Imago Dei pt4

History has honestly not been very kind to women. Starting from the jump in Genesis 3, there has been much that has been written and laid at the feet of women, that is harmful, slanderous, and completely non-sensical. It is often said that Eve is responsible for sin entering into the world, when Adam- who God have the instructions about the tree- is standing right by as his wife is deceived, and then he joins her in eating the fruit. From there, women have had the ills of the world laid at their feet.

Women in the world have had to fight to not be seen as property, to speak, to vote, to work, to be paid equally…the list goes on. And yet, their strength is often questioned, belittled, and ignored. And sadly, the Bible has often been used as a means to make this happen. And the wins that women have earned, rather than being celebrated, are often downplayed. Even two weeks ago, when President Biden made his remarks the joint session of Congress and he mentioned doing so in front of a female VP and speaker of the House, snide remarks were made- including by some Oklahoma politicians. It’s disturbing, not just due to the optics or the crudeness, but because women are Image Bearers, just as much as men are. In fact, Genesis goes out of its way to say so in Genesis 1:27 that both men and women are created in His image.

There is a lot of confusion today about what it means to elevate and empower women. Some seem to think that to do so is to treat a woman like a man. Or for a woman to act in manly ways. But that’s nonsense. Males are males. Females are females. There is no reason for a woman to have to act like something she is not, in order to be seen as valuable and worthy and able to contribute to the church and to the world in general. And if you look in the Bible, you will see this acknowledged again and again.

And yet, the Bible and Christianity have a poor reputation when it comes to women. Which, when you read the Bible, especially the New Testament, is odd, because one of the criticisms of Christianity in the first century was their elevation of women…not their denigration of women. Yet, somehow, this has been lost today. And those who celebrate women and seek to have them exercise their gifts and callings in the church are called radicals, or feminists, or liberals. Yet, Jesus and the early church did all of these things. And we cannot honor the Imago Dei in women, without doing those things. So when we do these things we are not being anything but biblical- and last time I checked that is what we are supposed to be.

So this morning, I want to spend some time looking at Jesus. How did He empower women? How did He elevate them in ways that were counter-cultural? What did He do to reshape the place of women in the church? And how did the early church carry this out?

Jesus spoke to women- John 4:7-19, 27

The rabbinic oral law was quite explicit: “He who talks with a woman [in public] brings evil upon himself.” Another rabbinic teaching prominent in Jesus’ day taught, “One is not so much as to greet a woman.- from Alvin Schmidt’s How Christianity Changed the World

First, Jesus interacted with women like He interacted with everyone else. He did not keep them at arm’s length. Even women who would be viewed as “sinful” or “tempting.” He made time for them and He spoke to them.

John: An Introduction and Commentary ii. Jesus’ Conversation with the Samaritan Woman (4:7–30)

Contact was initiated as Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ In the culture of the day, it was strange for a man to initiate conversation with a woman in public, something noted by Jesus’ disciples later

John: An Introduction and Commentary ii. Jesus’ Conversation with the Samaritan Woman (4:7–30)

Such an attitude to women is reflected in the writings of the rabbis: ‘One does not speak with a woman in the street, not even with his own wife, and certainly not with another woman, because of people’s gossip

There is a lot of suspicion laid out today about men interacting with women. You hear a lot of talk about “temptation” and “appearances of evil.” Ever notice how that sounds? It sounds like an accusation that men have no self control and women are seeking to entice men into illicit relationships. How does that reflect the Imago Dei?

Jesus’ attitude to women was different from that of his disciples. He initiated a long and meaningful conversation with the Samaritan woman in public, unconcerned about other people’s prejudices

Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 137). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

John 1–11 6. The Witness to the Samaritan Woman: A Lesson for the Disciples and a Crucial Confession (4:1–42)

But Jesus was different. He spoke to her as God spoke to Hagar and as Abraham’s servant spoke to Rebekah in ancient times. This woman was really being treated like a person

Jesus spoke to women, because God speaks to His people- both male and female. And when we ignore wha God says to a woman, because she is a woman, we do so at our peril.

Jesus taught women- Luke 10:38-42

By teaching Mary spiritual truths, he violated another rabbinic law, which said, “Let the words of the Law [Torah] be burned rather than taught to women. . . . If a man teaches his daughter the law, it is as though he taught her lechery.- Schmidt

Second, Jesus not only taught women, He showed that their spiritual growth was valuable and their own. And they should take responsibility for it. Mary WANTS to know about Jesus. She is not going to be denied.

