Mercy Plea by Bishop Budde Mirrors 3 Bold Biblical Women

Mercy Plea by Bishop Budde Mirrors 3 Bold Biblical Women January 27, 2025

Think Bishop Budde was audacious in her plea for mercy to the president? Let me tell you about 3 bold biblical women who did exactly the same thing.

Bishop Mariann Budde and Bible
Bishop Mariann Budde preaching at the National Cathedral’s prayer service for the nation, Jan. 21, 2025.

The controversy surrounding Bishop Budde’s sermon

On Jan. 21, 2025, Episcopal Bishop Marian Budde preached a sermon at the National Cathedral’s service of prayer the day after the presidential inauguration.

It was a biblically and theologically sound sermon about the need for unity in our nation built on the pillars of honor, honesty, and humility. [See my analysis of her sermon here.]

For any other inauguration, such a sermon would have flown under the radar. It would have been unremarkable amidst the pomp and circumstance and flurry of events surrounding a new president.

But this sermon caused so much controversy, the internet and media outlets have been buzzing with both backlash and support for Bishop Budde.

The reason is because one person in that congregation did not like what he heard.  And he is one of the most powerful people on the planet, the person who has now been installed in the Oval Office.

What didn’t he and his supporters like about the sermon?

Partly it was due to the content.  Bishop Budde called us to love our neighbors. And to curtail our contempt for others. At the end of her sermon, she specifically addressed the president, asking him to be merciful to the vulnerable people who are now in fear for their lives. While this should not have been controversial, such gospel-centered messages are an affront to Christian nationalists.

But aside from the message, which was completely in line with what the Bible teaches, much of the backlash is about the messenger.

She’s a woman, for one thing. 

And the man to whom she was speaking has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot abide a woman in a position of authority.

But even worse, especially to those who worship Christian nationalism, she’s a woman ordained in ministry, which is anathema to them. Her audacity to speak to him, or to anyone for that matter, with such authority – no matter how gently and respectfully – is blasphemous.

But here’s the thing.

What Bishop Budde did as a woman pleading for mercy on behalf of others is actually biblical.

Let me tell you about 3 bold biblical women who did the exact same thing. They approached very powerful men and asked them to be merciful to those who were vulnerable.  These women risked their own safety, even their lives, to ask these men to exercise restraint, have empathy, embrace understanding, and practice forbearance.

Let’s meet these women.

The first bold biblical woman is Abigail.

We find her story in the Hebrew Scriptures in a book called 1 Kings. In chapter 25, King David sought hospitality for himself and his troops from a man named Nabal. But Nabal was a curmudgeon and not very smart.  He insulted King David’s messengers and refused the request.

This made David so angry, he bellowed for his men to strap on their swords. They set off to kill Nabal and everyone in his household, including his family, his servants, and his sheepherders.

Let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge that this probably seems to us like an extreme overreaction on David’s part. And it was. But in a patriarchal society that’s based on an honor-shame ethic, if one man insults another, there’s likely to be bloodshed.

This is where Abigail steps in. 

She was Nabal’s wife.  When her husband’s servants told her what happened, quick-thinking Abigail went out of her way meet David and defuse his temper.  She organized a feast for his men and pleaded with David not to act out in violence against her household.

Fortunately, Abigail’s story has a happy ending.

Abigail pleading with King David to spare her household
Abigail pleading with King David to spare her household. Photo credit: public domain.

David listened to her counsel that if he turned aside from avenging his honor, he would have “no cause of grief, or pangs of conscience, for having shed blood without cause” (1 Kings 25:31). She calmed the waters and prevented the senseless death of hundreds of people.

As a side note, her hard-hearted husband died of a heart attack a few days later. So, David wooed her and she became his wife.

Thus, Abigail was one of the first female peacemakers in the Bible. She is a wonderful example of the many women throughout history who have prevented violence by pleading with powerful men to have mercy.

Just as Bishop Budde did with the president.

The second bold biblical woman is Queen Esther.

Her story is so important, she has a whole book in the Hebrew Bible dedicated to her.

During the days when the people of Israel were ruled by a king called Ahasuerus, there was a wicked man named Haman, a servant of the king. He plotted to destroy the Hebrew people.  Why?

Because when Haman saw that a Jew by the name of Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. Not only did he want to kill Mordecai, he plotted to commit genocide against the entire Jewish community.

There’s that insult and honor thing again.  Are you seeing a pattern here? 

Now, it so happens that Esther was the queen but had hidden her Jewish identity earlier in the story so that she could be considered as a bride for the king.

Queen Esther pleading for her people
Queen Esther pleading for her people. Photo credit: Silicon Press, flickr.com. Some rights reserved.

Yet when it became clear that the Israelites were facing annihilation, her uncle Mordecai urged her to intercede on behalf of her people.  “For if you remain silent at this time,” he told her, “relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Like Abigail, Esther’s story also has a happy ending.

She boldly revealed her true identity to the king and pleaded for her people to be spared.

