GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 6:44
Women Count, Too, Mark
Of the remarkable women of history—and certainly of the United States—Abigail Adams holds a high rank. She was a prolific writer, an astute political thinker, and an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and education. Born on November 22, 1744, into a well-read family, she didn’t receive a formal education because she was a girl, but she read voraciously. She married John in 1764, and their marriage was much more of a partnership than was typical for marriages of the era. While John was often away, Abigail profitably managed the family farm and raised their children. While John was in Philadelphia attending the Constitutional Convention, she wrote to him, “Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.” She also warned him: “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion.” What is more, she wrote, “I am more and more convinced that man is a dangerous creature, and that power, whether vested in many or few, is ever grasping.”
After the huge crowd described by Mark ate and were satisfied, the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of remnants. Then Mark said, “And those eating the loaves were five thousand men.” (Mark 6:44) If, as many think, Mark received his information about this event from Peter, his mentor, it might be surprising that Peter, a married man, did not mention that there were others present besides men. Matthew filled in this oversight when he wrote, “The number who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (Matthew 14:21)
This is not a criticism of Mark, for he was writing around 65-70 A.D., and in the convention of the time, women were often not mentioned in narratives. There is no reason to think that Mark was a misogynist, for he did describe the role many women played in Jesus’ ministry—Simon’s mother-in-law, the bleeding woman, Jairus’ daughter, the woman who anointed Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Salome (who accompanied Mary Magdalene and Mary (the mother of James) to the tomb), and others. It is quite likely that if Mark were writing about the giant feast today, though, someone would say, “Women count, too, Mark.”
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