The Counter-culture of Jesus

In a patriarchal society, Jesus was able to demonstrate his egalitarian views of women by his interactions with them and by incorporating them into his ministry. At the time that Jesus lived, women were relegated to a role of mother and wife and were considered subordinate to men. Accounts of Jesus' teachings in the Gospels show that Jesus held women in an equal role as men.

Women during the time of Jesus' ministry were not considered equal to men. They could not be a witness in court, could not vote, and could not actively participate in worship at the synagogue. While women were commanded to observe prohibitions stated in the Law, there were not permitted to study it (Lohse, 1976).

The Gospels provide many examples of Jesus interacting with women in a manner that was contrary to the tradition. One important interaction with a woman that is recounted in the Gospel of Luke occurred in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus was in the middle of a lesson when he noticed a crippled woman in the back and he called out to her. What happens next goes against several standards for that time. Not only did Jesus interrupt his lesson to speak to the woman, but he called her up to the front to an area that was reserved for men. Next, he laid his hands on her to heal her. The priests in the synagogue were incensed that Jesus would choose that time and place to heal the woman, but by doing so, Jesus was demonstrating that women were as important as men.

Jesus' interactions with other women during his travels and ministry were also considered controversial. In Luke Chapter 7, a prostitute comes to the house of a Pharisee where Jesus is having dinner and washes his feet. The Pharisee could not believe that Jesus would let the woman touch him, but Jesus not only allowed the woman to continue the anointment, but forgave her of her sins.

The theme of associating with people who are of questionable backgrounds or non-Jewish is prevalent in the Gospels. Part of the counter-cultural aspect of Jesus' teachings was to ignore and break down those divisions. In John, Chapter 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by Jacob's well. Samaritan's were viewed by Jews to be 'unclean' and any Jew who used a drinking cup used by Samaritan would become ceremonially unclean also. Jesus revealed himself to her as the Messiah and she went into town to tell other Samaritans of him. Her testimony led to Jesus staying in that town for two days and many Samaritans became believers.

Women were also important in Jesus' ministry. Among the group of disciples who traveled with Jesus during his ministry were several women. One in particular, Mary Magdalene, is almost always listed first in the list of Jesus' female disciples. By allowing women to travel with him and the other men and to take part in the ministry, Jesus was showing that women were important in the spreading of Christianity. Though the culture placed restrictions on what women could or should do, to Jesus women were more than welcome to follow and take part.

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus commends Mary, the sister of Martha, for abandoning the traditional role and sitting at his feet to listen and become a disciple. When Martha complained that Mary was not helping her with preparations, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better thing to do. In Chapter 21, Jesus uses another woman as an example of a faithful follower. At the temple, Jesus observes rich people putting gifts into the treasury and then he sees a poor widow drop in two copper coins that were worth very little. Jesus said that the woman had in essence given more than the rich because she gave all that she had.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 11, tells another story of Mary and her sister Martha. Their brother, Lazarus, had been dead for four days when Jesus performed a miracle and brought him back to life. Martha becomes a model of the faithful disciple by declaring that she believes that Jesus is the Son of God and that God will do anything that Jesus asks.

One other example of the importance placed on women in Jesus' life was the fact that it was women to whom Jesus first revealed himself following the resurrection. At a time when the teaching of the Torah in Jewish tradition was restricted to males and women were not deemed worthy to receive the important messages of God, Jesus chose women to be the messengers of his resurrection. In Mark, Chapter 16, a man, identified in Matthew as an angel, appeared to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome and told them that Jesus had been resurrected. Luke, Chapter 24, gives a similar narration to that of Mark. In Luke 11:11, the apostles do not believe the women when they tell them that they saw two angels who said that Jesus had risen. In verse 25, Jesus tells the apostles they were foolish for not believing the women's story.

In John, Chapter 20, Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus' tomb and finds it empty. She goes to tell the other disciples and after they leave, she is crying in front of the tomb when Jesus appears to her. Jesus sends Mary Magdalene to the disciples to tell them that Jesus has been resurrected. This makes her a messenger of very important news that would not have been trusted to a woman of that day. In essence, this act elevates Mary Magdalene to an apostle level of status.

Jesus' willingness to preach to and teach women, even women of ill-repute, was one of the most radical aspects of his ministry. He treated women as equals and this allowed them to escape the traditional confines of a lack of education and participation in religious ceremonies. Jesus is portrayed as encouraging women to serve to the best of their ability, regardless of whether they were Samaritan, Gentile, or Jew. Jesus defied cultural traditions in his interactions with women and brought a message that all would be accepted into Christianity.

References

The NIV Study Bible, 1985.

Lohse, Eduard, 1976. The New Testament Environment. Abingdon Press: Nashville.