Jesus, The Ladies Man. LeTourneau University. Life and Teachings of Christ BIBL Dr. Viktor Roudkovski 04/26/12

Transcription

1 Jesus, The Ladies Man LeTourneau University Life and Teachings of Christ BIBL Dr. Viktor Roudkovski 04/26/12

2 Shelton, 2 Outline: I. Historical Background A. Jewish Influence B. Greco-Roman Influence II. Jesus, Women, & Discipleship A. The Woman with the Issue of Bleeding and Jarius Daughter B. The Passion C. Other Instances 1. Lust 2. The Woman who Anointed Jesus Feet III. Application

3 Shelton, 3! When we begin looking into the ministry of Jesus we discover a very interesting and unique aspect of his teachings and outreach, he included women and at times preferred their aid, insight, and examples over men. But why was the so revolutionary? Women do all kinds of things that men do today, but that was not the case in the 1st century. Jesus grew up in a powder-keg of a society and was influenced by both Jewish culture and Greek Hellenisation. Jews were pushing for religious and social independence in a Greco-Roman world and this caused great tension between the two. We know from scripture that Jesus was born just outside of Jerusalem but we also know that he grew up in a predominantly Gentile region. This, I think, plays a large role in why Jesus ministry includes women and should be taken into account when analyzing his life. Once we examine these two cultures and their influence we can begin to look into some specific examples of Jesus treating women in a unique way. There we will analyze what it means for us today as well as how it rattled the cages of the 1st century world. Lastly, I will talk about some personal application for our culture and how we can best use these verses when working alongside women in society and within the church. Jewish Influence! To begin looking into Jewish influences in Jesus ministry, we need to go back to the Old Testament texts and see how women were treated. When looking back over the span of recorded history we can observe that women did in fact hold higher places of authority in the Old Testament. We see the idea of women being subordinate to men but not inferior. Take for example Miriam who was a prophetess and Deborah who was

4 Shelton, 4 a prophetess and a judge. However, over time this view of women changed and was certainly not the case in 1st century Jewish culture. We can see from the writings of Jesus Ben Sira in the 2nd century that there has been a shift to a lesser view of women. The good wife takes her place as her husbands portion or property (Sir 26:4) and is properly silent (26:14). 1 We can also see from early rabbinic writings that men were blessed because they weren t created as a woman. Blessed art thou... who hast not made me a woman (Menah 43b). Not only were women regarded as inferior during Jesus time, it was debated as to how much of an influence women could be in their homes and in the temple. Depending on the rabbi, women were allowed to know the scriptures and encouraged to teach their children, however, the men were to teach their sons, not the women. We also see evidence of debates taking place as to how women were to interact in the temple life. We see some rabbis, like Rami Hama forbidding women to aid in the sacrifices in the temple yet R. Jose and R. Simeon made it optional to gratify the women. 2 At home, women were under the direct and unquestionable influence of their husbands or father. They were not included in the inheritance laws and if they were widowed they were passed to another family to be taken care of. Women couldn t refuse the marriage agreements set by their fathers nor could she divorce. We also see a uniqueness in interaction in the marketplace. Women from large cities were often confined to their homes by their husbands in order to avoid contact with men altogether, but in rural cities this is not the case. They often went to the market to help their husbands. This is why Jesus often came in contact with women Trenchard, Warren C. Ben Sira s View of Women: A Literary Analysis Chico, CA: Scholars Press, Hag. 166, Sota 3:1, Ned. 4:3

5 Shelton, 5 during his travels. From these we can see that these cultural standings should have permeated Jesus ideas of women as well. He grew up learning about the Torah like everyone else and debating the teachers at the synagogue. How did this influence Jesus teachings and life? I don t think this clashed as much with the establishment as many believe. We can clearly see from the writings of Philo and Josephus that the seclusion of women was present but I don t think it was as bad as the picture that is painted by the Talmud. Nonetheless, this clearly influenced Jesus ministry as he challenged these views of women in his culture and used women as a valuable asset in the Kingdom of God. Greco-Roman Influence! Greco-Roman culture also imparted an interesting influence on Jesus ministry. To begin, I want to explain some of the differences in Greek and Roman culture and how they were blended together in the 1st century. However, we can t say with absolute certainty that this is completely accurate as the culture was changing so rapidly in the 200 years from 100 BC to 100 AD that it is hard to extrapolate details about the biblical period (Osborne, 264). With that said, the Greek culture was very similar to the Jewish culture, without the moral fiber holding it together, when it came to women. Women were instruments to be used rather than individuals to be treasured. They generally had only two purposes, to produce healthy sons as wives or to be instruments of pleasure as courtesans. Rare exceptions to this are women of Sparta who were educated and esteemed and those of Crete who could own property. However, women in Athens