Luke Looking to Jesus: Mary and Martha (10:38–42)

Just as the Samaritan’s activity in the previous parable was surprising, so is this portrait of these women with Jesus. Why would a teacher spend time teaching only women? In the first-century culture the question would be inevitable. The fact that Jesus commends Mary and has a meal with Martha shows that Jesus is concerned about all people

The Gospel according to Luke Martha, Mary, and Jesus (10:38–42)

Those who congregate at Jesus’ feet—women (7:38; 10:39), Gentiles (8:35), and Samaritans (17:16)—were not permitted at the feet of typical Jewish rabbis, however

The theological education of women in the church has taken a back seat to the education of men for a long time. I had a friend at seminary, the wife of a guy I was tight with, who was an MDiv major- which required her to take homiletics classes- preaching classes. When the admin changed as we were winding down our degrees, the admin tried to prevent her from taking those classes- saying she had not reason to “learn how to preach and teach.” And yet, isn’t ALL theological education for that purpose? Yep. That’s why they suggested she change her degree plan to one focused on…get this…homemaking skills.

We need women to know the Word, because followers of Jesus should know the Word. When we elevate the education of men in the Word over women, we do a grave disservice to the church.

Jesus invited women to answer Him- John 11:17-27

“To teach a woman was bad enough, but Jesus did more than that. He called for a verbal response from Martha. Once more, he went against the socioreligious custom by teaching a woman and by having her publicly respond to him, a man.- Schmidt

Not only did Jesus teach women, He invited them to respond to His teaching. He asked them questions. How often in church, are the questions of women overlooked? Are women an afterthought? Too often. And they are not often the focus of the sermon or the service. And yet with Jesus, often women are the focal point- parables, miracles, teachings, the cross. They are front and center…and at the end the last ones standing with Him. They knew He valued them.

John 1–11 (3) The Encounter with Martha (11:17–27)

Jesus’ question, “Do you believe this?” (11:26), was met similarly by Martha’s affirmation of belief in (a) his messiahship (“Christ”), (b) his divine descent (“Son of God”), and (c) his fulfillment of Jewish expectations (the one “who was to come into the world,” 11:27). Although each of the designations has been used earlier, the expression “Son of God” is particularly significant in the movement of Johannine thought

When we SILENCE the voices of women in the church, we leave the congregation weakened and operating at half strength. And some people are happy that way, because it allows them to feel in charge and powerful. But scripture is clear that the voices of women matter. In the NT, women prayed, prophesyed, and taught. They were not second class citizens suited only for cooking and watching children. They participated fully in the life of the church. Why? Because they have the same Holy Spirit living in them as a man does. And that Spirit equips all of us to serve.

Jesus chose women as His first evangelists- Matthew 28:1-11a

Mary and Martha were not just the first people to see the risen Jesus, they were the first people to be told to go and proclaim His resurrection- and to His male disciples. In fact, their testimony is one of the reasons the story of the resurrection has such veracity. Women were not considered “credible” witnesses in Jewish or Roman society. Yet the testimony of these women led to the faith of the disciples. And the formation of the Church. Without their faithfulness, we are not here today.

Matthew God Often Sends His Message Through the Least (28:1)

Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries held little esteem for the testimony of women (Jos. Ant. 4.219; m. Yebamot 15:1, 8–10; 16:7; Ketubot 1:6–9; compare Lk 24:11); this reflects the broader Mediterranean culture’s limited trust of women’s testimony, a mistrust enshrined in Roman law (Gardner 1986:165; Kee 1980:89). By contrast, the guards’ report that the disciples had stolen the body (Mt 28:11–15) would command much greater respect then, as well as in an antisupernaturalistic culture like much of modern academia. Later Christians thus had to depend on the testimony of men for the public forum (1 Cor 15:5–8). No one had apologetic reason to invent the testimony of these women, but the Gospel writers may have a profound theological purpose in preserving it.

Matthew lays these two reports, the true and the false, side by side, forcing his audience to declare their choice. The testimony of the women thus becomes a model for the disciples who will follow them

Matthew 2. Resurrection! (28:1–20)

the women will become the first witnesses to the resurrection, a fact that seems to guarantee the credibility of the account in a world that usually did not accept women’s testimony as legally binding. Were the story fabricated, only male witnesses would have appeared. The role of the women also points to the dawning of a new age of equality among women and men in Christ

The role of women in society was elevated and advanced by Christianity. When we move to denigrate women, ignore their giftings, abuse them, or degrade them we are not in step with who Jesus was or what He calls us to be.

Women were not viewed as property in churches. They attended church with their husbands. They were sometimes rowdy (hence the passage in 1 Timothy- which is not a blanket prohibition on women teaching, but a lesson about decorum) The early church was a place where women could be safe, honored, protected, and yes, elevated.

We know this extended beyond the ministry of Jesus because in the rest of the New Testament women are everywhere- teaching evangelists (Priscilla), prophesying (Philip’s daughters Acts 21), serving in leadership in churches (Phoebe Romans 16), and in honored positions in churches (elect lady- 2 John), among other references.

How do we honor the Imago Dei that is revealed in the ladies?

We see them as called to follow Jesus (Gospel presentation here)

We honor their callings as much as we honor a man’s

We refuse to participate in their marginilization or denigration

We love them as sisters and mothers and as Jesus loved the Church- 1 Timpthy 5:1-2