What is a woman’s place in God’s Kingdom?
That is one of the biggest questions I’ve experienced on an on-going basis, and though I’ve been exploring Scripture for years, I’m not sure that I understand the fullness of God’s plan even yet. But there are a few things I’ve discovered that I want to pass on to you.
As a little girl, there were things that were “girl” things, such as pink, and dolls, and housework, and then there were things that were “boy” things such as blue, and trucks, and outside chores. Gardening and getting firewood were family projects, but sewing was girls’ work, and car maintenance was definitely boys’ work.
As I grew older, I learned the lines weren’t quite as clear as they had been when I was a child. Some men could cook, and some women could change their own flat tires. Some women could hunt and fish, while some men could sweep floors, and wash laundry. But girls still wore dresses, and boys wore the pants.
We smile now, remembering how simple everything was as a child, and perhaps we cringe as we consider how complicated everything has become today. But there was nothing simple about the woman’s place in the church.
As a girl it was ok to ask questions in Sunday School, to quote a memory verse, or to pick a song to sing, but somewhere, at some unspecified age, it became inappropriate for a woman’s voice to be heard, other than when singing, in any mixed group of men and women. There might be light bantering between men and women in a completely relaxed and casual setting, but if a serious topic would surface in conversation, or if there was any slightly formal meeting, the women would quietly shrink back into their appropriate place of silence. They could ask their husband questions at home, perhaps even influence his opinion, but in a church setting, they must not speak.
I never knew exactly where that line was. I thought maybe it was when you were baptized and joined the church, but sometimes, it seemed I was still expected to give my testimony or ask for prayer. Maybe it was after marriage that one had to keep silence – that seemed to be universally true, except for the rare rebel that would dare to stand and speak on occasion. They perhaps never heard the whispered advice to wives and daughters alike: “Don’t be like so-and-so. She was definitely out of her place as a woman!”
Keeping silence was only one dimension of a woman’s proper place. Every wife was to be a keeper at home, not taking outside employment, but keeping the house in tip-top shape, and teaching the children to be well-mannered, and hard-working.
Husbands were expected to not only make it possible for wives to be stay-at-home moms, but also to keep their wives in check, if they might be at all tempted to over-step their boundaries. Husbands made all the final decisions, and wives were expected to support and encourage their husbands in everything. Husbands were encouraged to look after the finances and see to the business, while wives were to manage the homeschooling (or getting the children off to school each day), and to support the husband in any way he needed to succeed.
A wife was allowed to voice an opinion in a matter if she was asked, but unsolicited opinions were frowned upon, and if she voiced them too loudly or forcefully, she was definitely out of her place. If she questioned a decision, or openly disagreed, she was certainly in rebellion!
A wife’s goal was to make her husband a success at the expense of her own dreams and goals. Her success as a person depended on how well she submitted to her husband, and on how successful her husband was. Her calling, in short, was to be a good wife, mother, and homemaker. Nothing beyond that, except if she, as an older woman, was teaching younger women to also be good wives, mothers and homemakers.
Then one day, while doing a women’s Bible study, I ran across an idea that became almost revolutionary to me, the more I pondered it.
When God created Adam and Eve, He wanted to create man and woman in His image, to bear His likeness. God wanted to reveal His own characteristics through the characteristics He gave male and female.
I realized that man showed the protector, provider, strong side of who God is, and woman showed the relational, nurturing, and creative side of God.
Now, I knew why God had created male and female — to showcase different facets of Himself — but if women were putting a facet of God on display, didn’t that mean that their value was exactly equal to the male, who also displays a facet of who God is? So why did God treat men and women differently in the Bible? Or did He?
