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IQRA JOURNAL: Theological and Religious Studies
Volume: 3 Issue: 5 July 2023
www.iqrajournal.net
LUCAN “CONTEXT”
διακονέω
? EXAMINING THE SERVANTHOOD IN
LIGHT OF WESLEYAN DEACONESS ORDER
Honor Sewapo,
PhD, Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts,
University of Nigeria
Abstract
Servanthood, an attitude exemplified by Jesus Christ, is central to the New Testament,
including Lucan accounts. Servanthood has been given a wide range of interpretations as Luke
discusses it to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. However, there is a dearth of literature on the
context of Luke with the term διακονέω that appears only once in the Gospels, Luke 10:40 and
how women are called to be servants for the glory of God. The paper, therefore, examines
servanthood from διακονέω and its cognates in Lucan context. This is with a view to enabling
Wesleyan Deaconess Order to better serve those above and below them by giving the Gospel
and becoming imitators of Jesus Christ. The paper adopts Fuch's theory of the New
Hermeneutic as the framework. It reveals that servanthood is Christ’s mandate for his
followers, especially Deaconesses' functions in the Church of Christ: charitable activity, the
proclamation of the Word, and the task of leadership. It recommends that the Wesleyan
Deaconess Order, which is a legitimate development of theology and upholds the threefold
ministry of servanthood, namely service, office and ministry, should express the pattern in
Christ as enshrined in Luke 10:40.
Keywords: Servanthood, Wesleyan Deaconess Order, διακονέω, Lucan Women.
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Introduction
ἡ δὲ Μάρθα <εριεσ<ᾶτο <ερὶ <ολλὴν διακονίαν·
But Martha was distracted with much serving;
ἐ<ιστᾶσα δὲ εἶ<εν,
and she went to him and said,
κύριε, οὐ µέλει σοι ὅτι ἡ ἀδελφή µου µόνην µε κατέλι<εν διακονεῖν;
"Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
εἰ<ὲ οὖν αὐτῇ ἵνα µοι συναντιλάβηται.
Tell her then to help me." (Luke 10:40)
The abovementioned passage refers to Martha’s attitude towards her sister,
Mary, when Jesus came to their home in Bethany, a village on the outskirts of
Jerusalem (John 11:1). Martha was determined to provide the best possible hospitality
for their distinguished guest and wanted Jesus to encourage Mary in her failure of
hostess duties to help with the serving. Servanthood, service given in love, is intrinsic
in Lucan accounts. It is the very essence of the activities of the verb διακονέω that are
expressed abstractly with the noun διάκονος, denoting “service, office,” which appears
only once in the Gospels, Luke 10:40 and eight times in the Acts. The term διάκονος,
which denotes servant, is the one who executes the activities designated by διακονέω.
The word διάκονος often perceives as a female Deacon, also known as
Deaconess, has a broader meaning. Deaconess could be defined as “One who waits on
the tables.” The Harper’s Bible Dictionary puts it this way: “Deaconess and
Deaconesses are persons who attended to church charities people of character and
common sense.”
1
The 1990 Constitution of the Methodist Church Nigeria, section 28,
sub-section ii states that
Deaconesses are "women workers of requisite spiritual and intellectual calibre –
who, after three years of training, are admitted by the approval of Conference
into the order. Deaconesses shall serve in any capacity according to their category
as the conference may deem fit.
2
Deaconess has no certain description of office in the New Testament
(Philippians 1:1 and in 1Timothy 3:8-13). But the significance of the title, pointing to
service in distinction from the work of ruling. Entrusted to the elders or bishops,
implies that they would have the care of the poor, “Serving table” like the “Seven.”
Earlier than this, Phoebe of Cencreae is called a “Servant of the Church whose works
would be care of the sick and strangers” (Romans 16:1). The word “Deaconess” refers
to the highest tribute to the servicewomen rendered in the early Church. It is
unfortunate that in contemporary society some Deaconesses have resolved only to
process and recess in every church service, thereby ignoring their social ministry.
While some hardly see men asking their hands in marriage, others have entered into a
questionable relationship with their male ministers/Priests and so forgetting that
Phoebe and Apostle Paul, Shovel ton and Revd. Mellor worked together without erotic
motion. For some others, their church denominations have misconstrued the essence of
1
P. J. Achtemeier. Harper’s Bible Dictionary. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 1985.
2
Methodist Church Nigeria Constitution 1990. Ibadan: Oluseyi Press Ltd., 1990, p. 12.
