I am returning to this blog challenged by my long-time friend and colleague, Jeremy Myers. These next few articles may have a different feel and flavor as I (Lee) am experimenting with a new method of co-writing. Jeremy and I have many years of ministry experience (close to 50 between us) which has led us into many practical and theological conversations. Recently, our discussions have turned to the topic of what the Bible teaches about women in ministry. This is a topic in which our understanding has grown and developed through many years of study.
We thought it would be beneficial if we partnered together to compose a series of articles laying out a biblical perspective on this subject. The underlying question we will consider is this: What does the Bible teach about women preaching, teaching, leading, and/or serving in pastoral roles? It is our hope to speak with a shared voice as we engage this question together.
In our view, the logical place to start is with the “pioneer and perfecter of our faith,” “the Word made flesh,” and “the Truth” incarnate, Jesus Christ Himself.1 What does His example reveal about women in ministry? More specifically, what was His approach to women preaching and teaching the truth to others, including men? Rather than starting at the beginning of His life and ministry, we’re going to start at the end, with the seminal moment of the Christian faith, the resurrection.
The first person to preach the gospel of the resurrected Christ was a woman. Jesus Himself entrusted her with the message and charged her to declare the good news. Mary Magdalene, and possibly a few other female friends, hurried back and declared, preached, and taught the most important truth of Scripture… to men. John 20:17-18 tells us, “Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that He had said these things to her.”
Why did Christ not only allow but instruct Mary, a woman, to perform this task? According to some, Scripture prohibits such a thing. (A prominent seminary president recently suggested women shouldn’t even talk about the Bible on a podcast.) Christ did have other options available to Him. He could have told Mary to fetch the disciples without revealing His identity or any other details. He’d done so with others. He could have instructed her to find James, Peter, and the faster-footed John, and send them back to the tomb so that He could reveal the truth to them so that they could then preach to others. But, no! Jesus empowered this blessed woman to go, inform, and instruct Christ’s male disciples concerning what is arguably the most important truth in all of Scripture.
The reality, though, is this is not the first time Jesus pursued this course of action. In John 4, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman at a well. Without deep-diving the whole conversation, this meeting was counter-cultural and would have been extremely socially unacceptable. Jesus met and spoke to this woman by Himself. That fact alone would have been seen as incredibly inappropriate. Not only was she a woman, she was a Samaritan, and one with a poor reputation in the community. Jews disliked Samaritans so much that they would go miles out of their way to avoid even stepping foot on Samaritan soil. Jesus told this woman that He was the Christ, invited her and, by extension, all Samaritans who would, to “worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth.”2 The woman went back to town and shared this revelation and invitation to meet the Messiah with all who would listen; “Come and see…. Could this be the Messiah?”3 We’re told that many people believed because of the message this precious woman preached to them.4 Again, Jesus could have prevented her from sharing or speaking, but he didn’t. Multiple times in the gospel of Mark, Jesus strictly warns people not to share the miracles Jesus had performed or the things they had witnessed.5 (In a stroke of irony, these prohibitions are usually given to men, not women.) If only men were to be entrusted with the important task of preaching, teaching, and speaking the truth, why did Jesus not only allow these women to go without warning, but instruct and empower them to do so?
Luke 10 tells the story of Mary and Martha. When Jesus arrived, Martha was busy serving and entertaining while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to listen and learn. When Martha asked Jesus to send Mary back to the kitchen to help with the “women’s work,” Jesus told her, “Mary has chosen what is better.”6 Mary’s choice to sit and learn was affirmed by Jesus. This was likely not exclusively for her own benefit. Rather, she was likely part of the crowd of disciples Jesus intended to send into the towns with the message of the “good news” of God’s Kingdom. This is the same posture demonstrated by Mary Magdalene when she called Him “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). It wasn’t accidental that women presented the good news of Jesus to others; He had been intentionally teaching and training them for that very task.
We started at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but we’d like to share one final example from the beginning, or rather before. As a baby, Jesus was presented at the temple. Scripture tells us of a prophetess named Anna. Upon meeting Jesus, she “began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”7 This special woman had the distinct privilege of serving as a precursor to not only the Marys and the woman at the well, but to all men and women who would confess and proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ to all.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus issued what is often called the Great Commission. It reads, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” While these words were spoken to the eleven remaining disciples, I’ve never heard a preacher or teacher apply them exclusively to them. Nor have I ever heard them restricted on the basis of gender, age, or any other factor. Rather, they are applied equally to ALL followers of Christ. Which only makes sense when we consider that this great commission is simply building off of earlier commissions. From His birth to His ascension, women were part of proclaiming the “good news” of Jesus.
The life and ministry of Jesus clearly demonstrated that the good news is meant for everyone. It is for Jew and Gentile (and Samaritan), men and women. He blessed, enabled, and empowered women to carry and present His message to those who needed to hear it, including His own disciples. While this may not be overwhelming evidence, it is quite compelling, and more than a little encouraging. It is also just the beginning of our exploration of what the Bible has to say about the subject. Next week, we will turn our attention to several examples of women who served in ministry throughout the New Testament.
1 Hebrews 12:2, John 1:14, John 14:6
2 John 4:26 & John 4:23
3 John 4:29
4 John 4:39
5 Mark 1:44, 5:43
6 Luke 10:42
7 Luke 2:36-38
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