Esther showed great courage making this petition to the king.  She risked her life by approaching him without being summoned (for which she could have been executed), and by revealing to him that she was a Jew.

The king was moved by her plea and aghast at how easily he had been tricked into approving genocide.  He cancelled Haman’s plans to murder the Jews.

As a side note, the king ordered that the gallows Haman had built to hang Mordecai should be used to hang him instead.

As for Esther, she showed great compassion by begging for the life of her people and not just asking him to spare her life alone.  She is another example of the many women throughout history who had the audacity to plead with powerful men to have mercy and spare the lives of innocent people.

Just as Bishop Budde did with the president.

The third bold biblical woman is the mother who pleaded with Jesus to heal her daughter.

In Mark 7:25-30, she’s called the Syrophoenician woman. In Matthew 15:21-28, she’s called the Canaanite woman.

Both stories are about a woman from outside of Jesus’s clan pleading for him to heal her daughter.

It’s one of the stories that show Jesus’s humanity, including the ugly parts.

See, when she begged him for healing, he refused her at first.

And worse, he insulted her.

“It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs,” (Mark 7:27).

Yikes. No matter how some have tried to spin this, nearly all biblical scholars agree that Jesus’s words are problematic, at best.  Jesus is calling both the woman and her people “dogs.”  This would have been considered a cross-cultural insult during Jesus’ time, and it is certainly an insult today. (And yes, the current president has called people “animals” and “dogs” often.)

Did you notice that, once again, we have a male character who lashes out when he believes he’s been dishonored? Someone may want to look into this pattern.

Nevertheless, this mother who was desperate for her daughter’s healing did not give up. She persisted.

Syrophoenician Woman, Wood plaque by R. Lentz
Syrophoenician Woman, Wood plaque by R. Lentz, https://trinitystores.com/products/wood-plaque-syro-phoenician-woman-r-lentz

She countered Jesus with a clever, yet humble response that shifted the dynamic.

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ tables” (Mark 7:28).

You can imagine the scene – the hush coming over the crowd to see how Jesus will respond.

He could have told his disciples to throw her out. Or, he could have called down the angels to annihilate her and her tribe on the spot.

He even could have gotten on social media and posted, “She’s a Radical hard line Jesus hater who was nasty in tone.”

But instead, he pivots. “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter” (Mark 7:29). The tension releases; the crowd (and the woman) exhales.

Like Abigail and Esther, this mother’s story has a happy ending.

The point of this text is to show what Jesus’ healing looks like in a way that upends our expectations.

The original readers of the gospel would have recognized the familiar trope of a person in a subordinate position cleverly getting the better of a superior.

The story does two things.

It emphasizes the great faith of the woman AND it shows us that Jesus is a model teacher.

How so?  Because he listened to this women. He was willing to change his mind, and he granted her request for mercy.

Jesus was wrong to call her a dog.  And she called him on it.  But she did it in a way that simultaneously de-escalated the situation, while still standing firm and persisting for the healing her daughter needed.

As a side note, Jesus is essentially saying – you got me!

You’re right.  I was wrong.  You didn’t deserve that insult.  You’re clever and brave.  You’ve got chutzpah!

I give you what you’ve asked for, what I should have given you right from the start – healing for the daughter you love.  The daughter you are desperate to save.  The daughter I should care about as much as I cared for Jairus’ daughter who I raised from death.  As much as I cared for the woman who I freed from seven demons.  The woman who I freed from a crippling back deformity. The woman who was healed instantly as she touched my cloak.  I called her “Daughter.”  But I called you and your daughter “dogs.”

That was wrong of me.  I’m sorry.  I’ll be better.  I’ll do better.

Thus, the story of this bold biblical woman showed us that powerful men can change their minds. They can change their attitudes and make different choices. Just like King David did.  And like King Ahasuerus did.  Just like Jesus did.

She is yet another example of the many women throughout history who had the audacity to plead with powerful men to have mercy and spare the lives of innocent people.

Just as Bishop Budde did with the president.

We don’t know if Bishop Budde’s story is going to have a happy ending.

So far, Donald has not made the same choices as the kings who who have come before him.

But that does not negate the story of the brave, kind, respectful, compassionate woman who pleaded with him to have mercy on vulnerable people.

In fact, her story, like Abigail, Esther, and the mother pleading with Jesus, may inspire other women to speak truth to powerful men.

Maybe it will inspire men to speak truth to other men.

Maybe it will even inspire you.

Read also:

11 Lessons for Preachers from Bishop Budde’s Sermon

Calling People Dogs: Juxtaposing Jesus and Trump

Mr. Trump, Here’s What’s Wrong with Calling People ‘Animals’

The Canaanite Woman Took a Knee (Matt. 15:21-28)

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The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and ordained in the ELCA. Dr. Schade does not speak for LTS or the ELCA; her opinions are her own.  She is the author of Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the co-editor of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her book, Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation, was co-authored with Jerry L. Sumney and Emily Askew (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/leahschade.bsky.social

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Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Leah-D.-Schade/e/B018UH18EQ

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