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