Why “Sex Workers” in the title?

[Todd Austin]

In most English translations of the Bible, the word “prostitute” is used to describe women (and men) who provided sexual services in exchange for compensation. However, when these translations were produced, the term “sex worker” was not yet in common usage.

When I look at the stories in the gospels, it seems clear that Jesus is treating these women (in the gospels it seems like these are only women, although men may be referenced in the epistles) with a great deal of care and respect. I want to follow his lead. I believe the most respectful term for this profession in English today is the phrase “sex worker,” and so that is what I am choosing to use.

Sex workers and the Pharisees are two frequently referenced groups in Matthew’s gospel, and they represent opposite ends of a continuum that Jesus repeatedly addresses. We don’t have a natural analog today for how Matthew’s audience would have seen the Pharisees, and so my stand-in for that group is “church people.” I don’t intend for this to be an insult, but I know some will perceive it that way. I think this connection will make more sense as you go deeper into the podcast.

These two groups of people give us a good framework for understanding this gospel, and so that is how the title came to be what it is.

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