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their servanthood to the glory of God. These and many other challenges confronting
contemporary Deaconess Order. As a corollary to these challenges, many women that
have such a calling are either discouraged to join the vocation or misled into the
priestly ministry, thereby failing to exhibit their “ordained” servanthood. The
questions arising from the above submission are as follows. How have Martha and
Mary exhibited their servanthood in the selected biblical passage? In what ways have
Luke deployed the διακ-stem to explicate Christian servanthood with emphasis on
women servanthood in his accounts? Is Wesleyan Deaconess Order a legitimate
development of theology? In what ways can the exegesis of διακονέω in Luke 10:40
serve as a catalyst to enabling women that have a calling into Deaconess Order to move
into the vocation without guilt? To attempt to these questions, the paper adopts Fuch’s
New Hermeneutic Theory, which posits that the text is not just the servant that
transmits kerygmatic formulations, but rather a master that directs us into the
language context of our existence.
3
And it is in the light of those questions that the
paper receives a profound significance.
Luke and Women Servanthood
Luke, the Physician, by nation a Syrian of Antioch
4
, a companion of Apostle
Paul wrote the gospel ascribed to him and its second volume, the Acts of the Apostles
in the region of Achaia and Boetia. Luke's authorship of Acts is ascertained in the use
of the first-person plural pronouns in some narratives in Acts. These passages are
referred to as the "we sections," (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16).
5
Shreds of
evidence abound from the abovementioned passages in Acts and from some Church
Fathers (Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (c. 185 CE), Tertullian, Origen, and Clement of
Alexandria) and some other documents (the Muratorian Canon, the Anti-Marcionite
prologue) that Luke is the companion of Paul.
6
Luke as a friend of women has never been challenged until recently when some
feminist theologians drew attention to what is termed Luke’s “androcentric” bias.
7
In
their opinion, Luke presents women as passive recipients of Jesus' teaching and are
portrayed as objects of healing. They are voiceless learners but they exhibit some
feminine traits, that is, they are quiet, always grateful and they are prayerful. These are
attitudes suitable to support the headship of a male.
Women should not be seen as passive individuals to be compared to the
depiction of men and women in the Gospel of Luke. While thirty-nine men were
named in Luke, only ten women were so favoured, except for the seventy-six in the
genealogy. Also, in the teaching of Jesus women were mentioned eighteen times and
men one hundred and fifty-eight times. Women spoke fifteen times in Luke and only
3
E. Fuchs. Hermeneutik. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1970, p. 211.
4
D. E. Hiebert. An Introduction to the New Testament – The Gospels and Acts, Vol. 1. Chicago: Moody Press,
2003, p. 126. Eusebius and Jerome likewise named Antioch of Syria as their place of residence. In some
passages, Luke reveals a deep interest in that city: Acts 11:19-30; 13:1; 14:26-28; 15:22, 30-35; 18:22). Luke
himself mentioned a deacon whose place of origin was Antioch: Nicolas in Acts 6:5. This supposition
might be right because of the status of Antioch in the spread of Christianity, and records of detailed
touches that indicate a personal familiarity with the place validate this claim.
5
R. C. Tannehill. Luke. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996, p. 2.
6
D. Guthrie. New Testament Introduction. England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1990, pp. 99 ff.
7
M. E. Hunt. "Androcentrism" in Dictionary of Feminist Theologies, eds. Letty M. Russell & Clarkson
Shannon. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996, p. 7.
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ten instances were their words given. Corroborating this view, Ringe adds that Luke’s
Gospel legitimises male dominance rather than standing as a manifesto for women in
leadership roles. She contends that women in Lucan narratives serve on the margins
and are thus deprived of places of responsibility and leadership in the community that
formed around Jesus.
These submissions are sound, but not without some criticisms from certain
scholars who formed a contrary opinion. These contend that Luke has no bias against
women as he records a great deal of material about women that could not be found
elsewhere in the other Gospels. Fitzmeyer opines that one of Luke’s compositional
characteristics is to pair stories about men and women. This he calls “step
parallelism”.
8
What this implies is that both received equal recognition and status in
Luke’s narratives. Turid Seim buttresses this fact as he notes that this gender-pairing
order seems unimportant, as Luke does not give one gender literary precedence over
the other.
9
We agree with these latter views. A thorough analysis of Luke’s work
reveals that both males and females were objects of healing, both were learners from
Jesus and at no time were women discriminated against by Jesus. Similarly, only Luke
places women in the larger company of all of Jesus’ acquaintances. It is apparent that
Luke had a special interest in women, and this has been regarded as one of his major
characteristics.
