Womanhood

I have long questioned the movement of feminism.

I love being a woman. I believe every woman should love being a woman. I believe we are leaders. I believe we have great things, and unique things to offer this world. I believe there is power in a woman who embraces being a woman.

And as such, the last thing I want to do as a woman is insist on being treated like a man.

In scripture, my role as a woman is not an afterthought. God did not give the man all the important responsibilities and leave women with whatever fell through the cracks. And as such, I don’t feel the need to fight for the right to be given the same responsibilities as men. Frankly, I have my hands full just trying to grasp what God would have me do on this earth in the role he has outlined for me.

Now on the surface, there maybe doesn’t seem to be all that much for a woman to aspire towards. After all, much of the instruction concerning women in the early church seems to be composed of a whole lot of restrictions: Don’t speak, don’t teach men, don’t pray or prophesy with your head uncovered, don’t go overboard on the braids and pearls. (1 Timothy 2:12, 1 Corinthians 11:5, 1 Timothy 2:8) In light of this, I know more than my fair share of women who would say, “In order to be of any use for Christ I MUST be given at least SOME of the same responsibility as men.”

But I’m prepared to argue that the role of women that is outlined in the Bible is far more than a list of things to avoid. In fact, I’m prepared to argue that there is a profound role intended for women that requires we embrace our differences from men.

Now I admit, if you blitz through the New Testament it’s pretty easy to miss this. In fact, if we ever approach the Bible without taking the time to pray I believe we’re in danger of misconstruing what we read, or at very least missing out on some of what God has to bring to our attention. In my experience, prayer has been the ticket from a reading head space to a listening one.

It’s through prayer that the Lord brought these stories to life in my mind: stories of women Jesus loved and used as an integral part of his mission here on earth in roles that are set apart and do not contradict the rest of the instruction given for women in the New Testament. These are only some of the practical examples I found of how women were being used in Christ’s ministry:

1) The Woman of Samaria at the Well

Jesus goes through Samara with his sights set on an unmarried, Gentile woman to whom he would reveal the secret of New Testament worship: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23) And what does she do with her personal encounter with the Lord? She shares it: “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’…They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’” (John 4:39,42) Whoever said a woman needs to be married to be active in the spreading of the Gospel? Certainly not Jesus.

Point #1: She is entrusted with truth. She is entrusted with pointing others to Christ by means of her testimony.

2) Mary at the Death of Lazarus

If you’ve never before memorized a verse of scripture, today is your day. John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” And what is it that brought the Son of God to tears? “Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” (John 11:32-33) Jesus not only hears the prayers of his daughters, but he is “deeply moved” by the honest, unabashed sentiments of her heart. Oh yeah, and he raised Lazarus from the dead later that day. Wow.

Point #2: Her heart can move the heart of God. There is power in her prayer.

3) Mary Anoints Jesus for Burial

“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:3) Her story is also found in Mark 14:3-9: “She has done a beautiful thing to me… She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial… wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” (And again in Matthew 26:6-13). The men, by the way, were watching all this going on and saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” (Matthew 26:8-9). Sound like any practically-minded men you know? But Mary has a deeper intuition as to the worth of Jesus and an out-of-the-box manifestation of her adoration in worship. And as such, she has a cherished encounter with Christ that others – unfortunately – miss out on.

Point #3: She worships profoundly. She is in tune to the worth of the Saviour.

4) The Widow’s Offering

Again, a woman whose heart of worship catches Jesus’ attention and is used as an example to teach anyone past or present who has ever spent time in the Word of God meditating on her story how we ought to give. “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:43-44).

Point #4: Others learn by her selfless demeanor. Others learn from her sacrifice.

5) Mary and Mary at the Tomb

I LOVE this. Read this excerpt from Matthew 28:5-10, which takes place after the resurrection of Christ:

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.’ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'”

Two things make this passage especially mind-blowing to me. A) I once read a novel called Jesus on Trial,  which brought to my attention that the testimony of women in the time of Jesus was widely disregarded in a court of law, and in many other contexts for that matter. Essentially, their word was worth very little to their culture in that time. B) The resurrection of Christ is the single biggest deal in the Christian faith. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain,” and in verse 17, “… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Jesus being raised from the dead is the only proof we have that God was satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice and that our sins are completely and utterly paid for in Christ. Isaiah 53:11: “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”

Think about it. God entrusted the most profound news there ever was in the history of the world and ever will be into eternity to two women, whose culture at the time told them that they were of little credibility. If that doesn’t blow the lid off your presumptions concerning what God thinks of your role as a woman, I don’t know what will.

Point #5: She is entrusted with crucial truth. Her testimony is of worth to the Father.

6) The Church as Christ’s Bride

You’ll need to track with me a bit on this one. Although the Church is primarily referred to as Christ’s body throughout Scripture, I’m sure we’re all familiar with the Church being pictured as the bride of Christ. Ephesians 5:25, for example, draws a direct comparison between the relationship of a husband of wife to that of Christ and the Church: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” and the (perhaps less popular) verse prior: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands” (Ephesians 5:24). While this obviously has implications for the married woman, I am inclined to believe that practically, this verse can be applied to all women. And beyond that, to all people, men or women, who have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour.

Here’s why: the principles outlined in this chapter of Ephesians are two-fold: 1) a woman must submit to her husband, and 2) the Church is expected to submit to Christ. It is apparent to me that whether or not God has purposed for you to be a wife at this point in your life, God has without a doubt purposed all Christians to be a part of the global Church. That means, whether you are a man or woman, child or elder, new to the faith or know your Bible inside out, we as the collective Church are all expected to submit to Christ. 

So this applies to us all. Here’s why I think this is significant:

The idea of being in submission to Christ may be easy for some of us to grasp, but I have a feeling that especially for men, this is a hard pill to swallow. Does that mean women don’t struggle with pride? Of course not. But stay with me.

I believe God has hardwired women in a way that sets us apart from men in a general sense. This may be an old fashioned notion, but I believe there is at least some measure of sensitivity and intuition embedded in each of us that allows us to see more of ourselves and others than is on the surface. On a spiritual level, we respond to the needs of others, and even to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in ways a man might not even consider. Not that he is incapable, but let be real, it just takes more effort for him to pick up on the cues women are generally more in tune with. (For credibility’s sake, my husband agrees with me on this one).

As a result, I believe we have a different perspective of the big picture that makes it easier for us to submit to the greater plan. And we, ladies, have the opportunity to pave the way for the men in our lives to see what we see, and to embrace the role of “bride” as it pertains to the global church. By our example, we can actually help the men in our lives live more like Christ in his total submission to the will of his Father.

Think about it. God chose the woman’s role in the picture of marriage to be the example for the entire church to follow. If you’re married, God has chosen your role as the wife to be the example that the global Church seeks to emulate. Crazy, right?

Finally Point #6: Her submission is a picture of the submission men ought to have to Christ. Her example is to be followed.

By Way of Closing:

Ladies, the Church needs our perspective, and the Church needs our example. Our obedience to the call to submission to Christ is something others can learn from. I know I’m speaking in generalities, and I have met some men who are about 100x more intuitive than I could ever hope to be. All the same, we have a responsibility to the truth God has entrusted to us. As the women in these passages of Scripture consistently demonstrate, we are to have an appreciation of worship, attitude of humility, and boldness of expression that inspires others to have the same.

In the end, it all comes down to how my Creator created me, and how I can best bring him glory by the role he has given me to do. You don’t need to be a man to be valuable. All you need is to pursue what God has purposed for you. As a woman.