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John · 09-22-2017, 11:56 AM

Have you ever tried to see-saw with a much bigger person on the other end? The larger person has to work hard to balance the differential. Guys, many of us are like that bigger person, and almost all of tradition is on our end and not the ladies’ end. Sometimes, rather than try to find a balance and have an enjoyable see-saw, a guy will make it into a competition to see who can stay on, throwing his weight into it until the lady comes off.

I know that some reading this are ahead of me in this area; but, for the edification of those who are not, I would like to challenge you to begin to take special note of Bible verses that have to do with women. I think that this is warranted, since many of us have overlooked the women of chayil in the Bible in the past. (I’m over-simplifying and over-generalizing in this post; it’s not a comprehensive study but just a glance at some verses in Matthew, which is where I was reading.) I am trying to balance the see-saw so that the ladies can get back on and fully contribute according to their gifts and abilities. Hopefully, considering the gender aspect of the gospel will help bring a better balance to our Christian lives and to our expression of God to others.

I realize that some of you may have heard messages about some of these things, but have you really considered the import of them? How should the way that Jesus treated women affect our gospel today, affect the gospel in our own homes?

A woman with ointment

In the last bit of time just before and just after the crucifixion of Jesus, what does Matthew tell us about what the female and male disciples were doing?

7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured [it] on His head as He sat [at the table]. 8 But when His disciples saw [it], they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? ... 13 "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. (Matt. 26:7–8, 13–16, NKJV)

I have often thought about what Jesus said about the woman who poured the ointment on His head. It was very costly, and it was worth it to her. Then, Jesus says to all that the gospel will include a memorial to a woman! Think about it; it sounds very significant. The male observers of her lavish love were indignant, calling it a waste of money. Interestingly, Matthew, immediately afterwards, writes about the man Judas, one of the twelve disciples, who negotiated for money to betray Jesus. Wow, talk about two radically different people with opposing motives being written about back to back. Of course, in this presentation, I am focusing on gender. What were all the male disciples concerned about? Money, purpose, mission, self. What was the woman’s concern? Jesus.

You may have already read or heard similar exposition. What’s interesting to me is what you can find in the Bible when you start looking for it. Read the Bible again and look at the women. They are there in plain view; but, in the past, I didn’t notice them that much. We men, of course, would not want to think that we would have done what Judas did, but wouldn’t you have been with the rest of the disciples and thought that what the woman did was foolish and a waste? When it comes to Jesus, I don’t think that many women think like many men do (but maybe it’s just me).

We aren’t weak, are we?

Then, of course, there’s that male pride. We can do it, right? At least, when I was younger, I thought that I could. We were in the Local Church. We were going to take the earth for “Christ and the Church.” Let’s look next at some male determination with Peter as our male representative. (Uh oh, you probably know where this is going, but let’s look at it again anyway.)

35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples. ... 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? ... 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. ... 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are [you] still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ... 56 "But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. (Matt. 26:35, 40, 43, 45, 56, NKJV)

I used to love a mission. I could do a lot. Oftentimes, now, however, all I want to do is sleep. Usually, when I wake up, if I check on my wife, she is busy. (Hopefully, most of you guys are better than I am in this regard.)

I’d like to skip over the part where Peter melted in front of a girl and a maid, but I can’t. Eventually, he even denied knowing Jesus with cursing and swearing:

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." 70 But he denied it before [them] all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying." 71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another [girl] saw him and said to those [who were] there, "This [fellow] also was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!" 73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are [one] of them, for your speech betrays you." 74 Then he began to curse and swear, [saying], "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. (Matt. 26:69–74, NKJV)

Come on, Peter, I know that you were a fisherman … but cursing and swearing? Oh yeah, I’ve done that, too. If all else fails, bring out the sailor’s vocabulary. Peter’s not representing us so well, and I haven’t done so well either.

Through the cross, Oh Lord, I pray

Let’s go on to the cross and the grave. Who watched Jesus being crucified? Only women according to Matthew’s account. Who went to His grave? The women.

55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. ... 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. (Matt. 27:55–56, 61, NKJV)

It’s a good thing we have those other gospel accounts, or we men would really not be looking so good.

Finally, let’s look at the resurrection. To whom did Jesus entrust the first gospel message? The women. In an interesting side note, I’m told that a woman’s testimony could not be accepted in a court of law back then; yet, Jesus told women to give the greatest testimony ever—that He had come back from death!

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first [day] of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ... 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go [and] tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." (Matt. 28:1, 5–10, NKJV)

Comparing women and men

Some simple comparisons that could be made are these (jumping vigorously on the ladies’ side of the see-saw):

A woman was extravagantly pouring out for Jesus; the men were indignant, counting the cost, and presenting their suggestion for its use. (Jesus liked her way.)
The women were watching; the men were sleeping.
The women were at the cross; the men were mostly absent.
The women were at the grave; the men were not. (Jesus revealed Himself to those there.)
A woman saw Jesus and told the men; the men heard but didn’t believe. (Jesus rebuked them for not believing her.[ Mark 16:9–11])
The women mostly went toward Jesus; the men mostly left Him.

Read the Bible in this way and look for the contributions of the women. (Mentally jump on their end of the see-saw. This might jolt the male perspective that rests heavily on the other end.) Think about how women have been treated and even maligned by Christian men. Reread the quotes about women that awareness offered which were made by male clergy of the past (and there are worse ones than those), and consider how you think of women. Do you see them as women of chayil? Think about and pray about how you might support and honor women—especially your wife—to further God’s kingdom. At a minimum, it seems that there is at least one woman that Jesus expects you to memorialize.

