Israel was a patriarchal society in which women occupied a subordinate position and in many ways were treated as social and spiritual inferiors to men. It’s difficult to generalize, because rabbis differed among themselves on this issue, and fathers differed in the upbringing of their daughters. Husbands also differed in how controlling and restrictive they were with their wives. Love and personality differences of the Hebrew men in the lives of women created a wide variety of experiences. Yet it is undeniable that generally a woman’s lot in that patriarchal society was difficult.
In their younger
years, daughters were often treated with suspicion. They were closely
supervised in order to prevent anything that might be viewed as unchaste. When
she began her menstrual cycle, a woman was unclean and needed purification
(Leviticus 15:19-30). To touch a menstruating woman was to undergo defilement
that required ritual purification.
Incidentally, a man
was not to touch any woman except his wife, not even if she was his cousin and
the touch accidental. When a girl reached a marriageable age, she was bartered
by her father. After marriage, she could be bartered by her husband. The female
role was that of housekeeper, a time consuming and physically strenuous series of
tasks. Her other role was that of childbearing with frequent pregnancies – the
more children she bore, the higher a wife was held in esteem. After childbirth,
a woman was regarded as unclean and in need of purification (Leviticus 12). If
a wife displeased her husband, he could divorce her, but a wife was not granted
the same right (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). If she was suspected of adultery, a wife
could be subjected to the frightful water ordeal (Numbers 5:11-31), but no such
provision was made for testing a suspected husband. A woman had no property
rights. She could not serve as a witness. She could not share equally in
worship. Singing and chanting were done by men exclusively while women listened
in their own synagogue compartments. Ten men had to be present for a service to
be held. Nine men and one woman would not do.
Jesus, however, was
sensitive to the needs of all people, whether male or female. He exhibited an
all-inclusive compassion that broke through the traditional gender restrictions
and taboos. In order to heal her, Jesus allowed a woman, who had been bleeding
for twelve years, to touch Him. He
didn’t react with a shudder and He didn’t follow the prescribed routine for
cleansing. Instead of condemning her for
such a male-contaminating act, Jesus gently led her to understand the
difference between a belief in a kind of magical contact and a saving faith in
divine grace (Luke 8:42-48).
Another woman, a
prostitute, approached Jesus while He was eating in Pharisee’s house. She
poured precious ointment on Jesus’ feet and washed them with her tears.
Compassionately, Jesus, who knew her penitence and faith, defended that bold,
extravagant action and sent her away with
a benediction of peace (Luke 7:36-50).
Jesus again disclosed
his compassionate attitude towards women, and particularly those who were
marginalized by their own sin, when he refused to engage in the stoning of an
adulteress caught in the very act. Jesus, with pitying tactfulness, handled
this situation righteously yet forgivingly. He absolved the woman of her guilt,
warned her against future temptation, and sent her away to live a changed life
(John 8:1-11). He didn’t condone sin. Yet, lovingly He offered pardon and hope
to those women whom society pushed aside as moral refuse.
Widows especially
elicited Jesus’ compassionate help. The Old Testament provided specific
commands that widows were to be treated with kindness and respect (Deuteronomy
14:28-29; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Isaiah 1:17). Nevertheless, some families may
have neglected to provide companionship and care for their widowed relatives,
thus moving them to the outskirts of the family.
A typical example of
Jesus’ attitude towards widows was his encounter with a funeral procession
outside the city of Nain. A young man had died. He was the only child of his
grief-stricken mother who faced loneliness and in all probability destitution.
When Jesus saw the funeral procession and heard the mother sobbing, He was
moved with compassion. “His heart went out to her” (Luke 7:13). He didn’t wait for
any appeal. He acted. He touched the coffin, risking ritual contamination, and
commanded the corse to rise. Miraculously, the son obeyed as life returned to
his body. Imagine the mother’s gratitude as uncontrollable joy replaced
inconsolable sorrow.
In Jesus’ sermon in
Nazareth as He inaugurated His public ministry, He referred to a widow (an
alien from Sidon as an object of God’s saving grace. That reference, made intentionally, not casually,
contradicted the prejudices of His audience (Luke 4:25-26).
The Sidon widow was
not the only bereft widow whom Jesus used as an example to challenge His
contemporaries and today’s readers. In
Jesus day, men had only little knowledge of God and a superficial fellowship
with Him. The plight of women was far worse. Therefore, Jesus, in defiance of
tradition, allowed them to be among his followers and actually engage in the
service and support of His ministry (Luke 8:1-3). Women, together with men,
were being taught about God’s grace that rules out gender distinction. With
compassion, Jesus told women, individually as well as collectively, the truth
about God and His kingdom. He took time to instruct Mary of Bethany.
Significantly, He gently rebuked Martha the sister of Mary, counselling her
that it was better for a woman to learn about God than to be preoccupied with
household chores. In so saying, He was turning the traditional role of women.
At Jacob’s well, He
gave a brief course in theology to a Samaritan woman. No wonder His
tradition-bound companions were astonished.
He was talking to a woman alone and in public. She was a despised
Samaritan woman, someone of a race that pious Jews viewed as heretics
(John4:1-30).
Christ was motivated
by one thing – compassion. He saw people not in abstract categories, such as
males and females, Jews and Gentiles, aliens and citizens, adults and children.
Jesus saw people as individuals made in God’s image, each a member of God’s
human family, and a potential member of His spiritual family.
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