THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE.. PAGE 1

hat evidence does the Bible yield about the reality of daily life for women deep in Biblical antiquity?
Because the Bible speaks with authority to many millions of people the answers to these questions about women and their authority as Christians have great impact. Time and again Jesus demonstrated his respect for women as persons, not possessions. In the Judean society of Jesus' day a man was not to speak with a woman in public; even is she was a wife or daughter, and never to converse with a Gentile woman. Nor was a man to touch any woman other than his wife or daughter, however innocent the purpose. Certainly a man was not to teach a woman. Nonetheless, Jesus defied every one of these rules! The genealogy of Jesus as reported in Matthew is remarkable because it includes references to several female ancestors, something not done in Jewish genealogies at the time. Not only are five women mentioned, but all of these women are associated with some form of less then ideal sexual behavior. Jesus, for his time and place, was notably unsexist. In Samaria, when he talked with the woman at the well—this is the longest personal exchange he has with anyone in the Bible—his disciples “marvelled”; a Jewish man did not, in public, speak to a woman unrelated to him. In another episode, in Luke, Jesus is dining with Simon the Pharisee when a “woman in the city,” a “sinner”enters the house, washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, kisses them, and then anoints them with balm from a jar. Simon says to Christ that if he can accept that tribute from such a person then he is surely not a prophet. Christ answers that the “sinner” has shown him more love than Simon has.

The New Testament Gospels, written toward the last quarter of the first century CE, acknowledge that women were among Jesus' earliest followers. From the beginning, Jewish women disciples, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, had accompanied Jesus during his ministry and supported him out of their private means (Luke 8:1-3). He spoke to women both in public and private. Certainly he learned his mother's wisdom, and according to the Gospel story, an unnamed Gentile woman persuaded Jesus to declare that the ministry of God is not limited to particular groups and persons, but belongs to all who have faith (Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28). Jesus was a frequent visitor at the home of Mary and Martha, and was in the habit of teaching and eating meals with women as well as men. When Jesus was arrested, women remained firm, even when his male disciples fled, and women accompanied him to the foot of the cross. It was women who were reported as the first witnesses to the resurrection, chief among them, Mary Magdalene. It is certain that God created Man and Woman as companions and equals from the beginning; Yet, two thousand years after the birth of Christ the Southern Baptist Convention voted to add a clause to the denomination's statement of beliefs affirming that a wife is to submit herself to the leadership of her husband; and the Vatican warned that those Catholics who continue to argue in favor of woman's ordination would be subject to penalty. Why is this so? What does the Bible say about the roles of men and women?

Does the Bible in fact say that God cares equally for men and women and that they have equal responsibilities under Christ's authority; And 'that it is all worth nothing without love'?

I Corinthians 13:1-13

Are there hints in the Bible of stories and traditions about women and their ministries that have been lost to us? What part did Jewish women have in the movement that grew up around Jesus of Nazareth? What is the Christian view on a woman's conduct or place? Is it what the Pope says it is? Is it what Billy Graham says it is? Is it what Al Sharpton says it is? Or Jerry Falwell or James Kennedy or Robert Schuler? You see when we pose the issue this way, we discover that there is no consensus, and when the various defenders of Christianity discover that, when each defines what he or she believes Christianity to be, there is no consensus. There are some who believe that the way is only found in the New Testament. There are those who believe the same of the Old. Some hold that if the New has no word on a particular subject then the word of the Old stands. Still other believe that where the Old and New conflict, the New supercedes the Old. This is just a few of the variations. You know what, all of them are each convinced that their way is the 'right' one. If you add to that the fact that the Bible is composed of various writings of people from all walks of life and from all points of view, you soon realize that it is not strictly a literal account, but the interpretation of the facts by the individual writers. Lets look at the way Jesus spent his time here and the values he lived his life by. He spent time with sinners. He was kind, understanding, gentle, forgiving in most cases. The few things he did get angry about were issues that still hold true today. He was tolerant of those who did not follow his way, and his love was not in any way conditional on belief in him. He tried to better the lot of those he touched, irrespective of their belief. He never made conversion a condition of healing - he simply did his mission and let others come to him if they felt him in their hearts by their own free will. I believe that a true Christian would try and emulate the values of his Saviour.



The road we travel will take us into the battle to restore beauty in all things;
And it will also take us home..

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