Women in the Bible
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Change in the church is slow.
Change is often disruptive.
Today we’re going to discuss change that is coming to T&C.
It may seem abrupt, but it is not.
Background
Every year at this time, we solicit names of members to be considered for positions on the church’s board. Elders, Deacons and Trustees.
What is not commonly known (because the nomination process is private to the individual) is that, for the past four years, women have been nominated by members of the congregation.
The first year we had this happen, it may surprise you to know that the nomination wasn’t just discarded out of hand. There was considerable discussion among myself and the elders about it.
The decision at that time was that the circumstances were not right for us to forward that nomination to the board.
Each year after that, the same person has been nominated and, judging by the handwriting, by different people in the church. I am persuaded that this is not one person’s agenda but a recognition by many here that this person should be recognized for her contributions to the congregation.
This past year, the elders and I have studied, prayed and talked over the role of women in the church and we are at a place where we want to share our findings with you. We have presented her as a nominee to the role of deacon to the board and the board has voted to put her before the congregation.
Over the next few Sundays we’ll lay out our study and conclusions that lead us to this decision.
This week, I want to take our time to do a brief survey of women in the Bible. We may not be familiar with just how much of biblical history and activity are attributed to women.
Our goal today is simply to be informed and to create a “baseline” of knowledge to help us understand the complexity of issues surrounding women’s roles in the church.
Next week, we will examine the NT specifically for information on what women did in the early church and try to put some apparently restrictive passages in their context.
Women in the Old Testament
Women in the Old Testament
Starting with Eve.
Notes: Adam = was “humankind.”
27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
First telling of the story show men and women as equal. Equal responsibilities.
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.
2nd account.
Ezer kenegdo - “helper equal and corresponding to.”
21x in OT. Never in a subordinate role. Eve made from the same “stuff” that Adam was.
Much later, as God rescues his nation from slavery, He chooses a family to lead them.
Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
Miriam was listed as a prophet.
20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. 21 And Miriam sang this song: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”
Micah, a prophet of God many centuries later says by inspiration:
4 For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
Deborah was a Judge and prophetess. (1200 B.C.)
4 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment.
7 There were few people left in the villages of Israel— until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.
Recall that two books of the OT are dedicated to telling the story of strong women. Esther and Ruth.
Women in the New Testament
Women in the New Testament
Women were counted among the original disciples.
1 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.
The earliest church had strong women leaders.
14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
Notice that the new covenant community was foretold by the prophet Joel and included women:
17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.
Women were teachers.
24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
Paul describes Priscilla as his “co-worker” in Rom. 16.3-5
Around 75 A.D. a Jewish historian named Josephus referred to Priscilla as a “Teacher of teachers.”
Women hosted/lead churches in their homes
Women hosted/lead churches in their homes
The earliest churches weren’t in public buildings but in homes.
From the NT it appears that wealthy families would host the gathered church in their homes.
Paul writes about several of these homes that were identified as belonging to women.
1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. 5 Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ. 6 Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.
Our goal today in this brief survey of women in the Bible is simply to highlight that God’s Word shows women in a very different light than we may have considered them.
New week, we’ll dig into the NT and examine several passages to help us all understand the reasons for the direction we have taken.
I encourage to join us again next week as we learn this together.