"Sticks and stones
may break my bones,
but words will never
hurt me."
I remember childhood days of sneaking around corners and running home after school trying to avoid a bully or two or three. Looking back on those days when the bullies would boldly stand in the street calling me names and yelling other mean and cruel things at me, I can smile and remember fondly my defiant dance of champions as I recited the aforementioned phrase. I knew they may have been big, bad and bold, but they were not big, bad and bold enough to come into my yard and say or do anything to me. Everyone involved knew if that boundary was crossed, we'd all meet our fate. Either I would be beaten to a bloody pulp or they and those watching and instigating, would soon learn that I was more afraid of facing my mother after being beaten up than I was of them. And there was absolutely no way in hell, I was gonna go back in the house after I allowed someone to beat me up in my own front yard. The word in my house was; "If you stand out there and let them hit on you and beat you up, Ima whoop ya ass again when they're done." Now listen, if you know anything about me and by now you should, then you know THAT was not going to happen. Needless to say, in the homes of many, if not most black people, Mama's "word," was THE "word." So those taunting me with threats also knew they dare not cross that line or their reputation and status as the big bad wolf may also end with their ass in a pot of boiling hot water.
Today, however, cute little nursery rhymes aren't doing the trick. "Sticks and stones," have been replaced by "sexting," "cyberbullying," knives and guns. And with the increase of child and teenage suicide, the adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," is causing me to rethink whether or not the "words" are more hurtful and damaging than the sticks and stones. Why am I talking about this on this Christian blog? Well, I'm glad you asked. As you know we are in the final chapters of Deuteronomy and yes, we have walked right smack dab into cause and reasons for the punishment of "stoning" as an act of capital punishment. And of course, more often than not, it is women who are condemned to death by "stoning." I invite you to read Deuteronomy chapters 17:2-7; 19:15-20; 21:18-21, "The Incorrigible Son;" And 22:13-29. These chapters are critical to the understanding of the plight of women in ancient Near Eastern Culture and sadly, within certain cultures, it continues to this day. It is also critical for us Christians to get our collective minds around the sacred text when it comes to women being accused of adultery and thus, subject to being "stoned" to death. There are two passages in particular that comes to mind. Briefly... I know, I know - briefly is not what I do well. But c'mon, hang out wit me for a moment. I'm going somewhere here.
In the book of John, a Mediterranean Jewish peasant named Jesus is confronted by a crowd of men, lead by scribes (transcribers and expounders of the Mosaic Law) and Pharisees (spiritual leaders that held a strict adherence to the belief of the oral/aural communication and written word of the laws given to Moses by God). They have brought out a woman, accused of adultery, to be "stoned" to death according to the law of Moses. Funny thing, the man is.... Umph... Where is he? He is conspicuously missing. Why is that? Because somewhere I read, "both of them shall die." Anyhue... In a haphazard attempt to catch him [Jesus] violating some ancient Mosaic Law, they inquire of him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say..." Excuse me while I reach for my King James Version... Jesus' reply - one of the most preached about passages by old and new preachers alike - "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (KJV John 8:3-11). If we were in church, someone would have blurted out "Yes suh! Preach Preacher!" Because of course no one throws a rock at the woman and they - the men of the town - leave that place disappointed that there will be no pummeling a woman with rocks that day. Side note: You do know women were not allowed to throw any rocks right? No? Well now you do.
The other text that comes to mind is Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well, better known as the "Woman of Samaria." In this passage, the text records Jesus' encounter with a Samarian woman as she draws water from a well, Jacobs well. They get involved in one of the longest and most misinterpreted conversations recorded between Jesus and anyone for that matter. One of the most profound wonders of this conversation is that he engages her (a woman) as his intellectual equal. But after some time, he says to her, "Go, call your husband and come back." Her reply, "Sir I have no husband." Jesus says to her and I paraphrase, You're right to have said that, "for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband" (John 4:1-18). Okay, here we go... Without fail, every time I have heard this passage preached, the preacher has talked so badly about the woman that it is absolutely re-damn-dic-u-lous! Through narrowly focused, patriarchal and misogynistic lenses, they read the text, "You have had five husbands and the one you have now is not your husband" to mean a charge of multiple acts of adultery. As such, they barely stop short of calling her a whore and a harlot. But if we believe that cursory interpretation and understanding of the text, this woman has sexually involved herself with five other married men, and is now on her sixth. And if that is the case, then ladies and gentlemen, we have our first serial adulteress who lived to tell the story. But we are grown folk, who are Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, and we know better. We now have a better understanding of the consequences women faced when charged with "adultery," and therefore, we also know that when preachers approach this text in this lazy and haphazard sort of way, know that it is selectively misleading and a gross misinterpretation. The passage is more about the people (Exiled Jews), practicing the 5 to 6 religious beliefs, practices and traditions of neighboring peoples in the region. So now that you know better, do better and don't sit still for that crap again!
Ending where I began, my bible study class is preparing for another movie night. I felt it important to get a clearer picture of what it means to be condemned to death by "stoning." I also want to drive home the plight of women across the world who live within cultures where the practice continues to this very day. We hear your cries, we stand as witnesses to your life and God forbid, your death by this archaic and misogynistic application of this method of punishment. We will, until we no longer have breath in our bodies, shout aloud and carry your voice with us. For we now know that sticks and stones will not only break our bones, but they will also kill us, and kill us in a most horrific way.
© Dorinda G. Henry, 2011
THEOLOGIA HABITUS EST!
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