10
His special interest and love for women may account for the
suggestion that Luke was probably a woman whose identity was disguised by the
latter church.
11
This view cannot hold, as it is glaring that the writing was from a male's
perspective. The notion that women are passive and quiet cannot also be accepted.
Women served Jesus during his earthly ministry and their ability to remember what
He had told them during this period concerning his death and resurrection led to an
event, which turned the mourning over his death to the joy of Easter. Despite their
being marginalised, they participated actively as witnesses to the Easter event. They
were prominent in the birth narratives, they exhibited attitudes of true disciples, some
of them were missionaries with Jesus, and they were involved in prophetic ministry
and were models of repentance and total surrender of all to Jesus. These confirmed the
positive portrayal and service of women in Luke’s Gospel and that he was indeed a
friend of women. Therefore, Lucan accounts on women, especially διακονέω could be
relied on and adjudged reliable manuscripts in comparison with their contemporaries.
An Overview of Martha and Mary as a “Model” of Women Servanthood
Mary and Martha have been regarded as the most important and prominent
women in the life of Jesus apart from His mother.
12
The evidence lies in the Gospel
accounts of how the two featured in His life, (John 11:1-44; 2:1-11). These two women
are best known for their hospitality and love for Jesus and the disciples.
8
J. A. Fitzmyer. The Gospel According to Luke, Vol. 1. New York: Doubleday, 1985.
9
T. Seim. The Gospel of Luke. Searching the Scriptures, Vol. 2. Elisabeth S. Fiorenza. (Ed.). New York: Cross
Road, 1994.
10
L. E. Porter. Women’s Vision in Western Literature: The Empathic Community. Oxford: Praeger, 2005, p.
1182-1228.
11
S. Ringe. Luke. Westminster Bible Companion. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995,
p. 11.
12
O. O. Olajutan. "The role of women in the New Testament as service to humanity" in Religion and service
to humanity, ed. A. Odumuyiwa & M.A. Opeloye. Publication of NASR, 1993, pp. 139-145.
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Luke reports that Jesus entered an unnamed village. Some commentators
believed that it must have been Bethany.
13
He was received into Martha’s house in the
village. Luke says that Martha had a sister named Mary. According to John's Gospel,
they were the sisters of Lazarus, who lived in Bethany (John 11: 12-18) There is no
further information in Luke other than that he mentioned that Jesus came “into
Martha’s house.” Fiorenza notes that Martha may be one of the numbers of relatively
well-off and independent women who kept their own house and placed it at the
disposition of the community and of itinerant preachers.
14
This is a conceivable opinion
(cf. Acts. 16: 11-15). Luke may not be aware of the existence of Lazarus; hence there is
no mention of his name in this episode.
15
The Lucan and Johannine accounts share some similarities in the ways these
sisters are portrayed. In both gospels, Mary is described as the sister of Martha. Martha
is the dominant figure in both and she initiates the approach to Jesus in both gospels.
She does the talking in the two accounts (Luke 10:40; John 12:2); she serves at dinner in
John, and in Luke, she is said to be busy about serving.
Luke presents Mary as Martha’s sister (Luke 10:39). The account goes further,
“she sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching” (Revised Standard Version),
while the New Testament in Modem English says, “who settled down at the Lord’s feet
and was listening to what He said.”
16
Sitting at the feet of or “to sit beside” connotes
the posture of a disciple.
17
Thus here, the implication is that Mary, as a disciple
assumes her position at the feet of a teacher in the manner of Paul who sat at the feet of
Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) as a disciple.
18
Parvey also believes that Mary assumes a disciple’s
posture, a posture that expresses the zeal to learn and which is typical of the picture of
a pupil receiving instruction from a teacher.
19
It is significant that Jesus, unlike the Jewish rabbis of his days encouraged a
woman to sit at His feet. This is an extraordinary feature as the disciple here is a
woman. With this, Jesus shows that a woman is qualified for theological training and
that a woman's work is not confined to the kitchen.
Luke 10:48 confines Martha to the role of providing hospitality for guests and
this is always regarded as a woman's duty. Luke describes it as “distracted with much
serving.” This led to Martha’s fretting request for the release of Mary to participate in
the work. This verse presents Martha’s dilemma as being torn between being
hospitable and the lure of listening to and joining the substantive conversation of their
guest. Tension was mounting within her. She displays her distress when she vents her
feelings by accusing Jesus of not caring about the negligence of Mary to help her.
13
Laurence Porter, "Luke," p. 999.
