Women In Ministry
A Look at the Scriptures that Cause Some Confusion
What is being a Christian about? What does it mean to live among a family of believers? Is it about hierarchy and selfish ambition? Is it about elitism?
Lately the words of Jesus have been ringing in my ears: “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).
The occasion of these words was John and James vying for position. Indeed, the disciples were often comparing and trying to “one-up” each other and choose the “greatest” among them. It saddens me to see we do it still.
God calls us each to different callings, but our calling always boils down to serving. Serving is why Jesus came. It’s why we go into all the world. It’s the way both the Church at large and the local assembly should operate and be characterized: humble service to one another.
We see Jesus calling people everywhere to serve one another. We don’t just see Him preaching this message to the twelve, but to the religious leaders of the day (wasn’t that the point of such parables as the good Samaritan?). We see Him calling the rich to serve the poor (wasn’t that the point of parables like the Rick Man and Lazarus?). We see Him calling believing brothers to serve newly saved believers (wasn’t that the point of the portion of the parable of the prodigal son that deals with the angry elder brother?).
Everywhere Jesus calls us to serve, and He honors those who serve above those who receive. No one is exempt. I don’t see any instance of Jesus disqualifying a single person from serving because of age, ethnicity, social standing, economic background or gender.
So why has there been an exclusion to the ways different ones of us may serve? We don’t see Jesus banning women from preaching. Jesus allowed the Samaritan woman to evangelize her whole city in John chapter four. In John 20, Mary is told by Jesus to go and tell of His Resurrection. He entrusted such earth-altering news to the mouths of women, knowing that they wouldn’t be believed (Luke 24:11). In response, Jesus calls the unbelieving men foolish (Luke 24:22-26).
In spite of Jesus’ empowering example, there was a recipe for disaster waiting in the wings as the first apostles passed on. This recipe involved the interweaving of Greek thought with Christianity until one was hardly distinguishable from the other. (Read more about this in my article, “Women in the Kingdom” available HERE.) The move of the authority of the church from the east (Antioch) to the west (Rome) and the change from churches being held in homes to buildings were also ingredients in this recipe. All these were mixed with the human tendency to attempt to dominate, whipped up by power as the Church emerged from persecution. This concoction led to actions that could certainly be called repressive. And repression was the antithesis of Christ’s mission in the earth.
We’ve lost sight of the truth of God’s heart:
· Women were the crown of creation and were created to solve a problem, to fulfill a purpose and to be a help ("Help Meet" is "ezer" - better translated partner and does not imply inferiority. In fact it is used 17 other times in the Old Testament—all referring to God!).
· The New Covenant equality between the genders was prophesied numerous times from Job giving an equal inheritance to his daughters (Job 42:13-15) to God speaking through Joel to announce the New Covenant would be devoid of preferences based on gender or socio-economic status.
· The inclusion of women in Jesus’ ministry and His intentional instruction of them (John 4, Luke 10, John 20:16-17 [bear in mind that Mary’s term, “Rabboni” is a strong term meaning, “MY Rabbi”]).
· In the Book of Acts women are equally prophesying and equally responsible before God (Acts 21:9 and Acts 5:9-10).
Below you will find my working notes on the “troublesome” Scriptures. Again, I urge you to study these things for yourself.
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:14-15
Much of this information comes from the book, “What Paul Really Said About Women” by John Temple Bristow and is augmented by my own study. Please also bear in mind that these are notes. They were not originally written for the public, so they are brief and unrefined.
1 Timothy 2:11-15
“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. (12) I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. (13) For Adam was formed first, then Eve; (14) and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (15) Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:11-15).
V. 11 - Let a woman LEARN!!! - at variance with Jewish and Greek customs. Both radical and difficult in execution. Women were unaccustomed to sitting and learning, therefore they needed to learn how to be quiet and submissive to teachers. "Submissiveness" = hupotassomai - voluntary willingness to be responsive. "Quietly" = hesuchia - restful quietness as in meditation and study. The difference between quiet so others can speak (sigao) and hesuchia (studious attention-used here) as in Acts 21:40-22:2 - Paul motions to the crowd and a sige (n. for sigao) falls. Then as he addresses them in Hebrew, the people showed hesuchia - attentiveness.
In teaching the women, the Jews would have accused a man of breaking up marriages (as it was permissible to divorce a wife who had spoken to a man) and Greeks would have thought he was trying to entice them into prostitution.
V. 12 - "authority" = authenteo - nowhere else in the New Testament. One who kills with his own hands - domineer. Inappropriate for any person, male or female.
[Remember, though Paul says he doesn’t permit a woman to teach, he also encouraged Prisca in her teaching ministry and encouraged several women as leaders and deaconesses. Clearly, Paul is not a man of double standards, so we must interpret this through the filter of the entire Word of God and understand that Paul did not allow this in this area (Ephesus: see notes below) or at this time. We cannot negate the many times women are encouraged and instructed to teach or proclaim the Gospel because of this one unclear reference. To what end were women educated if not to spread the knowledge?]
