Somewhere between Burkhas and Bikinis...

Sunday I spoke on the question "Did Jesus Oppress Women?" I really enjoyed the study, but not everything made it into the message. I wanted to add a few points in writing that further the discussion.

1. When you write a letter or story, you do it on purpose. You start with background and show the story develop. I think John wrote the same way. When he wrote the gospel St. John he did something that I think was brilliant. He wrote John 3 all about a member of the highest religious group in Israel who came secretly at night to talk with Jesus; his name was Nicodemus. Then John follows that chapter with John 4, all about a Samaritan Woman. So what? John shows us that Jesus interacted with the highest and most prominent men, and in extreme contrast would spend time and have a drink with a down and out woman. Jesus wouldn't let prejudice stop him from giving life to anyone.

2. There are over a dozen women that Jesus interacted with. Mary, Martha, his mother, the Syro-Phoenician women (whom Jesus dismisses not because he's a misogynist, but rather for the sake of his mission. But because of her persistence she gets one of the few compliments referring to faith that anyone received from Him, and her need met) , the woman who touched Jesus' hem (more likely the tassels of his religious garb, referred to as wings, making Jesus the Christ with "healing in His wings".), Women who supported his ministry financially. A ton of female interaction with Jesus. And though it wasn't popular in the Hebraic culture Jesus wouldn't let prejudice stop him from giving life to anyone.

3. The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 is so cool. In the jewish/hebraic society that Jesus lived in females were not allowed to "sit at the Rabbi's feet". Jewish boys were sent to the local rabbi to hear his teaching and most committed the entire first five books of the bible to memory just by going and listening daily to the Rabbi. Luke 10 shows us another snapshot of how Jesus treated women. Martha is rushing around the house trying to play hostess, cook, and cleaning crew for these men that have come to her house. She gets upset because among all her frenetic work, she notices Mary sitting with Jesus listening. She appeals to Jesus to tell her sister to get to work doing the "womanly" tasks of cooking and cleaning. Jesus says to Martha that Mary has chosen the better thing; sitting at Jesus', the teacher, the Rabbi's feet. Counter-Cultural for sure, but we know that Jesus wouldn't let prejudice stop him from giving life to anyone.

Just some insights that I found interesting. They ended up on the cutting room floor, but I thought you'd enjoy them.

--Ben