14
E.S. Fiorenza. But She Said: Feminist Practices of Biblical Interpretation. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993, p. 745.
15
S. Ringe. Luke. Westminster Bible Companion. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995,
p. 161.
16
C. Vaughan (gen. ed.). The New Testament from twenty-six translations. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan House, 2017.
17
J. Fitzmyer. The Gospel According to Luke, Vol.1. New York: Doubleday, 1981, p. 893. Cf. H. Marshall.
Luke: Historian and Theologian. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan House, 1970, p. 452.
18
H. I. Marshall. Luke: Historian and Theologian. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan House, 2006, p. 452.
19
K. Weiss. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 1. Kittel, G and G. Friedrich. (Eds.), Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1977, p. 630.
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Nevertheless, she showed her willingness to serve Jesus even as it meant assuming a
servant’s role.
20
To Martha, Jesus’ response in vv. 41-42 was unexpected. Jesus’ remarks are
neither an attempt to devalue Martha’s efforts at hospitality nor an attempt to attack a
woman’s traditional role. Rather. Jesus defends Mary’s right to learn from Him and
says this is a crucial thing for those who wish to serve him. The actions of Mary were
not repulsive to Jesus because listening could precede action. In addition, Jesus makes
it clear for women as well as men that one's primary task is to be a proper disciple, and
only in that context can one be a proper hostess.
This implies that gender is not a
hindrance to becoming a disciple and it is in hearing the words from the Master that a
disciple can be active in the ministry. Carter notes that Jesus' intention here is to help
Martha to understand ministry as a partnership, and Luke portrays this in the
account
21
. These views emphasise the concept of διακονία, “service,” as an act of
participation with others in ministry on behalf of either the community or the
individual. Both are involved in ministry but in different modes. In this sense, Jesus
did not condemn Martha by comparison; rather he comments that “Mary has chosen a
good portion and not the better”
22
. Contrary to the opinion that Jesus’ remarks affect
only Martha, she is described as being distracted from Jesus who Himself is the source
of Christian ministry. It is observed that Mary also has a portion, which implies that
she must also be a “doer” and not the “hearer” of the word. Thus for Mary, it is not
enough to hear the Word of God; one must do it. Mary’s listening is good, but she must
do, like Martha. This confirms the principle of partnership in ministry.
D'Angelo agrees with Carter’s opinion that the sisters were one of a series of
pairs of women ministers in the New Testament
23
. She opines that the addition of
“also” in verse 39 indicates that both are Jesus' students. Sharon Ringe offers an
entirely different opinion on this story. She retorts that the story is a sad one for
women. In her opinion, Martha, who welcomes Jesus and expends considerable energy
in providing hospitality for him and those travelling with him is referred to as being
“distracted and worried.” Jesus’ remark to Martha is too brusque. Instead of receiving
a blessing, as someone being hospitable, she receives a scolding. She reasons further
that the fact that Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet as a silent listener portrays her as
inactive and that, unlike the male disciples who were given the commission to preach,
Mary was not given such an injunction. This interpretation is probably superfluous
and accepting it could also lead to reading into the text what the writer does not
intend. In no way did Jesus condemn either of the sisters’ services. The passage does
not describe a conflict between housework and headwork. The passage rather depicts
strong bases for women’s learning and working in the church. Rather than creating an
unhealthy rivalry or comparison between the two sisters, Jesus defended one, Mary,
and did not deprecate Martha. In like manner, Mary could not be regarded as passive
as the scene itself suggests. This is because she took a bold step in leaving her expected
hostess duties of preparing and serving dinner to listen to Jesus. This story is probably
20
This is because, in the Jewish context, women were not allowed to serve meals if there were men in
attendance unless there were no servants to be engaged.
21
W. Carter. "Getting Martha out of the kitchen," Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 58 (1996), pp. 164-280.
22
L. E. Porter. Women’s Vision in Western Literature: The Empathic Community. Oxford: Praeger, 2005, p.
1206.
23
R. D'Angelo. "Women partners in the New Testament," Journal of Feminist Studies of Religion, 6 (1990), pp.
65-86.
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a defence for women’s freedom. Mary’s role of discipleship and Martha’s hospitality
are equally important.
In addition, Jesus’ action is similarly worthwhile as he broke with the tradition
which forbade a Rabbi from interacting with women who were not his relatives. By
teaching Mary, Jesus performed what was not expected of a Jew. Jesus recognised their
services in the home and the Christian community. Evans rightly says that Jesus
related to Mary in a teacher-disciple relationship and, by defending Mary’s right to a
role than commonly denied a Jewess; Jesus was following a far-reaching principle of
human liberation.
