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Paul liked Women, but Jesus was a Ladies’ Man

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God (Corinthians 11:3).

Unfortunately parts of the Bible, including the preceding verse, have been used to oppress women. I have to admit, the first time that I read this verse, I was somewhat stunned. I was born in the 70s in Eastern Kentucky, what many people erroneously consider the backwaters of evolution. And even I thought this verse was completely sexist and chauvinistic. However, my feelings were based on one verse and not the totality of the book.

Paul wrote Corinthians, the book of the Bible that contains this verse. He also wrote other books. Here is what else he writes about husbands and wives. These verses are from Ephesians 5: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

I think the wife got the better end of the deal. Wives must respect their husbands. Now that can be easier said than done (especially depending on your husband). Nevertheless, let us closely examine what the husband is required to do. Husbands are required to love their wives the way Christ loved the church. The last time I checked, Jesus was nailed to a cross for the church. Using that comparison, if husbands are not willing to be tacked to a cross for their wives, then they do not love them enough. Ouch. I think that if men would stand up and be leaders, and that they would love their wives the way that they are supposed to love them, then women would not have so many issues with Corinthians 11:3.

So, one can easily say that Paul liked women, and Paul was a very holy man. But, in the end, he was just a man. What did Jesus think of women? To understand Jesus’ view towards women, one must understand the culture of Israel in the 1st century. Just a few regulations concerning women: 1) women were required to walk six paces behind their husbands. 2) Women could not show their hair in public. 3) Women could not obtain an inheritance. 4) Women were not counted as Synagogue members. 5) Women could only observe and could not participate in ceremonies. To put it mildly, it was a male-dominated society. (from “Women in Ancient Israel”-internet article)

Jesus thought differently. He had female followers, and he was proud of them. The Bible mentions several female followers with the most prominent being Mary Magdalene (and no, Jesus did not have a crush on her…..dang Da Vinci Code.). Some scholars think Mary was as influential as any of the 12 disciples. The Bible also mentions several of Jesus’ encounters with woman. For example, he counsels the Samaritan woman at the well. Jews were not even supposed to speak to Samaritan men, but Jesus counsels a Samaritan woman (John 4). Jesus took time to heal women, such as Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2). Jesus also saved a woman from being stoned to death (John 8).

To me, however, the most woman-honoring thing that Jesus did concerned the resurrection. On Sunday morning, the first Easter Sunday, Jesus allowed a woman to discover the empty tomb (John 20). Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb. Furthermore, she was also the first person to see the resurrected Jesus. There is some disagreement among historians about whether women could testify in court in the 1st century, but the vast majority of historians would say that a man’s testimony would be given much more weight. Yet, Jesus allowed a woman, in a very male dominated society, to be the first person to discover his empty tomb and also be the first person to see him in his resurrected form. Amazing. Jesus was definitely a ladies’ man.

****Picture is from FunnyJunk.com******