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Contextual Approaches Assignment

The Female Reader of the Parables of the Lost

In this article, Durber basis her concern on the sexist view of the parables of the lost. She

is more concerned about how a woman feels when reading messages that are constructed for the

male audience. Durber aims at establishing the reasons why this phenomenon escapes without

any realizations and what the consequences would be if women read the messages. She states

that the bible has some feminist approaches, which indicates a point at which they were

unjustifiably sexist. However, there is a hint for the liberation of women and an element of

necessary elimination of women oppression. For example, Jesus showed a very kind attitude to

women not only by them as his disciples but also through entrusting them with the fantastic news

of his resurrection (Durber, 59).

Durber identifies an earlier feminist approach and criticism that concerns itself with

investigating the reflective sexism of texts generated by men within the patriarchal societies

(Durber, 61). Women are consistently taken as men's sexual property, are abused and raped, sold

as slaves and despised. The parables of the lost reflect the power relations in a patriarchy where

the interests of women are ignored and subjected to insubordination to those of men. The woman

is represented as a domestic object who is stressed over the loss of a single coin while the men

are portrayed to control a substantial piece of property. In the parable of the prodigal son, men

are represented to own and rule over significant features which they pass to their sons.r
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The three parables originate from a man, Jesus, and are continually told in the context of

patriarchal societies. The parable of the lost son indicates the exclusion of women through the

absence of the mother and the sisters, while those indicated are referred to as whores to satisfy

man’s desires. The parables in Luke 15, therefore, construct their readers as male while their

texts offer a narrative pleasure to men (Durber, 77). Women readers are therefore accustomed to

reading these texts from a male point of view while it inherently leads to a division amongst

themselves.

Many Tongues, Many Senses: Pentecost, the Body Politic, and the Redemption of

Dis/Ability

In his article, Yong outlines the reasons for the lack of interrelationship between disability

studies and Pentecostal studies. Disability studies derive its motivation from the socio-political

agenda, which is directed towards the mainstream of the society (Yong, 169). Therefore, by

supporting the socio-political perspective, the Pentecostal Movement would be seen to be

diverting from its goal of disability scholarship. Also, the Pentecostal Movement's emphasis on

healing is offensive and counterproductive to scholars with disabilities and do not consider it as a

problem to be resolved. Hence, Pentecostal Studies is focused on legitimizing the idea of healing

rather than finding out how such beliefs give rise to the oppressive status quo.

Yong desires to see how Zaccheus and Ethiopian Eunuch accounts might provide new

insight for Pentecostal studies of disability by looking at Luke’s gospel. He further expounds that

eunuchs are disabled because, traditionally castrated males were considered as people with

physical, sensorial and functional disabilities (Yong, 173). He proposed that people with

stigmatized figures should be taken for granted in the theological field. Disability and

Pentecostal studies are integrated by the annunciation of the arrival of salvation to Zaccheus
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household. The baptism of the eunuch without any reversal of their impairments also symbolizes

the element of service (Yong, 174).

Yong investigates the importance of both seeing and hearing as vital to Luke’s theology.

From a disability point of view, the pairing of hearing and seeing is very crucial. He includes

somatic sensory capacities that have implications for dealing with a broader variety of

disabilities than deafness and blindness (Yong, 180). The church should encourage people with

multiple sensory impairments to be different and creatively consider how the Holy Spirit might

empower interactions that include the blind, deaf, blind and deaf, and sense-impaired.

Sin, sickness, and salvation from Nazareth to Lake Wobegone.

Schoessow highlights how Jesus walked among the people and the words he spoke to the

public in the Lake of Wobegone. The spirit of the Lord was on Jesus because God had anointed

Him to spread the good news to the poor through preaching (Schoessow, 5). The author outlines

how Jesus healed the mother in law of Peter from a high fever by scolding the illness to leave the

mother. He describes how Jesus spread the good news to Capernaum. Jesus healed had leprosy

by stretching out his hand and touching him. The disease left the man straightaway (Schoessow,

6).

Individuals wishing to accomplish the tasks assigned to them by God must restore their

lives. Jesus restored the life of Levi, who was a tax collector. Jesus forgave his sins since God

had appointed him as a gospel writer (Schoessow, 7). Jesus entered the city of Nain and found a

woman whose son was being taken to the cemetery for the burial ceremony. Jesus performed a

miracle by touching the bier and made the unclean clean. The young man was commanded to

arise, and he appeared. Schoessow discloses how pastors are expected to care for sick members.

He further explains how the church should take care of the sick through giving sacraments of the
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dying, anointing of oil and praying (Schoessow, 11). He provides care to the role of the pastors

on the lives of the sick people by visiting them.

Sacraments are medicines for the sick because it allows the reunion of flesh and blood of

the Lord. Therefore, the visitation of the pastor in which he brings the sacrament in times of

sickness is quite beneficial. It is during this time that the Lord manifests Himself to the sick,

provide for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation (Schoessow, 11). Pastors are fundamental

during human sufferings because they bring the ultimate solution to tolerate against physical and

spiritual death. Schoessow explains how capable pastors are when faced with human sufferings

(Schoessow, 12).

Critical Evaluation and Conclusion

Patriarchy is a dominant source of gender bias, which puts the man above the woman in

all the endeavours. The Bible Parables of the lost are a clear indication of the existence of

patriarchy. Women are in ruled out and excluded in the characters and readers of the bible. It

brings about confusion to the women on whether to base their understanding as men or women.

However, we should understand that there are no changes that we can make in the bible because

there are resultant issues that will require to be solved.

Disability is not inability. Therefore, where people can accept their limitations, the

church should be able to pave room to accommodate the disabled in society. Just as Jesus

received sinners and the disabled, Christians are expected to take everyone without demanding

any changes in the people. Through the Holy Spirit who declares beautiful works of God by

manifesting the different tongues to the people, Christians should pave room for people with

disabilities in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we should understand that what is
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impossible for people is possible for God and so God can redeem disability in ways that redeem

us all.

The article Sin, sickness and salvation from Nazareth to Lake Wobegone provide factual

information based on the miracles performed by Jesus. The central insight of the article is on the

pastors who play a role to deal with human suffering. This article provides a summary of the way

to help those who are suffering. In a world full of diseases, it is very encouraging to understand

that even the bible provides for the consolation and support for the sick. Despite the sinful nature

of human creation, I know that there is a chance for redemption through the sacrament. Pastors

provide the redemption opportunity to afflicted and suffering members of the congregation.
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Works Cited

Durber, S., 1992. The Female Reader of the Parables Of The Lost. JSNT, 45, pp. 59-78.

Schoessow, D. G., n.d. Sin, Sickness, and Salvation from Nazareth to Lake Wobegone, pp. 5-12.

Yong, A., 2009. Many Tongues, Many Senses: Pentecost, the Body Politic, and the Redemption

of Dis/Ability. Pneuma, 31, pp. 168-188.