Today on international women’s day we want to celebrate the women in our midst and around the world.
It’s common knowledge through studies and personal accounts that women have been marginalized and pushed to the fringes of society, not having the same access to resources or economic opportunities as their male counterparts and as a result have less ‘say’ in a world where finances mean power and authority. What’s more troublesome is the fact that in church circles we have not just perpetuated this idea but also defended it through some misguided form of complementarianism[i].
It’s remarkable to see not only the way Jesus reached out to women during His ministry, but also the role they played in making His ministry possible. Back then, even more so than today, women were marginalized and pushed to the fringes of society. Jesus not only included women in His ministry but gave them the pivotal role of supporting the ministry financially:
“After this, Jesus travelled from one city and village to another, preaching and spreading the good news about God’s kingdom. The Twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women continued to support them out of their personal resources.” (Luk 8:1-3, ISV)
Jesus was actively challenging the pervasive thought that women should be side-lined in ministry. Women held the ‘reigns’ of this ministry as they were the financial backers and this empowered them as important role players. This is exemplified further when we come to the narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.” (Mar 15:40-41, ESV)
“After Jesus had risen early on the first day of that week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Jesus and who now were grieving and crying. When they heard that he was alive and that he had been seen by her, they refused to believe Mary.” (Mar 16:9-11, ISV)
Two important incidents that sheds light on the way Jesus views women in ministry.
The first is a stark contrast between the women who chose to follow from a distance and the men who abandoned Jesus in his darkest hour. Men who often boast in our masculinity and strength lacked the courage to follow and support Jesus, even from a distance, when he needed it most. Looking at these women we are given a new template of what it means to be “strong and courageous”.
The second is the honour Jesus gave the women at the grave to be the first ones to discover that Jesus has risen. Jesus also appeared first to Mary Magdalene. Through this honour Jesus gave them the first indirect commission to share this glorious truth with the rest of the world. This again is put against the backdrop of the unbelief of the male disciples who did not believe the word of Mary.
Jesus’ stinging rebuke back then should ring true today as well: “Finally he appeared to his eleven disciples while they were eating. He rebuked them for their unbelief and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who had seen him after he had risen.” (Mar 16:14, ISV)
We are rebuked, not just for our unbelief, but for the belief that men somehow hold a more important role in the ministry of the Kingdom of God. Jesus not only redeemed the role of women but empowered and commissioned them to always be carriers of His word. As a church we should hold this in such high regard that it also spills over to the way we view women as leaders in the workplace and in our social spheres. We as a church should have the same disdain that Jesus had for a culture and society that marginalizes and side-lines people. We should be the first ones to raise our voices when we see that people created in the image of God, are treated less than that.
All Christian women are called to ministry. All Christian women have a crucial role to play in ministry.
I have to confess that I have fallen many times into the sin of limiting the role of women in church and in society as I cling to some form of power and control. I feel and hear the rebuke of Jesus ringing in my ears for my unbelief in the God-given role that he has given women to play. Yet there is hope for me, and other men and the church as we hear not only the rebuke, but the invitation to receive grace and once again preach a full Gospel.
May we be a church that believes the Word of the Gospel and empowers its members to share it.
Grace and Peace
Rhynhardt de Bruin
[i] Complementarianism is the belief that men and women are created equally yet with different roles. Even though we as Red Door church hold this belief we recognize that it has been abused and misused in the past as a form of oppressive patriarchy.
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