24
Exegesis
The selected biblical passage abovementioned indicates two different usages of
the διακ- stem. First, it was employed as a noun, διακονίαν, accusative feminine
singular of διακονία, connoting “service, office, ministry;” and second, as a verb,
διακονεῖν, infinitive present active of διακονέω, meaning "to wait on someone at the
table, serve” and in a broader sense “to serve as a deacon."
The original frame of reference for the use of the entire word group of the διακ-
stem in secular Greek was that of table service. The basic meaning of the verb
διακονέω, correspondingly, was "wait on tables." From this meaning, the wider sense
has been derived: "care for one's livelihood," and finally "serve" in general.
The word group is distinct from other terms that are related in meaning that it
“has the special quality of indicating very personally the service rendered to another.”
Especially noteworthy is the difference in meaning between δουλεύω and διακονέω
with the word groups belonging to each. The δουλ- words express a relationship of
dependence and the subordination of the δοῦλος to the κύριος. ∆ιακονέω and its
cognates, on the other hand, express much more strongly the idea of service on behalf
of someone. This distinction suggests why διακονέω does not appear at all in the LXX
and why διακονία and διάκονος play only a very insignificant role there, while words
of the δουλ- stem are common.
In Luke and Acts, the word group with its theological connotations plays a
significant role. First, of the seven occurrences in Mark, Luke has taken over only one
reference (Luke 4:39); however, it is a crystal submission that he brings in the ideas that
are expressed in the omitted Markan passages in other connections, which he at times
reshapes, while at times he uses a special tradition. Second, the saying about the
greatness of service and the servanthood of Jesus (Mark 9:35; 10:43) is offered as a
redactionally revised variant in the tradition in Luke 22:26f.; the mention of the women
who serve Jesus in the Passion report in Mark 15:41 is redactionally reshaped by Luke
in the context of the work of Jesus in Galilee in Luke 8:3; perhaps Luke 22:43 takes into
consideration the service of the angels to Jesus, omitted from Luke’s account of Mark
1:13. Third, a special tradition belongs to Luke 10:40 (cf. John 12:2). Indeed, the parable
in Luke 17:7-10 is also derived from a special tradition, although Luke 17:8 with
διακονέω is redactionally shaped. Fourth, the parable in Luke 12:35-38 is taken over
from Q, but the promise has been redactionally formed first by Luke.
24
M. J. Evans. Woman in the Bible. Exeter: Paternoster, 1983, p. 45.
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The 10 occurrences of διακονέω in Acts are distributed in two areas of meaning.
First, the apostolic ministry, with emphasis on the proclamation of the word (Acts 1:17,
25; 6:4; 19:22; 20:24; 21:19); and second, care for the poor (Acts 6:1f.), to which the
collection for Jerusalem belongs (Acts 11:29; 12:25). Luke adopts the content and
manner of expression of the churches that Paul started among the Gentiles (Romans
15:25; 2Corinthians 3-6). Luke avoids the word διάκονος in all his accounts. As a result
of this that Luke 10:40 has suffered gross misinterpretations over the years. For
instance, the perception of Martha being described as a bloody carnal and unspiritual
person is not true. Martha made one of the noblest confessions of faith in John 11:27. In
the context of Luke 10:40, she was indignant at what appeared in her eyes as a slight of
service on Mary’s part; and she called for Jesus to rebuke it. Jesus’ words never deny
that a service had been neglected, but rather they stress that Mary had honoured a
higher service. It is the representation of different services rendered by the two sisters
that appeared to be Luke’s reason for including this intimate and revealing story of
Martha and Mary. What then is the disposition of Luke concerning servanthood?
Luke emphasises the various contextual renditions of διακονία, “service, office,
ministry” in his revision of the tradition of servanthood as follows. First, the apostolic
office, like all leading offices in the church, has the character of service. This emphasis
is derived from Jesus’ word and service, which Luke indicates clearly by designating
the apostolate explicitly as a service (Acts 1:17, 25;6:4, etc.), placing the service of Jesus
before the eyes of Christians who hold leading positions (Luke 22:26), and
transforming parables of Jesus into exhortations to the leaders (Luke 12:35-38, 42-46,
47f; 17:7-10). The motif of service plays a decisive role in this transformation. Second,
for Luke, apostolic service consists in the proclamation of the Word (Acts 6:4, etc.) and
is a witness (cf. 1:22; 20:24, etc.). Third, service to the poor and the needy (Luke 6:1f.; cf.
