Proverbs 31:10-31 paints a picture of a woman who embodies authentic, practical wisdom. We would say a woman, who can do it all from A to Z. It is the only acrostic poem found in the Proverbs of Solomon. The acrostic nature is lost when translated, yet it retains the honor intended. The poem links Solomon’s major themes in the book, the preciousness of wisdom and the difficulty of obtaining it, the fear and reverence of the Lord. This ancient ode to women expresses what we all eventually come to know about our wives, daughters, mothers, sisters or aunts. Strong women are not a fluke; Strong women are the essential portrayal of wisdom. As Shania Twain paraphrased Solomon twenty-nine hundred years later, “She’s, not, just a pretty face / She’s, got, everything it takes.”

Solomon’s portrayal of women with such esteem was quite extraordinary for the era. Offering thanks to G_d for not making them a woman, was a common prayer among Jewish men in antiquity: “Blessed are you, Lord our G_d, Ruler of the Universe, who has not made me a woman.” Women were viewed as wonderful and necessary, but far from equal to men. Looking at the strong, wise women in my life, I begin to understand that ancient prayer differently, knowing full well that I cannot begin to approach all the amazing things that the women around me seem to do daily with grace and ease. The majority of women that I know present wisdom and their lives as Saint James suggested, “pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.”

Jesus and the twelve return to Caper′na-um, where he asks them what they discussed on the journey passing through Galilee. The disciples did not want to share their conversations with the teacher because the exchange was self-centered: who among them was the greatest disciple of the Messiah. Humans will celebrate winners, looking favorably on who comes in first. Yet, none may gain the kingdom of G_d by approaching the throne with the most trophies, property, or wealth. A priest friend once told me, “Shrouds do not have pockets.” Your life may not be grand or celebrated here, but angels and archangels will be whooping it up in heaven with every breath you take.

Jesus gathers the twelve to give them guidance on how to rise to the level of greatness that they desire. Jesus knows that there is a human tendency towards envy and ambition, so he directs their focus on the wisdom to become number one from G_d’s viewpoint, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Humans idolize beauty, ideology, lust, power, wealth, or other images of a winner. Jesus knows that the presence of a person focused on the divine threatens those obsessions.

The righteous and wise person presents a Divine alternative, a challenge to the values which manmade winners have professed as fundamental to a fulfilled life. Praying often, with uplifted hands and having a childlike trust in G_d, is a shield from the attractive earthly influences which will divert attention away from the Divine. The servant of all, like the woman in Solomon’s poem, is a testament of a life well lived. The servant and the servant leader who wishes to be first, displays only the trophies of attending to the Gifts, the Grace, and the Will of G_d.

Pax,
jbt