6 Shelton, 6 were considered inferior and were kept away from society. They had a place in religion as there are many goddesses but they couldn t be prophetesses or philosophers. Women were also commonly divorced in this culture. Yet, we examine what seems to be a different picture when it comes to woman in Rome. Roman women had a much better position than the rest of the known world but still lived in a male dominated society. They did have greater security in that they had inheritance rights and greater restraint on husbands that wished to divorce them. They also had more of a sense of equality than ever before. Roman matrons had quite an influence on politics and culture, however, this was not the case for all Roman women. These rights were often restricted to the upper class and lower class women still held a inferior position. Yet, matrons like Priscilla or Lydia were able to engage in commerce. These tendencies had influences in Jesus ministry. I found it very interesting that Rome had the culture, in regard to women, closest to what the Kingdom of God was to look like. I definitely think Jesus used this ideology when teaching about the Kingdom of God. Jesus, Women, and Discipleship! As we begin to look deeply into how Jesus treated women in his ministry we are limited to only a few instances. Yet, these instances introduce a whole new light into the concept of discipleship. They generally shed valuable insight on the Kingdom of God and how women played a part in discipleship. I will begin this section by looking at specific instances across Mark and Matthew and compare and contrast information from

7 Shelton, 7 the two different sources. Once we get an idea of what Jesus or the author was trying to say, we can look at some overall application for our lives today. The Woman with the Issue of Bleeding and Jarius Daughter! This story is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It has a firm foundation in the text and is one of the best examples of Jesus interacting with women. Here we see a synagogue leader, Jarius, asking Jesus to come and heal his sick daughter. On their way to Jarius home, Jesus comes across a woman who has an issue with bleeding. As the crowd is passing by she reaches and touches his garment and is healed. Jesus, sensing that power has left him, asks who touched his garment. His disciples wonder how he is supposed to know who touched him as the crowd was pressing against him. However, the woman came before him and admitted that it was her. This is when Jesus gives a very interesting answer, Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace, and be healed of your disease (ESV). As soon as this happened a servant came and told Jarius that his daughter was dead and not to trouble the teacher anymore. However, Jesus says to Jarius Do not fear, only believe and continues on to his home with three disciples. They arrive at the house to find the mourning party already weeping and Jesus asks why they are weeping and states that the girl is merely sleeping. Jesus goes into the house with the 3 disciples, Jarius, and his wife and he takes the girls hand and raises her up.

8 Shelton, 8! With this we have a very interesting story. These intertwined stories center upon Jesus authority over unclean diseases and death. It also shows that faith is a key aspect of discipleship. We see Jesus talking to the woman with the issue of bleeding and specifically mentions her natural faith and commends her for it. The progression from the rulers [Jarius ] need for faith to the woman s faith shows the high place women had in Mark s gospel. We have little evidence for such emphasis in the rabbinic circles. (Osborne, 267) We can see that Jesus noted a direct correlation in women and faith. Perhaps he was using her as an example that even a woman who was unclean had more faith than the pious religious leaders of the time. Regardless, we see that he used her specifically to show faithfulness that was needed in discipleship. She was an example, as the Syrophoenician woman, of bold and active faith and was therefore an example of self-denying service which is a big part of discipleship for Mark. 3 Matthew compresses the story in his gospel but continues Mark s sense of community between the ruler of the synagogue and the lowly woman, both of whom approach Jesus humbly. Matthews compact language gives even more stress to the connection between the statement of faith in 21 If I only touch his garment, I will be made well (ESV) and Jesus commendation in 22 Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well (ESV). In the whole miracle section Jesus has been faced with rejection and denial. Her believing act provides an oasis of faith in the midst of the opposition, and the incongruous paring of the ruler and the woman gives even greater force (Osborne, 272). I think this can give us reassurance that Jesus found the faith he was looking for 3 8:34, 11:22-24

9 Shelton, 9 in regard to discipleship in a woman. One of the most unlikely of places, but nonetheless just what he needed. Yet, this is only the beginning. The Passion! This is one of the biggest and most important moments in Jesus ministry where women play a crucial role. They bridge the gap between his death and resurrection. Only they are present in all three stages, death, burial, and resurrection. One scholar said that in Mark 15:41 we see women following and serving him. Nowhere else in Mark do we see women accompanying Jesus during his ministry. The implicit theme of discipleship in the events preceding this become explicit. We see that the women, not the disciples, are more faithful and don t flee in the end when he is crucified. Within the Marcan story, only the women follow Jesus to the very end. We also see them failing in 16:8 showing that everyone in the end fails Jesus, but it is interesting to see that the women lasted longer with Jesus than his own disciples. Even more significant, is the fact that Jesus chose women to be the first witnesses of his resurrection. In a society where women weren t considered as legal witnesses, this makes no sense. However today, many scholars consider this detail major evidence for the historicity of the resurrection by itself. In Mark we see the women flee in terror rather than immediately going to tell the disciples about the resurrection. Matthew holds them in a different light. He casts them in a more positive role as they depart with fear and great joy to tell the disciples. In Mark the women finalize the theme of discipleship failure, and in Matthew they summarize the overcoming power of Jesus presence in discipleship. I think its

