We are a group of women of varying ages, stations, and ethnicities who come together to chat about our lives, the women in the Bible, and our relationship with our Jesus. In the course of reading and discussing the book: “EVERY WOMAN IN THE BIBLE” by Sue and Larry Richards, we have discovered that women today still have many of the same negative experiences and challenges as the women in the Bible!
Women are still regarded and treated by many people as not on the same level of men or not quite on the same level as men or not equal to men. Our core message to women is to urge them to BELIEVE that they are VALUED by Jesus and EQUALLY so. Jesus made that very clear when he interacted with women and by his teachings. In Jesus’ eyes, women are of equal value, not lesser value. Jesus demonstrated this; therefore women must insist on being treated as persons of equal VALUE, despite the message that might come from society or anywhere else.
The bottom line is that each girl and woman must be taught to realize that she deserves to be treated well by everyone in her environment. She then must INSIST on being treated well–that is, if she is going to follow the teachings of Jesus. If she doesn’t demand good treatment, she is not following the teachings of Jesus.
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In general, our perspective on the way Jesus viewed and valued women comes from the account of:
JESUS AND THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD
Devotional read from the book:
“EVERY WOMAN IN THE BIBLE” by Sue and Larry Richards
Matt 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:41-49
Regarding the relative value of women, in rabbinic thought–men were primary; women were secondary. The religious leaders, being men, looked on women as “other.” Indeed their formulations of religious law treat women more as objects that men experience than as persons in their own right. While women were portrayed as weak-minded and fragile, men in contrast were viewed as courageous, strong, and wise. This attitude is expressed in Genesis Rabba 17:8, which describes male-female differences. One of those differences is that “the man makes demands on the woman whereas the woman does not make demands on the man.”
How startling then to see Jesus, making his way through the crowds at the request of an important man, stop to respond to the silent cry of a woman! To Jesus the woman was at least as important as the man was, for both their needs were urgent.
Contact us at: bethbere@yahoo.com
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