Jesus: Counter-Cultural in His Honour for Women

In first-century Middle Eastern society, women were often excluded from theological dialogue, religious instruction, and public leadership. Yet, Jesus consistently broke cultural barriers:

  • The Samaritan Woman (John 4): Jesus engages her in the longest recorded theological conversation in the Gospels, revealing His messiahship first to her, not to His male disciples.

  • Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38-42): She takes the posture of a disciple at His feet, and Jesus affirms her right to learn, saying she has “chosen the good portion.”

  • The Witnesses of the Resurrection (John 20:11-18): In a culture where a woman’s testimony was not considered legally valid, Jesus entrusts the news of His resurrection to women first.

These are not accidental moments. They are deliberate signs that in the kingdom of God, the new creation, women are trusted bearers of truth and co-labourers in the gospel.

Paul: Champion of the New Creation Ethos

Paul is often misunderstood as restrictive toward women, yet when we read him through the lens of Middle Eastern rhetorical patterns, a different picture emerges. Galatians 3:28 declares:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

This is not a call to erase gender but to erase hierarchy. In the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), the old patterns of domination are abolished.

Paul worked alongside women leaders such as:

  • Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) - a deacon and patron of the church in Cenchreae.

  • Priscilla (Acts 18:26) - a teacher of Apollos, a gifted preacher.

  • Junia (Romans 16:7) - “outstanding among the apostles.”

These names are not footnotes; they are evidence that Paul saw women as trusted partners in the mission of Christ.

The New Creation: Restoring the Image

The new creation is God’s grand restoration project, healing what was fractured in Eden. In Christ, men and women are restored to their original calling: to reflect God’s image together, to serve side-by-side, and to proclaim His kingdom without cultural chains.

The Bible’s vision is not a Western feminist invention, nor an ancient patriarchal concession; it is a Middle Eastern redemption story. The cross and resurrection dismantle the power structures of sin, including gender-based domination.

In the church, this means we no longer measure a person’s worth or calling by gender, but by the Spirit’s gifting and Christ’s calling. Women matter in the new creation because in Christ, everyone matters as a joint-heir of the promise (Romans 8:17).

Conclusion

The new creation is not just a future hope; it’s a present reality we are called to embody. In our churches, our homes, and our communities, we are to live as if the resurrection has already overturned the world’s hierarchies, because it has.

The question is no longer, “Do women matter?” The gospel answers that unequivocally: Yes, they matter as much as men. They are bearers of the image, disciples of the Lord, proclaimers of the gospel, and co-builders of God’s kingdom.

If we truly believe in the power of the new creation, then our treatment of women should reflect the honor Jesus showed, the partnership Paul practiced, and the equality God intended from the beginning.

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