03.28.05
Posted in faith at 12:19 pm by
Pastor Bill was preaching this Sunday (yesterday) and he raised an interesting point. I found it fascinating, so I thought I’d share it with all of you. But first, it seems as though a little context is called for:
Matthew 28: 8-10
8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Pastor Bill brought up an interesting point. You see women’s testimony didn’t really hold much water in Jesus’ day. Pastor Bill cited Josephus (a historian from around the time of Jesus). He wrote about legal statutes regarding the treatment of the testimony of women. I’m paraphrasing here, but the jist was this, Women can’t be trusted because they are the ‘irrational’ and ‘emotional’ sex.
Indubitably, Jesus knew this. Yet, with this understanding of the law, culture, and mores of his day he instructed the instruments of his ressurection to be women. Jesus recognized that women were seen as untrustworthy, but he bucked the system.
Of course, as Jesus probably well knew, his disciples didn’t really trust these women–their words were to them like ‘nonsense.’
Still, the fact remains that despite the women’s unlikely status as messengers of the good news, as bringers of truth, Jesus entrusted THEM with the message. Jesus saw the system and saw that it was sinful, and behaved in ways appropriate and just and right–despite being in a ‘man’s’ world.
Jesus Christ, the feminist.
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Posted in faith at 12:19 pm by
Pastor Bill was preaching this Sunday (yesterday) and he raised an interesting point. I found it fascinating, so I thought I’d share it with all of you. But first, it seems as though a little context is called for:
Matthew 28: 8-10
8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Pastor Bill brought up an interesting point. You see women’s testimony didn’t really hold much water in Jesus’ day. Pastor Bill cited Josephus (a historian from around the time of Jesus). He wrote about legal statutes regarding the treatment of the testimony of women. I’m paraphrasing here, but the jist was this, Women can’t be trusted because they are the ‘irrational’ and ‘emotional’ sex.
Indubitably, Jesus knew this. Yet, with this understanding of the law, culture, and mores of his day he instructed the instruments of his ressurection to be women. Jesus recognized that women were seen as untrustworthy, but he bucked the system.
Of course, as Jesus probably well knew, his disciples didn’t really trust these women–their words were to them like ‘nonsense.’
Still, the fact remains that despite the women’s unlikely status as messengers of the good news, as bringers of truth, Jesus entrusted THEM with the message. Jesus saw the system and saw that it was sinful, and behaved in ways appropriate and just and right–despite being in a ‘man’s’ world.
Jesus Christ, the feminist.
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catholic_girl said,
March 28, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Great entry, Brandon. I really needed to read that today. I generally use a snarky tone when I complain about how my denomination and others marginalize women, but the truth is, it really hurts. Thanks for reminding me that Jesus didn’t see things the way some of the churches that use his name do.
Public Theologian said,
March 28, 2005 at 4:50 pm
A fine observation. Jesus’ feminist tendencies are even more acute in the Gospel of Luke and its sequel, Acts, where both Jesus and the apostles have numerous female followers who believe, testify and even underwrite the church’s mission (e.g. Lydia is the big donor in the first stewardship campaign). But you’d better stop telling folks things like this or people will think that, well, you’re a bad Christian.
Kevin said,
March 28, 2005 at 6:33 pm
No kidding Brandon. Women aren’t allowed to speak in church, remember? Even if their were, um, women deacons and prophets.
Tim said,
March 29, 2005 at 5:39 pm
It wasn’t just Josephus–the notion of women as irrational etc. was a fundamental principle of the Greco-roman world. Aristotle, Plato, and from there the Church Fathers (sic) picked it up–it really got amplified in the monastic tradition, as writers demonized women in order to recruit and retain oblates.
sojourness said,
March 29, 2005 at 7:25 pm
That’s a great comment…thanks for sharing it. Makes me feel better about the whole “Is Christianity as misogynist as it seems?” question that keeps pestering me.
Glenn Dixon said,
April 5, 2005 at 5:16 pm
of course Mark omits any reference to seeing Jesus and has Mary and the women telling NO-one….