Jesus is not a chauvinist

I know this may sound like a controversial statement to make but it is factually correct based on the biblical account of Jesus' life and ministry.

The textbook definition of a chauvinist is someone who displays great prejudice against women.

Jesus is the exact opposite.

In his documented life and ministry, He showed extraordinary compassion, love and respect for women. It is no wonder that women have been a strong part of His church and in several evangelistic movements since then.

The cultural norms of the time in which He lived on earth were steeped in patriarchy. Women had specific roles and were not expected to step outside of it.

But Jesus had a completely different perspective and worldview.

1. Jesus protected women - John 8:1-11

Not only did He interact with men, women and children. Many of his stories and parables featured women in a positive light and even when He had the opportunity to castigate a woman caught in adultery, (John 8: 1-11) He did the opposite of what the mob expected. He protected her from mob action - while encouraging her to repent and turn away from sin. (The nature of the society is apparent in the fact that the woman is said to have been apprehended in the act - yet her partner was allowed to go scot-free while she was singled out for violent punishment).

2. Jesus preached to women - John 4

The well-documented report of Jesus preaching to the woman at the well in the city of Sychar in Samaria, is another example of how Jesus looked beyond the outward appearance of those He encountered. He struck up a conversation with her and in the process, ended up preaching to the entire city. And eventually staying two days at a location that was originally intended to be a brief stop-over on the way to Galilee. Even His disciples were surprised to find him speaking with the woman about the things of the Kingdom. Isn't it amazing that Jesus did not consider her too inferior or small-minded to engage with deep truths? Why did He speak to her at all? Considering her gender AND her questionable past?

3. Jesus healed women - Luke 8:43-48

The story of the woman with the issue of blood is yet another remarkable one. She had been in this condition for 12 years and when she touched Him, received her healing. Jesus acknowledged before the crowd and declared that her faith had made her whole. This was validation beyond the ordinary for a woman who most likely had lived as an outcast and unclean person for majority of her life - while in this condition.

4. Women supported His ministry - Luke 8: 1-3

The book of Luke reports that when Jesus began His teaching ministry - preaching across many cities and villages, He travelled with His 12 disciples (all male) and there were certain women who provided for them out of their means. Some of these women were mentioned by name i.e. Joanna, Suzanna, Mary Magdalene and many others. The fact that the gospel writers saw the need to mention these woman specifically indicates they played a significant role in the work of the Lord.

5. Women mourned for Jesus at His journey to crucifixion - Luke 24: 26-29

The Book of Luke reports that after Jesus was sentenced to crucifixion and made to carry His cross to the site - ?A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. (When you compare the respect and honor that Jesus gave to women, then you can understand that this was a personal loss to them). On the way to the cross, even in pain from the whippings and scourgings, Jesus turned and addressed the women specifically:

28?Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29?For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!

6. Many women were present at the crucifixion - Matthew 27: 50 - 56

The Book of Matthew also reports that many women were present at the crucifixion of Jesus and stayed till the end. It specifies that the women were many. Again, this seems like deliberate emphasis that is undeniable.

7. A woman was the first person to see Jesus after His Resurrection - Mark 16:9 - 20

There is a lot to unpack here. First of all, Jesus had told all His disciples that He was going to resurrect on the 3rd day, yet none of them was anywhere near the tomb. They were all in hiding. One of the women, Mary Magdalene had gone to the tomb early Sunday morning and found it empty. Eventually she saw Jesus and He instructed her to tell the disciples that He had risen. Can we reflect on that for a minute? A woman saw Jesus first after His resurrection. She was not one of the 12 disciples. She was trusted to communicate the most important message of what was to become the foundation of the Christian faith. HE IS RISEN!!

My Reflections

• All through the New Testament account of the life and ministry of Jesus, women were specifically mentioned by 1st century biblical authors as being present, involved and ministered to. This was at a time that women had no place outside the home and the societal differences between men and women were as wide as it could ever have been.
• Reading through those references, you see how Jesus took special care to include women in the ministry, and disciples ensured to document it in the writings about the life of Jesus. Come to think of it, they could have excluded them from the written accounts. We would never have known that the first people to see Jesus after His resurrection were women and that when they went to the men to tell them that the Lord had risen, they were not believed.
• Why would any 1st century male author write of women in such glorious terms if the accounts were not true and if they were not an integral part of the gospel that was being proclaimed by their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ?

This is the reason why some of us (Christian women) are completely sold-out to Jesus Christ. I am a Christian today not because I was born in a Christian home but also because the gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Testament doctrine which I have believed - includes me as a woman.

Jesus did not see or treat women as a mistake or being less than.

Even against the culture of the day, He made everyone understand that humanity is made up of men and women. And that God sees potential in all of His creation. He set the standard for how women should be treated in His Kingdom. With respect, care, love and inclusion.

To be a Christian is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in every area. Regardless of culture, tradition or social norms.

Happy Womens' Month!

Sola Abulu is the Principal Consultant of Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A), a strategy and communications consulting and training firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is also the host of the Christian podcast - Musings with Jesus on anchor.fm/OYRIA (a monologue on faith, life and love). Sola is currently a Global Online student of Western Seminary (in the US) and is undertaking a Masters in Biblical Studies and Theology (MABTS)