I vividly remember a graduation celebration which my church was hosting for the youth matriculating to university. At the time I was the college pastor and I was eager to receive the graduates who would be entrusted to me. Whether they studied at a local university or moved far away, I would be committed to serving them. One by one the graduates stood at center stage and told the congregation their dreams and aspirations. One young man shared that he felt God calling him into ministry and that after university he would seek admission to seminary and then ordination. Our senior pastor, who was acting as the emcee, was so overjoyed by this young man’s proclamation that he shouted into the microphone – his screams causing a horrendous distortion – “We must pray for this young man’s divine calling.” Being well trained, the congregation responded with a large ovation and acknowledgment of the pastor’s request. The boy in question was a good kid and had demonstrated a consistency in his discipleship which would serve him well for the next stage of his development. I was happy for him.

Immediately after our aspiring young pastor was a young woman who was easily the most gifted student in the group. Not only was she scholastically head and shoulders above the rest, but she was also a tremendous leader whom all the students recognized and joyfully followed. She had a spiritual maturity unheard of for someone her age and her command of Scripture was so good that she would routinely instruct our adult leaders about the nuances of God’s Word. Everyone knew she would develop into a phenomenal leader and her potential was off the charts. When our pastor asked her what she wanted to study, she replied that she felt God’s call to go into ministry and become a pastor. Our pastor hesitated, stepped back awkwardly and coughed as if embarrassed. I will never forget what happened next for when he had gathered himself, he looked at her and then turned to the congregation and said in a solemn tone, “Well, let’s pray she marries a pastor.”

The congregation was silent and instantly it felt as if all the oxygen was sucked out of the sanctuary. No one knew how to respond. The young girl, who seconds earlier had approached the stage with a bright smile and an even brighter future, began to tear, bowed her head, shrunk her shoulders and melted off the platform.

At that moment it felt like I had just witnessed a crime – as if someone had been mugged in broad daylight and no one bothered to intervene. How could our pastor demean the God-given abilities this young woman possessed? How could he, in one statement, eliminate her authentic desire to give herself away for Christ’s Church? What made the moment more unbearable was the immediate juxtaposition of the pastor’s unbridled enthusiasm for another would be minister just seconds before. Did being a woman nullify all the gifting, maturity, and true leadership God had bestowed upon her? Until our pastor had rendered her invalid, God had apparently given her the ability to lead her peers and her community.

I will never forget that moment nor do I want to. Since this experience, I have labored for many years on the topic of women in ministry. I have and will continue to balance the technical questions of exegesis and hermeneutics with the need to admit certain starting points, theological trajectories, propensities for selective literalism, and the slippery slope of historical-cultural argumentation. To be sure the question of a woman’s role in church ministry is both complex and explosive. Depending upon your denominational affiliation, theological training, cultural context, and competency with Biblical languages, your response to this topic will vary. And yet in our present Christian communities, there remain two distinct camps regarding what a woman can and cannot do in Christ’s Church. Either a woman can fully participate in all the ministries of Christ’s Church or she is limited in her ability to represent God completely.

Since space does not allow a full treatment (multi volume works have been dedicated to this topic), allow me to reflect briefly on the interaction Jesus had with his women followers and how the trajectory He established informs the way we answer the question of what a woman can do in Christ’s Church.

There is no question that women played a notable role in the life and work of Jesus. Significant not only in their participation, but also given the marginal role they were culturally allowed to play. Many scholars have noted how Jesus treated women as fully human, equal to men in every respect. One does not find on the lips of Jesus deprecating comments about women which were the norm for His era. Consider the Septuagint text Ecclesiasticus written just before Jesus’ day: “The goodness of a woman is worse than the sinfulness of a man” (Sirach 42:14). Josephus, a Jewish historian of Jesus’ day, makes a similar derogatory remark: “women are inferior in all matters and they should be submissive” (Ag. Ap. 2.25.201). In our modern context, we expect a complete egalitarian treatment of women. However, given the historical-cultural context of 1st century Palestine, Jesus’ behavior is completely unheard of.

