Brown Mother Jesus
Brown Mother Jesus
by Minjoo Bayers
(Korean American woman from South Korea and New York, psychotherapist, theologian, dear friend, advocate, speaker, and author)
AUDIO BLOG: https://los-cazados.simplecast.com/episodes/brown-mother-jesus-by-minjoo-bayers
Brown Mother Jesus
You washed their feet
Like a mother bathes her baby
You fed your loved ones
Like a good mama or nana
Brown Mother Jesus
You bled and hurt
Like a girl on her period
You bled in public
Wearing shame
Like any woman
in this patriarchal mire
You bled and suffered
Like a mama giving birth
Brown Mother Jesus
We eat your body
And drink your blood
Like babies in the womb
And breastfeeding newborns
Brown Mother Jesus
You hold and cradle
Like a loving first time mama
You bleed with us
You feed us
Brown Mother Jesus
We may never fully grasp the level of humiliation for a Jewish man to be naked and bleeding in public. By starting to see this part of Jesus’ sacrifice as a way that Jesus can relate to girls and women bleeding during menstruation, childbirth, and miscarriages, I started to see how much Jesus was like a mother.
An unborn baby receives nutrition and oxygen from the mother’s blood. After birth, a baby often receives nutrition through their mother’s breasts. Consuming Jesus’ blood and body relate so much to how a mother feeds her baby. Jesus also washed his disciples’ feet and fed people (on multiple occasions). These are all motherly acts.
Bible verses that inspired the poem:
Jesus washes his disciples’ feet: John 13:1-20
Jesus feeds people: Matthew 14:13-21, 15:32-39; Mark 6:30-44, 8:1-9; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15
The Last Supper/Communion/Jesus is the Bread of Life: Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39; John 6:25-59
Jesus’ Crucifixion, shame, humiliation: Matthew 27:27-56 (v55-56 a footnote about women*); Mark 15:16-41 (v40,41 a footnote about women*); Luke 23:26-49 (v27-31 interesting verses about Jesus talking to women. V29 almost seems like Jesus is comparing his suffering with giving birth and breastfeeding); John 19:16-30
Bleeding specifically mentioned: John 19:31-37
*The writers may note women mostly in footnotes, but it seems Jesus honors women and our pain.
AUDIO LINK: https://los-cazados.simplecast.com/episodes/brown-mother-jesus-by-minjoo-bayers