I started exploring how Jesus interacted with women during His time on earth. Somehow, it felt easier to watch Jesus live out God’s heart for women, than it was to pick out the whispers of God’s favor toward them throughout the law. In the Old Testament, it often seemed that wives were repressed, controlled, and regarded as possessions. However, as I began to see God’s heart for women through the lens of the New Testament, I realized that His character hadn’t changed from the Old to the New. Instead, my understanding was influenced by the cultural context of that time and my own experiences, which led me to overlook the subtle ways God was protecting and caring for women’s safety and well-being all along.
The first thing I noticed was the women listed in Jesus’ genealogy – five of them, in fact, that had lived scandalous lives. There was Tamar – the one who had two dead-under-suspicious-circumstance husbands, and had prostituted herself out to her father-in-law, Rahab – the harlot, Ruth – a foreigner from an enemy nation, Bathsheba – a victim of rape, and the wife of a murder victim, and Mary – a virgin who conceived?!
Why did God choose to mention these women by name, out of all the women that were part of Jesus’ family tree?
Because women were some of the most despised, least privileged people of that day, I think God wanted to offer them hope and redemption through Jesus. Through women, sin had entered into the world, and through them, the remedy for sin would also enter the world. It was a picture of nothing being too great a sin to be covered by His blood, and that no one was too unworthy to receive His salvation. This showed me that no matter how worthless and undervalued I felt in society or culture, He had not forgotten me, and cared enough about women (in general) to give them an extra-special mention.
Then as I looked at Jesus’ interaction with the women around Him, I was blessed to see Him honoring them, caring for them, providing for them, and treating them with dignity and compassion. If I would list every one of His interactions with women, the list would be long, so let’s look at just a few of them, and then you can look at the rest for yourself.
Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15): She was not so insignificant as to remain sick unnoticed. Nor was she untouchable. He touched her, healed her, and then allowed her to serve Him. He was not above needing her.
Woman with an issue of blood for 12 years (Matt. 9:20): She again did not go unnoticed in the crowd that thronged Him. He saw her for who she was, but didn’t condemn her, even though she was unclean according to Mosaic law. He comforted her, commended her faith, and healed her. He didn’t shame her, or belittle her, nor did He ignore her. She had His personal attention and respect.
Woman with the alabaster box of ointment (Matt. 26:6-13): He defended her, honored and respected her, and allowed her to worship Him lavishly. He allowed her to publicly touch Him, which would have most likely been counted inappropriate or disgraceful, and He certainly didn’t criticize or condemn her for her “wastefulness” or public display of affection.
Women at the tomb (Matt. 28:1-10): He gave them the privilege of seeing Him first. He didn’t buy into the cultural discrimination of the day, but instead trusted them as reliable witnesses to His resurrection.
These are just a few. Some of the other gospels record other instances, such as the woman at the well, the widow who gave her last penny, the widow whose only son had died, His own mother, Mary, and Mary and Martha, the woman caught in adultery, and more. Each woman was treated with dignity and respect, compassion and care. As you study each interaction, I think you will be amazed at Jesus’ heart for women, and Jesus told us in His own words, that He came to show us the Father. God has a special place for women in His heart and in His Kingdom.
I used to read Galatians 3:26-29, and wonder why there was such a difference in the church between men and women, if the Bible said very clearly that “there is neither Jew nor Greek (race), there is neither bond nor free (class), there is neither male nor female (gender): for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
I have a few remaining questions regarding practical application of these verses, but I am sure of a couple of things: no one believer has more value than another, and all have equal access to the fullness that is in Christ. This means that as a woman, the Holy Spirit speaks to me as faithfully as He does to my brothers. I am not relegated to silence just because I am a woman. Equally, I am commissioned to share my faith, to encourage the church, and to use the gifts I’ve been given. It also means that it is just as vital to pursue fulfillment of my calling in life, as it is for my brothers to pursue theirs.
So, why did God create women? What is their place in the church? In this blog, we see that He created us to put on display for all to see, certain characteristics of Himself, and that He has a place for each of us to serve in His Kingdom that is not diminished by the fact that we are women. In the next blog, I’d like to explore some of this to a greater depth.
