The OT records a creation order whereby women were equal to men in stature.
After, and because of the fall, by the time of Jesus’ arrival, man’s corrupt self-love had demeaned and diminished women to little more than chattel. A Rabbinic traditional blessing stated: “I thank God that I was not born a heathen, nor a woman.”
The prophecy “he shall rule over you” (Gen. 3:16) had been completely fulfilled.
Jesus came to restore the proper order of Creation. Because of that, Jesus’ behaviour is free from the disdain for women that was by then widespread in Judaism. For example, Jesus had a long discussion with the Samaritan woman and even revealed to this woman His mission and messiahship. In contrast to the practice of Jewish teachers of the law, Jesus had women among His followers who were able to join in being instructed by Him (Luke 10:38-42). His proclamation - “Come to Me ALL who are weary,” was valid for all.
Jesus’ parables contain many examples from the world of women (Matt. 13:33; 24:41; Luke 15:8-10; 18:1-8; Mark 12:41-44). In contrast, Rabbinic parables used women - if at all - almost exclusively in a negative light. Jesus’ teaching is free from every form of open or concealed disdain for women. Unlike Rabbinic teaching which warned of males being seduced by women, Jesus warns against the male tendency to seduce women (Matt 5:27-30). The Rabbinic tendency was to view women as morally inferior to men. Instead Jesus emphasised the wickedness of the human heart which affects both sexes equally.
Jesus preached against not just the supposed moral superiority of men but also their legal superiority. In Mark 10:2-12, Jesus condemns every kind of divorce and ties the OT permission to divorce to man’s hard and evil hearts. Jesus emphatically protects the woman from the devaluation that was bound up with the Jewish divorce practise and legalised polygamy.
Through His absolute love command (Matt 7:12; 22:34-40) Jesus threw out as unacceptable once and for all time, every kind of male egoism or oppression of women. Jesus did not just take women seriously, as people who have the same value as men, but in an unprecedented way He turned His attention to suffering and morally despised women.
. He protected these women without denying their sinfulness (Luke 7:36-50; John 7:53-8:11).
. Women as well as men could experience Jesus’ healing power (Mark 1:29-31; 5:25-34; Matt 9:18, 23-25; 15:21-28; Luke 8:2; 13:10-17).
. Jesus even set aside the Jewish Sabbath regulation to heal a woman during a synagogue service (Luke 13:10-17).
Answering the objections of Jewish leaders, Jesus called this woman a “daughter of Abraham.” This is a tremendous honour that is NEVER found in the Talmud.
“Truly I say to you . . . harlots go into the kingdom of God before you,” (Matt 21:31).
Jesus points to women as spiritual examples. He praises the faith of the widow (Mark 12:41-44). He shows amazement at the faith of the Syrophoenician woman (Matt 15:21-28), He praises the queen of Sheba’s quest for truth (Matt 12:41,42), and He sets up the importunate widow as an example for His disciples (Luke 18:1-8). Women responded to Jesus’ character with great love and respect as would any woman whose husband modelled Jesus’ attitude toward His wife. Jesus protected women again and again against men’s lack of understanding. He defended the woman who anointed His head with oil. He backed the woman of ill-repute who anointed His feet with myrrh. He corrected His disciples when they harshly discouraged the women who wanted to bring their children to Jesus. Jesus allowed women healed by Him to join His band of followers and accepted the assistance of women.
Jesus did not see this as weakness.
Husbands often come to me bemoaning their wives lack of respect and support. I’m forced to think, “Is it any wonder? If the only reason for respect is because it’s demanded of them, what else should these men expect?” Jesus’ unique attention to women was met by them with responsive love and support which put the disciples to shame. At His crucifixion, while John the only male was present, several women among His followers were nearby or within sight during His final hours. The faithfulness of these women continued after His death. They rose on the first Easter morning to anoint His body and so were honoured to be the first witnesses of the resurrection. In this way, not just the earthly Jesus Christ, but the resurrected Christ demonstrated with mighty power that with His coming a new age for women had broken in. In Jesus, God’s valuation of women as man’s equal companion appears with total clarity, and made obsolete the tendency present then and still present even today to regard women as of lesser worth.
In Mark 9:35 Jesus shows, that in God’s kingdom there is still both authority and subordination, the man leads and the woman is led. BUT in place of arbitrary domination there is a reign of love, a humble servant leadership which is to be seen entirely as service given TO the wife.
In 1st Corinthians 11:3 woman’s subordination to man is compared to the subordination of Christ to God.
Think about that!
Obviously the subordination of woman has nothing to do with a one-down position. It would be absurd to suggest that the subordination of Christ to the Father means that Christ - God the Son - is of less value than God the Father, for Jesus is God.
The word used for "helpmate" found in Genesis, to describe the woman's role in relation to her husband is the same word used to describe God in His role regarding us. Hardly a one-down position.
Since the headship model finds its origin in God the Father over Jesus the Christ this removes any justification for a man to lead his wife in anything but a loving and tender and equal manner.
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History says "Nice try."
ReplyDeleteThose who follow Jesus say, "Well done!"
ReplyDeleteDid you know that my wife rates our marriage at nine out of ten? That may not mean much to you but it means the world to me.
At year five I didn't think we'd make it to year seven. And then Jesus entered our lives. He changed us. He change me.
That my friend is a miracle - straight up.
We've been together for forty years and I, one of the biggest assholes on the planet, have learned how to love. That is what Jesus can do for people. He's in the business of changing lives and both my wife and I are so very grateful.
It's just amazingly stupid for someone with any brain material to even imagine that God, who is the supreme, would come down to earth to put things like right. Is he so powerless that he had to turn into human 'matter' and be a creation to understand what he created? Kind of pathetic and ignorant I'd say. Besides, who was running the universe while this god person was on earth busy with earthlings? Or is it that God only created earth? Ultimate purpose of life, to cry for a god who died?? so where is god now that he is dead?. Senseless again. The very reason Christian ideologies make no sense to any believer in God.
ReplyDeleteI can see that you have put a lot of thought into this. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have put much effort to these simple questions, as they're not really complex particle physics or anything. But the fact of the matter is, they still remained unanswered when I do ask them. Being a scientist I'm bound to think of the universe more than just my little sphere. And being a believer in God, I can assure you that God did create it all, each and every single atoms to the quarks in them, even if science would just describe them as empty spaces. So, God is far beyond a powerless human. No need for him to turn into a human or an animal (like some other religions), so that he knows the life of what he created. Does God also become green aliens (if there are any!), or does he become a plant to know what it's like to feel when other species eat them or even a star to know how a lifeless matter is burning with nuclear power for ages? Ofcourse God knows His creation better than they know Him. It's a simple fact. Fact which every religion teaches at its core. And christian beliefs just distorted it under illiterate morons who were stupid enough to dispense even scientific literature later in history.
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