2:42) belongs to the basic functions of the life of the Christian community. The
effectiveness of service to the poor and the needy was a major concern of the early
Christian community and was not given adequate attention. As a result of this, in Acts
6:1-6, Luke introduces a new office of service (Deaconess Order) because of a conflict
concerning care for the poor and the needy. He did this by having them installed by
the apostles, by limiting their service to the care of the poor and the needy (Acts 6:8),
and by avoiding the title “διάκονος.”
25
It is in this manner that the concept of
Deaconess Order was born in Lucan accounts. Therefore, for Luke, service, office and
ministry constitute Christian servanthood.
Deaconess and Servanthood
Paul mentions Phoebe, διάκονος “Deaconess” of the Church of Cencreae
(Romans 16:1) and there is also unambiguous reference in 1Timothy 3:11. The widows
mentioned in 1Timothy 5:3:10 may also be connected with the role. Not until the end of
the fourth century is much known about the office of Deaconess. The “Didascalia" and
the "Apostolic" constitutions" describe their functions as an assistant to the clergy in the
baptizing of women, ministers to the poor and sick, to martyrs and confessors in prison
preparation of women for Church membership; acting as doorkeepers in that part of the
Church where women members sat; and having supervision over the female members
25
H. Balz and G. Schneider. Eds. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, Volume 1. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999, pp.302-304.
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of the Christian, both public and private. They also, it is recorded, had to make
occasional reports to the bishop and the presbyters.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul shows us that he was perfectly conversant with
the blessings the women wrought in the Apostolic Church. After naming Phoebe with a
high price, he goes on to mention others. Prisca, Junia, Tryphaena and Tryphosa, and
Persis may have served in Rome. We can assume that all these women were
consecrated as Deaconesses.
In the constitutions of the Holy Apostles, a work in Greek which appeared in
eight volumes in the middle of the fourth century, and which gives all the rules and
regulations of the early Christian Church, we read: The Bishop shall in the presence of
the Presbyters, lay his hand on the Deacons and Deaconesses, and offer the following
prayer.
O Eternal God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thou who didn’t condescend to
let thine only-begotten Son be born of a woman, thou who didn't fill the holy
women – Miriam, Deborah, Hannah and Huldah-with the Holy Ghost and didn’t
select women to be the guardians of the holy gates … Mercifully behold these thy
servants who are now to be consecrated to the office of Deaconess. Fill them with
the Holy Spirit, that they may perform the work to which they are called in a
worthy manner, to thy glory and the exaltation of thy Son Jesus Christ, through
whom honour and worship be unto thee and the Holy Ghost now and forever.
Amen.
26
Constantinople was the centre of Deaconess Work in the fourth century. John
Chrysostom, Bishop of that city (then the Eastern capital of the Roman Empire) had 40
Deaconesses in his Church. When the emperor's daughter-in-law, Urodia, plotted
against him because he preached against the sins of her court, the Deaconesses
defended him vigorously. A most famous Deaconess of that period was Olympians, a
wealthy widow. She was known throughout Constantinople for her bravery and
genius.
After 600 A.D, there was little mention of Deaconesses. The Roman Catholic
Church was calling its women into convents numbers. The order of nuns sought
sanctity by withdrawing from all contracts with the Word, while the early Deaconess
poured out their lives for the needy ones in the world around them. In addition, the
nuns had to take the vow of celibacy while the Deaconess took no vows.
The office of the Deaconess disappeared more and more. About 700 A.D; it had
entirely dropped out in the accident. In Constantinople, the office still existed in 1200
A.D, but it was found nowhere else in the orient. As the centuries passed, there were
some interesting attempts in Europe to bring back the service of women in its
evangelical simplicity, as it had been known in the early Church.
The Wesleyan Church in England first showed evidence of an interest in Deaconess
Work in 1888; but the record showed that it was not until 1920 that the conference
formally adopted the Wesleyan Deaconess order as part of its work, although it was a
separate department of conference. The training school, Wesley Deaconess College,
Yorkshire was acquired in 1902.
26
F. O. Sewapo. The Mission of Women in Luke’s Gospel and its Implications for Deaconess Order in
Methodist Church, Nigeria. Dissertation. Cliff College, Calver, Hope Valley, United Kingdom, 2010, p. 66.
