- RSS FeedSubscribe
- « Previous PostHow to Begin a Commentary Collection
- Next Post »Memoirs - Scotland (1988)
Quote - Glorious Submission
- 07/05/08
- 6
Here is yet another little quote drawn from that great big book I’ve been reading. In his Old Testament Theology, Bruce Waltke is careful to prove that gender roles and differences are rooted not in society and culture but in creation. He shows that, though men and women have been created equal, man was to take the leadership role in family and in the church. This is not a result of the fall into sin but a part of the created order. This brief quote stood out to me as an example of godly submission and one that is, of course, exceedingly counter-cultural. Here we see submission not as suffering but as a glorious and meaningful expression of faith.
Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement that she would be with child, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said,” models for Christian women an obedience she offers out of her freedom, her independence, and her thoughtful commitment so that her submission is meaningful and glorious, not a passive resignation to her fate.
May we all learn from Mary’s example and submit well to those God has placed over us.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
Releasing on April 1, The Next
Published in 2008, this book
This is a guide that calls men,
This review of the bestselling
New to the site? You can get
This is a guide written
Comments (6)
This point is made all the more strongly by contrasting Mary’s response to Zachariah’s. He responds to the angel in doubt, Mary, with all the more human reason to doubt, responds in the submissive faith you reference. Waltke’s book is a treasure.
I like how the Eastern Orthodox church uses Mary as an example for all believers as the ideal Christian, not as the ideal picture of submission for women.
Mary’s not a very good example for female submission to men, in my opinion, because in agreeing to God’s plan, she forgot to go to her male “head” to ask for permission first. Mary, in essense, rebelled against the patriarchal norms of her day (and against the modern complementarian ideals of groups like CBMW, too). She made major plans for her family and pretty much ruined whatever Joseph’s dreams were in the process. So much for the man having the vision and the woman following. So much for the man being the one God said was the leader and the woman helping him. Seems like God thought Mary was capable of making a huge family-and-life altering decision WITHOUT bringing her “leader” into it until He absolutely had to. God either broke His rules for male leadership, or those aren’t His rules.
As a woman (for whom a hard-comp “submission” sure felt a lot more like oppression, despite the fact that I “submitted well”), I like Mary a whole lot. :) Mary is one of the many women in the Bible that God used to set me free and show me that submission is what God’s people do, not just the women.
God that is the creator of all things orderly and has designed the roles of headship and subordination in his wisdom. No command of God is demeaning to one’s personhood, but by contras,t it is obedience that establishes dignity. And it is pride that would have us believe otherwise. TThat is a good quote. Thank you for it.
I think the best thing to do with Mary’s response to the angel is not to point out her unsubmissiveness (if thats a word) but to point out the incredible faith with which she believed the angel.
I had never thought of Mary’s response in that way before. She truly can be looked at as an example for women. As well as an example for all men in her faithfullness. God’s design for the family is perfect, all couples should start there marrage with Ephesians 5:22-25, 28, 33.
People in the church today have a big time problem with submitting. Children to parents, wives to husbands, and the congregation to the elders.Authority is to be questioned for sure, but then after the questioning, it needs to submitted to; and only compassionate and godly authority should rule a church & home.
“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17
Have a blessed Lord’s Day. All glory to Christ, and to His Cross.