Hold on, Jesus. I have work to do.

In the first century, as in any century of human existence, people need food and clothing.

The Mishnah records some of the daily tasks assigned to a wife.

She grinds flour, bakes bread, does laundry, prepares meals, feeds her child, makes the bed, works in wool (Mishnah Ketuboth 5.5).

A wealthy woman with servants had the same scope of responsibility, but she would manage her servant’s activity rather than performing the tasks herself.

This passage from the Mishnah doesn’t mention single women, but I conclude that this “division of labor” generally reflects gender roles in the first-century.

Jesus’ experience included eating bread and meals prepared first by his mother, by Peter’s wife and mother-in-law, by his friends Martha and Mary, and the numerous other hostesses he met on his travels, including some wealthy women who had servants to perform the daily tasks.

Jesus had to eat. The work, while mundane, was necessary. A person can miss a meal or two, but eventually…

“Hold on, Jesus. I have work to do.”