10 Shelton, 10 very interesting to do a redaction criticism and see why the author might have written it differently. I think Mark accepts the overall Jewish patriarchal structure but within that framework uses women in a positive role as valid disciples of Jesus and models of faith. They are a major focus in the redemptive mission and are valid witnesses to the greatest event in history. In Matthew we see an even more positive role as they are the ones to succeed when the disciples fail. Women are seen in a light of seclusion and in a sense outcast yet Jesus reinstates them into their proper place in the Kingdom of God. I think Jesus uses women to confront the current establishment and their quest to become holy, as women are regarded as important and holy to Christ in Matthew. Other Instances! There were a couple of really interesting stories that I noticed in Matthew and Luke that I thought were worth mentioning before we move on to application. First, in Matthew 5:27-30 we see Jesus teaching on the issue of lust. I find it interesting that Jesus places the blame only on the man. This would have gone against the current ideology of Judaism. Many rabbis blamed women who enticed the man to sin. I don t think Jesus said this to remove the blame from the woman, as sometimes it is the woman that causes the case for lustfulness, or remove women from the picture altogether. I think what Jesus was trying to do was to call men to spiritual control rather than to hide women away in their homes. Jesus had many friends that were women, often those you didn t want to be associated with, but he had the spiritual control needed not to lust after them.

11 Shelton, 11! I also wanted to point out the story in Luke about the woman who comes and anoints Jesus feet. In Luke 7:37 we see that this woman was a known sinner. We know that Jesus often associated with sinners and that the new age would include sinners. Yet, we see that this woman is the model for discipleship. Her love and faith are true marks of a disciple and she comes humbly before him and does something that would be considered disgraceful by the Pharisees of the time. That a woman, indeed one who was a sinner no less, would put a pharisee to shame by an act that was itself shameful to the Jews is clear evidence for Luke s theme that Jesus elevation of women was a sign that the Kingdom had inaugurated a new age. (Osborne, 280) I really like how Osborne sees the fact that the Kingdom of God, this new age, will include women and yet again they are an example of discipleship - true discipleship. Application! We can see the influence that culture should have had on Jesus ministry and yet he has a revolutionary message that would have stepped on toes across borders. We have this idea of discipleship where women seem to answer the call, but what does this mean for us today? Can we use what Jesus taught in our culture today or is this something that should be left in the history books? I think Jesus use of women in ministry should be an encouragement and inspiration for women today to live lives as disciples of Christ. He clearly knew they could answer the call in his life and I think the same is true for today. We saw from the examples above that women have an amazing

12 Shelton, 12 ability to be faithful even in the hardest times. We can also see a sense of intellectual belonging in other parts of the Bible where women ran businesses or spread the news of the gospel. Women can serve with humility and dignity as the woman did who anointed Jesus feet. Lastly, women are seen, not as inferior, but equal in the eyes of God and have a role to play in the Kingdom of God. Conclusion! I think that Dorothy Sayers best explains how women saw Jesus and how they should see Jesus today,! They [women] had never known a man like this Man there never has been! such another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered! or coaxed or patronized who took their questions and arguments seriously; who! never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no! axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found! them and was completely unself-conscious. We looked at the social backgrounds for both Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures and saw how it should have influenced Jesus mindset. However, Jesus saw women as a valuable addition to the ministry of the Kingdom of God and through the narratives and parables. I don t believe the Church has done justice to the text in regard to women in the past 10 centuries and has undermined their role. Jesus used women in what was seen as the worst time possible for a woman to play a part, and I think that today the church needs to reinstate this view of women. For husbands to stop seeing their wives

13 Shelton, 13 as property but individuals to be treasured because that is certainly how Jesus saw them.

14 Shelton, 14 Works Cited: Balsdon, J.P.V.D. Roman Women. London: Bodley Head, Cantelmo, Gregg. "How Jesus Ministered to Women." Bible.org. n.d. n. page. Web. 5! Mar < Carcopino, Jérôme. Daily Life in Ancient Rome. New Haven: Yale University Press,! Graham, Ronald William. Source: Lexington Theological Quarterly, 18 no 1 Ja 1983, p Grudem, Wayne. Evangelical Feminism & Biblical Truth. Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah,! Jackson, Glenna S.. Feminist Theology: The Journal of the Britain & Ireland School of! Feminist Theology, Sep2001, Issue 28, p27, 13p Karen, King. "Women In Ancient Christianity: The New Discoveries." Frontline: From! Jesus to Christ. Apr 1998: n. page. Web. 5 Mar < pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/women.html>. Osborne, Grant R.. Source: Westminster Theological Journal, 51 no 2 Fall 1989, p! Ryrie, Charles C. The Role of Women in the Church. Chicago: Moody Press, Stambaugh, John E. and David L. Balch. The New Testament in Its Social! Environment. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, Trenchard, Warren C. Ben Sira s View of Women: A Literary Analysis Chico, CA:! Scholars Press,