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John Wesley Deaconess Order
While Methodism does not object on principle to the admission of women to
the ordained ministry, the practical problems created by the itinerancy are such that, in
practice, women may not offer themselves as candidates. (A moment's reflection on the
position of a married woman in the itinerant ministry would show that these "practical
Problems" are not artfully continued to support a prejudice. They are inherent like the
case.)
But Methodism has an honoured place for the full-time ministry of women in
the Wesley Deaconess Order. This order was founded by Dr Stephenson, and for more
than half a century has served the Church with that deep unselfish devotion that so
often marks the Christian Service of women. It was only in keeping with the spirit of
the order that at recent Conference its members asked leave to refuse a proposed
increase in their meagre allowances because of the general financial stringency.
To be accepted as a Candidate, a woman must be at least twenty-one years of
age, must have a good general education, and must possess those gifts of mind and
spirit which will enable her to endure the hand and exacting life of a Deaconess. She
receives two years of training at the order's College at likely, Yorkshire, and there
follows a period of service in circuit or mission work, during which she wears the grey
uniform of a probationer. Having satisfactorily completed her probation, the Deaconess
is then ordained by the laying on of hands and by the vote of the conference, and is
fully received as a Wesley Deaconess.
The work done by the Deaconesses is hard but full of variety and interest for
people of the right types. On the staff of a central mission, their ministry is exercised
chiefly amongst women and girls, and the Youth Clubs and Sunday Schools. And those
who know what the Wesley Deaconess can do to lighten the burden of life borne by the
old and invalid, often living in single rooms and with no income but the Old Age
Pension, know the best value of their work.
There are other fields of service, such as the home Mission, Departments of six
caravans have each staffed by two Deaconesses, and many a languishing counting
"cause "has been given new hope and life by their service. Other Deaconesses find
special vocations in moral Welfare and Youth work. But all are doing a job of which
they and Methodism may well be proud of.
Candidates are “handpicked.” There is no place in the order for the intense, the
glum and humourless, or for that somewhat frightening type of district visitor, tight-
hipped and impatient of the frailties of ordinary people. The modern Deaconess must
bring to her work intelligence, an unsentimental sympathy and practical down- to earth
common sense. Godliness with gaiety is great gain and nowhere more so than is the
blue-uniformed sisterhood of the Wesley Deaconess order.
Qualities of a Wesleyan Deaconess
A Wesleyan Deaconess who is truly called of God must manifest some of these
traits.
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Visions: This is the ability to foresee the future. A Deaconess needs this before she can
be an effective and successful leader. James Dum says "To envision is to take a mental
journey from the known into the unknown; it is to arrive at the future and perceive it
clearly while still living in the present". A Deaconess must be a good dreamer just like
Joseph, Son of Jacob in the book of Genesis of the Holy Bible.
Action: Whatever one visualizes (good or bad) has to come to open through action.
There is no action without reaction, whether positive or negative. A Deaconess must be
positive to get things done, however not by doing everything herself, but by the
assistance of others. And so, she must be an active leader.
Humility: She must humble herself as Apostle Peter admonishes: “Clothe yourselves,
all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives
grace to the humble" (1Peter 5:5). Every Deaconess should borrow a leaf from Jesus
(Philippians 2:5-11).
Respectability: (1 Tim. 3:2) it is a way of holding standards acceptable to society. A
Deaconess must be deserving of high regard. She must command 5respect in her speech
and action.
Spirit-Filled Life: She must be led by the Spirit of God. Lt is the Holy Spirit that inspires
holy men and women of God to lead God's people into the right path. Those who are
filled with the Holy Spirit also bear the fruit of the spirit namely: "Love, Joy, Peace,
Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22.)
Sense of Humour: She must have the ability to see things as amusing, especially during
those tense situations and yet still be able to hold her ground.
Charisma: This is a special grace of God to whosoever has it. Whosoever does not have
it should seek for it from the Lord. Charisma is a special quality that gives a leader
influence, charm, or inspiration over a large number of people. A Deaconess needs this
gift.
Above Reproach: (1Timothy 3:3) She must have a blameless character. Every follower
(even though he or she may not be able to achieve it) expects his or her life should
measure up to the standards set by God in the scriptures for Christians. She must have
a good reputation in and outside the Church.
Integrity: The word “Integrity” has been defined as “doing what you are supposed to
do when no one is watching” It also strengthened firmness of character complete
sincerity and honesty. A Deaconess of Integrity walks securely (Proverbs 10:9; 13:6).
Endurance: This is the ability to bear patiently and remain firm. Deaconesses were
referred to as "giants in faith" (Hebrews 11:35-38).