THE FOLLOWING VERSES ARE INTENDED TO COUNTER EARLY GNOSTICISM (Though full-fledged Gnosticism wasn’t fleshed out until around the second century, the seeds for the belief were already present throughout much of the Greek world. We see it in the letter to the Colossians [AD 62] and here in 1 Timothy [AD 59-64]. We also see the Cerinthian version of Gnosticism in full swing by the time John wrote 1 John [AD 85-95]):
v. 13) Adam formed before Eve - He was NOT androgynous nor did Eve precede Adam (this was a Gnostic belief).
v. 14) Adam was not deceived, but Eve - She did not awaken him or reside in the Tree of Life, listen to the "Instructor" and give the fruit to Adam (which early Gnostics saw as good because it was knowledge).
v. 14) Eve became a transgressor (contrary to Gnostic belief).
Paul was making statements about early Gnosticism, not the inferiority of women. This statement actually puts the blame on Adam as the one who KNOWINGLY disobeyed.
V. 15) It is unclear who exactly "she" is and who "they" are. This is part of hearing only a one-sided conversation (since this is a personal letter in answer to another personal letter we don't have a copy of).
Bear in mind: Timothy was the leader of the church in Ephesus when Paul writes this. Ephesus was the center of worship for Artemis (remember the riots in Ephesus recorded in Acts 19) as well as a center for “magic arts.” The Artemis of the Ephesians had adopted many of the attributes of the goddess Cybele, the mother goddess of fertility, from whom flowed all life without the aid or intervention of a male. The Artemis the workmen of Ephesus fashioned where many-breasted images, supposedly similar to the “image” (meteorite) that fell from the sky. She was called upon in the pagan world as a help to pregnant women, women in labor, and midwives. Paul instructs the women of Ephesus, via Timothy, that the Lord is their Helper when they are in the peril of childbirth, not prayer to Artemis or incantation to her.
1 Corinthians 14:33-36
“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, (34) the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. (35) If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. (36) Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?” (1 Corinthians 14:33-36).
V. 33 - "confusion" or disorder = akatastasia - tumult
Orderliness:
1) only 2-3 speak in tongues with interpretation (v. 27-28),
2) only 2-3 prophesy, one at a time (v. 29-32),
3) women are to be silent (v. 34a).
V. 34 - "silent" - not phimoo (a forceful command), but sigao (sig-AH-o) - voluntary silence, silence asked for in the midst of disorder and clamor (not a permanent silencing).
V. 34 - "speak" - there are about 30 Greek words for speak. He did not write that women are not to preach, or teach, or declare, or give a discourse, or proclaim, or affirm, or aver, or speak for something, or any other of the distinctive meanings found in many of those verbs. Instead, Paul wrote that women are not to laleo. Of all the verbs that can be translated "speak," only laleo can also mean, simply, "talk," converse, chat, visit. Women were completely unaccustomed to learning in a formal setting and didn’t have the basic skills taught today in a kindergarten setting. It was essential, for the sake of orderliness and providing an environment in which they could learn, that they learn the skill of silence.
In practice, gender equality among Christians led to a disregard for orderliness and courtesy during worship, especially on the part of women who were unaccustomed to listening to public speakers or to participating in public worship.
V. 34 - "as the law says" - What Law??? There is no such law in the Old Testament. The ONLY Law that Paul ever commands believers to adhere to is the law of Christ - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Be considerate! Love others! This is the theme of the entire book of 1 Corinthians: Loving one another! Paul recognized that all the issues with the Corinthians immaturity in their gift use, their insensitivity during communion, their demand for their rights to eat meat, and their discourteousness of speaking during teaching (by the women) all boiled down to their lack of love (hence his treatise on love in chapter 13). It confounds me that we have so clearly missed the point of this letter. By zeroing in on these few verses, we act in a most horrendously unloving manner.
FURTHERMORE…. The Greek (ay - pronounces long e), here translated “or,” at the beginning of verse 36, is often used, especially by Paul, as an explosive, “WHAT?!?” following a sarcastic, hyperbolic statement. (See Rom 6:2-3; 2:3-4; 9:20-21; 10:6-7; 11:2; 14:10; 1 Cor 1:13; 4:21; 6:8-9; 16:16,19…) Therefore this verse could read, “…. It is shameful for a woman to speak in church? WHAT?!? (36) Was it from you [men] that the word of God came?? What?! Are you the only ones it has reached??...”
Bonus Info:
Bias is responsible for the gross mishandling of verses like Romans 16:1-2 when, speaking of Phoebe, Paul refers to her as a leader/ruler of many and of himself (not the condescending “servant,” “patron,” “friend,” or “helper” that is usually used). In fact, this is the only time in the Bible this word is used in the feminine form, “prostatis.” Where it is used in the masculine form, “proistemi,” it refers to rulers and is never translated to refer to a man as a servant, patron, friend, or helper.