Women and the Bible, online answers

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Women were very important in the New Covenant ministry and it is too bad that today’s church policy is basically set by the Apostle Paul’s stern rebuke to a few contentious, Hellenist women in the Greek city of Corinth (1Cor.14:34-35).  The role of a woman is outlined in Proverbs 31:10-31.

“For a man or woman, the first step to wisdom is silence - the second is listening!”  In a meeting of like-minded Believers, if you do not have something worthwhile to say then one is quiet, listens, and learns.  Contentious people - women or men - who really do not know what they are talking about, should disengage their vocal subroutines and learn, or in other words keep their mouths shut. 

The Bibles New Testament - as well as the Hebrew Testament - have much to say regarding strong women of faith working on YAHWEH’S behalf.  Yahshua even shocked His Disciples with His revolutionary concepts that women were equal to men in the sight of our CREATOR, and could equally receive forgiveness and grace in the future Kingdom.  He also taught that they have the same responsibility to learn, and grow in grace and knowledge, as men do.

Just as with Moses, women were very important to Yahshua and His ministry, and most of it is recorded - with their names - by Luke the only gentile Apostle.  He was a friend and traveling companion to Paul.  They worked together on the Book of Acts, and he was in contact with Paul during his last years in prison (Col.4:14; 2Tim.4:11). 

First and foremost, there would not even be a New Covenant ministry if it had not been for a young Jewish girl named Miriam, known as Mary in the west.  She was the first human being to know of the soon coming Messiah, and the announcement is one of the most favored verses in the Gospels (Luk.1:28). 

It wasn’t easy being the mother of the Messiah, and she was a faithful servant of YAHWEH throughout it all.  First she knew she would face shame and humiliation as she married already pregnant.  Behind the scenes there were some raised eyebrows and finger-pointing gossip, which followed the whole family throughout their lives.  Raising a child prodigy was tough, and she did not always understand everything her Son spoke of.  And the most horrifying of all, she had to see her Son die at an early age.

Yahshua-Jesus was respectful to His mother and honored her to the end.  Yahshua was respectful to all women and early on a woman helped support His ministry.  He faced the wrath of the rabbis when He healed a woman on the Sabbath, and showed His regard for her by calling her the “daughter of Abraham.”  Using this very controversial term meant He was raising her from a mere woman to a status equal with men who were called the sons of Abraham (Luk.13:10-16).  Women as well as men were free to be among the Messiah’s personal followers, and He offered full discipleship to them (Luk.8:1-3). 

These were not feminist theologians like today who want to remake GOD into their womanly image.  These were faithful women who were amazed at His example of true male conduct.  Yahshua was a teacher who took them seriously and listened to their questions and arguments.  He never nagged them, falsely flattered or coaxed them, and when necessary He gently rebuked them without quarrelousness.  He never segregated them, He encouraged them to sit with the men and listen to the Kingdom discussions (Luk.10:38-42).  

Lastly, women were the first at the birth, death, and resurrection of the Messiah.  It is ironic that in a culture where a woman could not be a legal witness, they were good enough to be witnesses for the Kingdom as they were the first to see the raised Messiah (Mat.28:1-10).

From the book  The Mystical Rites of our CREATOR  ISBN 0-9675266-0-4

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