Black Girls are at their LAST

Exploring a Womanist/Childist Reading of Jairus’ Daughter in Mark 5

Abstract

Scholarship in the Gospel of Mark is now turning its attention to the children named in the Gospel. As an offshoot of feminist biblical interpretation, childist interpretation has opened ways to consider children in the biblical text. Adding a womanist lens, this article reinterprets the episode involving Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5 and, thus, argues for re-imagining Jesus’ ministry in today’s context. Specifically, recognizing that Jairus’ daughter is a child of privilege who has a patriarch to advocate for her, I argue that black girls are “at their last” and require protection and ministry as one of society’s least protected groups. Accordingly, thinking through a Jesus-focused ministry in contemporary contexts would mean advocating for ministry aimed toward black girls as a high priority in faith-based settings.