Counter to the prevailing social mores, Jesus himself spoke to women. A rabbi in that era would not interact with a woman publicly for this would be perceived as morally scandalous. Yet, Jesus enters into a lengthy discussion with a Samaritan woman at a well. What one religious leader might consider a half breed, adulterous woman, Jesus perceives as a great missionary; “Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony” (Jn 4:39). It should also be noted that this woman is the first to hear Jesus’ I AM statements as recorded in the Gospel of John.

The New Testament reveals that women were a part of Jesus’ larger group of disciples. We know by name Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary the mother of Jesus, Salome, Mary, and Martha. Moreover, Jesus taught women, something no Rabbi would ever do. Luke takes special notice that Jesus blesses Mary for her attendance (Lk 10:38-42). Mary’s presence alongside the other disciples is simply assumed by Jesus. It is as if no special statement is required in order to justify her sitting at the feet of her teacher.

In one parable, Jesus utilizes a woman as the representative figure for God. Without pushing this parable beyond its reasonable meaning, we can safely suggest that Jesus is not concerned that in using a woman, His portrayal of the Father will be somehow diminished (Lk 15:8-10).

Women were the first witnesses to and proclaimers of the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was specifically commanded by the resurrected Christ to go and tell the others what had taken place (Jn 20:17). The male disciples first heard the Easter Gospel of Jesus’ resurrection from women (Lk 24:10). Ancient egalitarians, although their numbers are quite small, argued that since women were the first to preach the Gospel message (Resurrected Christ), they are then obviously authorized to speak the Word of God. Jesus Himself did not distinguish between men and women when it related to proclaiming the Gospel. The resurrection is as Gospel as Gospel gets – without it there is no Gospel.

In reconstructing the role of women in Jesus’ ministry, one may step too far in developing a picture of Jesus as a radical 21st century feminist. Jesus’ treatment of women was certainly scandalous and revolutionary when examined in the 1st century context. However, one must not push Jesus’ feminism too far. Jewett correctly admonishes; “There is a temptation to interpret Jesus in terms of the latest “ism,” in this case “feminism,” a temptation that often betrays the integrity of critical history; yet one must always decide whether Jesus was more than a culturally conditioned first-century Jew.” Given the intensity and the politically manipulative nature of this topic, Jewett’s words are well received. In considering how Jesus treated women, lepers, Samaritans or other disenfranchised persons, one must exercise caution so as to avoid printing Jesus as the poster child for some 21st century “woman’s right” movement.

And yet, Jesus’ egalitarian treatment of women is unprecedented in the ancient world. Given the cultural misogyny and patriarchalism of the day, how Jesus treated women should weigh heavily on our interpretation. Noted Biblical scholar Joachim Jeremias remarks: “An unprecedented happening in the history of that time… Jesus knowingly overthrew custom when he allowed women to follow him.” That Jesus elevated women is of no contest. However, the question we must ask is why the early Church Fathers were not comfortable in maintaining Jesus’ egalitarian approach to women?

In closing we must be very clear that behind every biblical argument stands a person. After the boundaries have been drawn and the theological platforms established, it is important to not forget who ultimately pays for your theology. No one, including myself, is capable of coming to a text of Scripture in pure objectivity. We simply do not come to the text bereft of our biases, opinions or theological paradigms. All of us read Scripture through a lens that has been shaped by our previous Christian experiences, Sunday school teachers, and our socio-cultural context. We must therefore admit our presuppositions and approach the negotiating table in a posture of humility or else we have little hope of engaging in edifying dialogue.

For several years I tried to keep track of the young girl mentioned in my opening story. She left our church soon after graduation and lost touch with the larger community of faith which had nurtured her until that pivotal moment. I do not think it is inaccurate to say that she paid an overwhelming price because of one person’s theology. Her loss and the Church’s loss are truly tragic.

References:
Jewett, Paul. Man as Male and Female. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975.
Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969.

Dr Günther Mueller has a PhD in New Testament Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, USA) and has spoken and taught in various universities, seminaries, and churches around the world.

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible has been referenced.