I like reflecting on Christianity, especially at Christmas time. It really is one of our major festivals.

Today’s post, therefore, is somewhat jarring, and comes from a small section of Matthew’s gospel:

Then what was said through the prophet, Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

You’re probably thinking at this point: “That’s not just a minor character. That’s a little bit random.”

And I will accept that.

However, today I’m focusing on Rachel, who is found right back near the start of The Bible. Many people would know of Abraham, the forefather of the Jewish nation, and perhaps know his wife Sarah. Yet, there are others who should be considered in the history of Israel.

You may know the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But what about the matriarchs? Sarah, Rebekah and… yeah, this is where it gets a little complicated…

At my church we’ve been looking at Genesis in the lead up to Christmas. After we had the sermon on Jacob and how his progeny came about, I commented to someone after church how all the through the sermon I’d been thinking “Wow. This guy’s really living his best life, isn’t it?”

He practically has four women alternating between throwing themselves into bed with him.

It’s a pregnancy thing.

Anyhow, one of those women, is Rachel. And she’s the one he really loves. She is the matriarch referred to in Jeremiah’s prophecy.

But here she is in tears. Her tears are in response to Herod’s slaughtering of innocent children:

…he gave orders for all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

It’s horrific.

And yet there’s something beautiful about the fact that The Bible doesn’t fail to include a passage about a mother crying for her lost children. Rachel, here, represents all the mothers of Israel who have lost their sons.

I know many people think The Bible is sexist, but here is an example of where it is not.

There is a song many a child from yesteryear – including myself – has sung at church about Father Abraham having many sons. That song, whilst enjoyable to sing as a child, doesn’t acknowledge the matriarchs.

If you look a little closer than you might have previously in the New Testament, you might just find the matriarchs do actually get a mention here and there. For Jews, who supposedly didn’t consider women highly at all, this is notable.

The song, Father Abraham, was apparently first performed in 1971 and was written by a Dutch guy, who actually looked somewhat like what we imagine Abraham himself did.

I’m not saying we need to write a song about Sarah or Rachel. But if you do write one about Rachel, and use Matthew 2, I think you’ll need a viola.

Just my 2c.

The point I want us to actually note is that, at times, the ancients paid attention to women perhaps more than we modern ‘progressives’ do.

Just my 2c.

Yours with just a thought,

Alison