessarily denigrate these other roles [the traditional roles women have taken up], and yet it has often been viewed that way. All gifts are important and they do not need to be gendered." (p. 120).

                From Daughters to Disciples is a relatively brief book that invites us to dive deeper into the stories recorded about the women who populate the New Testament. Some of these women are named, others are not, but whether named or not they are important contributors to the launching of the Christian movement. Since the book is designed to be used in small group discussions, a discussion guide is provided by Mark Price, who created a study guide for the earlier book as well. There are eight sessions linked to each of the eight chapters. While for some of us the information found here is not new, it is still useful for a conversation that can expand our understanding of the whole people of God.