09-22-2017, 11:56 AM	#189
John Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 62	A challenge Have you ever tried to see-saw with a much bigger person on the other end? The larger person has to work hard to balance the differential. Guys, many of us are like that bigger person, and almost all of tradition is on our end and not the ladies’ end. Sometimes, rather than try to find a balance and have an enjoyable see-saw, a guy will make it into a competition to see who can stay on, throwing his weight into it until the lady comes off. I know that some reading this are ahead of me in this area; but, for the edification of those who are not, I would like to challenge you to begin to take special note of Bible verses that have to do with women. I think that this is warranted, since many of us have overlooked the women of chayil in the Bible in the past. (I’m over-simplifying and over-generalizing in this post; it’s not a comprehensive study but just a glance at some verses in Matthew, which is where I was reading.) I am trying to balance the see-saw so that the ladies can get back on and fully contribute according to their gifts and abilities. Hopefully, considering the gender aspect of the gospel will help bring a better balance to our Christian lives and to our expression of God to others. I realize that some of you may have heard messages about some of these things, but have you really considered the import of them? How should the way that Jesus treated women affect our gospel today, affect the gospel in our own homes? A woman with ointment In the last bit of time just before and just after the crucifixion of Jesus, what does Matthew tell us about what the female and male disciples were doing? 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured [it] on His head as He sat [at the table]. 8 But when His disciples saw [it], they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? ... 13 "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." 14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?" And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him. (Matt. 26:7–8, 13–16, NKJV) I have often thought about what Jesus said about the woman who poured the ointment on His head. It was very costly, and it was worth it to her. Then, Jesus says to all that the gospel will include a memorial to a woman! Think about it; it sounds very significant. The male observers of her lavish love were indignant, calling it a waste of money. Interestingly, Matthew, immediately afterwards, writes about the man Judas, one of the twelve disciples, who negotiated for money to betray Jesus. Wow, talk about two radically different people with opposing motives being written about back to back. Of course, in this presentation, I am focusing on gender. What were all the male disciples concerned about? Money, purpose, mission, self. What was the woman’s concern? Jesus. You may have already read or heard similar exposition. What’s interesting to me is what you can find in the Bible when you start looking for it. Read the Bible again and look at the women. They are there in plain view; but, in the past, I didn’t notice them that much. We men, of course, would not want to think that we would have done what Judas did, but wouldn’t you have been with the rest of the disciples and thought that what the woman did was foolish and a waste? When it comes to Jesus, I don’t think that many women think like many men do (but maybe it’s just me). We aren’t weak, are we? Then, of course, there’s that male pride. We can do it, right? At least, when I was younger, I thought that I could. We were in the Local Church. We were going to take the earth for “Christ and the Church.” Let’s look next at some male determination with Peter as our male representative. (Uh oh, you probably know where this is going, but let’s look at it again anyway.) 35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples. ... 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? ... 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. ... 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are [you] still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ... 56 "But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. (Matt. 26:35, 40, 43, 45, 56, NKJV) I used to love a mission. I could do a lot. Oftentimes, now, however, all I want to do is sleep. Usually, when I wake up, if I check on my wife, she is busy. (Hopefully, most of you guys are better than I am in this regard.) I’d like to skip over the part where Peter melted in front of a girl and a maid, but I can’t. Eventually, he even denied knowing Jesus with cursing and swearing: 69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee." 70 But he denied it before [them] all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying." 71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another [girl] saw him and said to those [who were] there, "This [fellow] also was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!" 73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are [one] of them, for your speech betrays you." 74 Then he began to curse and swear, [saying], "I do not know the Man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. (Matt. 26:69–74, NKJV) Come on, Peter, I know that you were a fisherman … but cursing and swearing? Oh yeah, I’ve done that, too. If all else fails, bring out the sailor’s vocabulary. Peter’s not representing us so well, and I haven’t done so well either. Through the cross, Oh Lord, I pray Let’s go on to the cross and the grave. Who watched Jesus being crucified? Only women according to Matthew’s account. Who went to His grave? The women. 55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. ... 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. (Matt. 27:55–56, 61, NKJV) It’s a good thing we have those other gospel accounts, or we men would really not be looking so good. Finally, let’s look at the resurrection. To whom did Jesus entrust the first gospel message? The women. In an interesting side note, I’m told that a woman’s testimony could not be accepted in a court of law back then; yet, Jesus told women to give the greatest testimony ever—that He had come back from death! 1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first [day] of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ... 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go [and] tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." (Matt. 28:1, 5–10, NKJV) Comparing women and men Some simple comparisons that could be made are these (jumping vigorously on the ladies’ side of the see-saw): A woman was extravagantly pouring out for Jesus; the men were indignant, counting the cost, and presenting their suggestion for its use. (Jesus liked her way.) The women were watching; the men were sleeping. The women were at the cross; the men were mostly absent. The women were at the grave; the men were not. (Jesus revealed Himself to those there.) A woman saw Jesus and told the men; the men heard but didn’t believe. (Jesus rebuked them for not believing her.[ Mark 16:9–11]) The women mostly went toward Jesus; the men mostly left Him. Read the Bible in this way and look for the contributions of the women. (Mentally jump on their end of the see-saw. This might jolt the male perspective that rests heavily on the other end.) Think about how women have been treated and even maligned by Christian men. Reread the quotes about women that awareness offered which were made by male clergy of the past (and there are worse ones than those), and consider how you think of women. Do you see them as women of chayil? Think about and pray about how you might support and honor women—especially your wife—to further God’s kingdom. At a minimum, it seems that there is at least one woman that Jesus expects you to memorialize.