What are we to make of a woman whom Jesus gently heals, taking her hand, lifting her up from her bed, freed from her fever, and who then turns around and starts making a meal for Jesus and his disciples? Given Mark's tendency to distill his narratives, as if he is in a hurry and only has time to write down the most important points, it is possible that he is seeking to convey that when we are healed and freed, our natural impulse is to express our relief and joy by showing care for those around us.

There have been many important discussions about how this gospel passage relates to sexist cultures, including Simon's mother-in-law's culture and ours. As Professor Matt Skinner shows, we can learn much from our conversations about such daily injustices, which remain open for exploration and transformation to this day.

Yet Dr. Skinner also offers some further possibilites for us to consider about the life of Simon's mother-in--law, whose name is not mentioned in the gospel text: "Those looking for possibilities in the biblical material itself might jump ahead to Mark 15:40-41. There, as Jesus’ corpse hangs from a Roman cross, Mark finally lets us in on the secret that the crowd of Jesus’ regular disciples includes more than twelve men.

We learn there about a group of women who watched Jesus’ execution 'from a distance' while all the rest of Jesus’ followers had fled at his arrest (14:50) and Simon was last seen weeping in a courtyard (14:72).

Not all of these women are named, so we know little about them. Still, we learn that they 'provided for [Jesus] when he was in Galilee.' The verb the NRSV translates as 'provided for' in 15:41? It’s diakoneo. Maybe Simon’s mother-in-law is among the serving women who observe the crucifixion."

Professor Skinner then opens the potential horizons of this gospel story further:

"If she’s among them, then she’s more than a cook, waiter, and dishwasher. She’s also a follower.

If she’s a follower, ...then she’s also a disciple.

If she’s a disciple, then to her 'has been given the secret of the kingdom of God' (Mark 4:11)."

Amen, and thank you, Professor Skinner! These possibilities encourage us not to discount ourselves as "mere" followers--in this expansive view, there is no such thing! If we see ourselves as belonging to this world of rich potential, we can understand ourselves not only as helpers, which is vital for flourishing communities, but as theologians, too.

Dr. Matt Skinner is Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His fuller commentary on this gospel passage, from 2015, can be found at WorkingPreacher.org.