Prudence: She is shrewd (in a good sense), cautions and thriftily (1 Timothy 3:2). A
Deaconess must be cautious in practical matters in one’s personal affairs. “The simple
believes everything, but the prudent looks where he is going” (Proverbs 14:15).
Consistency: She must keep to the same principle of course of action that is she should
not say one thing and do otherwise. She must know what to say, how to say it, when to
say it, why she says it when she said and what she has said.
Manager: She manages her household well. This managerial ability includes the
effective management of human and material resources available to her. God good
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Deaconess are an essential ingredient to the success of good decisions made at
meetings.
A Wesleyan Deaconess Servanthood
The Wesleyan Deaconess serves in the Church and outside the Church and the
Church in accordance to her calling may require of her: to preach the gospel, to lead the
worship of a congregation, to teach both young and old; she may be required to feed
the flock of Christ, to nurse the sick, to care for the poor, to rescue the fallen, to succour
the hopeless, to offer friendship, even at cost, to many who, but for she may never
know a Christian friend. But in all this, she must be the true evangelist of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Translating her Gospel into the language of personal service, that it may
best be understood, not reckoning her ministry complete till those whom she serves can
say, now we believe, not because of your speaking for we have heard for ourselves, and
that this indeed the Saviour of the world. She must remember that she is one of an
order whose members must be jealous for its good name honouring and helping one
another, ready at all time to take up each other's work and loyally to carry it on. She
must be prepared to go where she is needed less, to go to the place where she is needed
more. Above all, she must remember that she is first and last, the servant of the Lord
Jesus Christ and that all service is rendered to Him.
Unlike Roman Catholic Sisters, Wesleyan Deaconesses are entitled to marry a
man either lay or clergy. This is because marriage is the smallest community in human
society, but for the people called “Methodist”, it is a genuine community of the
redeemed and sanctified. The smallest of Local Churches, but a true one, the Church in
miniature. Marriage is a "Sacrament", that is, a holy happening, a sign of God's grace
and love between a man and woman. God divinely instituted marriage to be a one-
man-one-woman relationship. God is the author and creator of the family unit. He
created families for his glory and praise (Ephesians 3:14-15). Marriage is a cohesive
union building a husband and a wife together in a monogamous, not polygamous
relationship. From creation the woman was the glory of man, she was created from him
and for him (1 Corinthians 11:79) of which a Deaconess is to a man irrespective of his
or her position in the community, society, the church, even in the nation. On the one
hand, many men do not have the interest to approach Deaconesses for marriage. On the
other hand, some of the laypeople look at the Deaconesses' appearance or dressing and
describe them holier than theirs and conclude among themselves that they may not
cope with Deaconesses. Again, some Priests run away from having Deaconesses as
wives. The reason might be either Priest feel that they are called into the same vocation
with Deaconesses or Deaconesses may not duly respect them. And as a result of this,
some Deaconesses were frustrated and end up without marrying at the time.
John Wesley gave to Deaconesses a position of genuine leadership, trust and
responsibility. For instance, Grace Murray was in charge of the Orphanage home,
Hannah Ball was the organising pioneer of Sunday School work, and Nancy Bolton was
exercising Pastoral care and leadership at Whitney. Wesleyan Deaconess were using the
very gifts they have in preaching, teaching, nursing, organising, and providing pastoral
oversight. Thus John Wesley engaged her Deaconesses in the threefold ministry of
servanthood, namely service, office and ministry as reflected in Lucan context of
διακονέω. The contemporary church needs to remove all obstacles on the way of
Deaconesses and quench the kindle fine of ambition, bitterness, zeal, envy and
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covetousness that engulf the house of the living God. It is in the light of this that
Deaconesses would willingly, joyfully and sacrificially exercise their ideal servanthood
to the glory of God.
Conclusion
διακονέω and its cognates are in Luke 10:40 a central expression for Christian
particularly women conduct oriented to Jesus’ Word and behaviour and for specifically
Deaconesses functions in the Church of Christ: charitable activity, the proclamation of
the Word, and the task of leadership. The paper reveals that Wesleyan Deaconess
Order is a legitimate development of theology and upholds the threefold ministry of
servanthood, namely service, office and ministry. In this sense, women are called into
the sacred order of Deaconess and by holding such a holy office are instructed to
holistically serve God and humanity. Therefore, individuals and church denominations
are encouraged to remove all barriers preventing Deaconesses from exhibiting their
servanthood to the progress of the expansion of God’s kingdom on earth as enshrined
in Luke 10:40.
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