What follows is the transcript of a spoken message I delivered to a church in Chile. Keep in mind that the Chilean culture tends to have a very low view of women.
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After tonight’s message, if this recording gets out of this room and someone hears it in your country, I will be declared a heretic. I may even be in danger of my life.
Further, after tonight’s message, some of the men in this room may not want me to come back. The women, however, will want me to move here!
Note the following passages:
And THE WOMEN also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the tomb, and how His body was laid. (Luke 23:55)
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with THE WOMEN and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren. (Acts 1:14)
Let’s take a trip back to ancient Israel and look at how women were viewed before Jesus came. Generally speaking, the Jews had a dim view of women. Jewish women were not allowed to receive an education. Hence, they were largely uneducated. Their only training was in how to raise children and keep house.
Women were also largely excluded from worshiping God. In Herod’s temple, there was a special court that stood on the very outside. It was called the court of the Gentiles. The Gentiles could go into that court, but they were limited to that area alone.
Five steps above the Gentiles court was the women’s court. The women were limited to that one area. Fifteen steps above that was the Jewish men’s court. Thus men were given far more privileges to worship God than were women.
A woman had no voice in her marriage. Her father decided whom she would marry, when she would marry, and why she would marry. A woman couldn’t divorce her husband under any condition. Only a man could initiate a divorce.
Jewish women were to be seen as little as possible in public. In fact, young men were warned about talking to women in public. So much so that it was a shame in ancient Israel for a man to talk to a woman in public. Consequently, most women stayed out of the streets.
Women were regarded as inferior to men. They were regarded as property just like cattle and slaves. Jewish males prayed a daily prayer of thanksgiving. This prayer shows how poorly the Jews looked upon women. It goes like this:
Praise be to God. He has not created me a Gentile.
Praise be to God. He has not created me a woman.
Praise be to God. He has not created me an ignorant man.
This was man’s view of a woman in first-century Israel. It was not much better in other cultures. In fact, ever since the Fall of humanity, women have been regarded as second-class citizens—inferior to men. But something happened that changed all that.
Jesus came.
In Jesus Christ, we find God’s view of a woman. Not man’s view. Not the American view. Not the European view. Not the Asian view. Not the African view. Not the South American view. Not even the Chilean view. But God’s view.
Jesus Christ is God made flesh. As such, He embodies all of God’s opinions. In His earthly life, Jesus was the visible expression of God Himself. By His actions and His words, we discover God’s view of a woman. And that view was utterly contrary to the prevailing view of His day.
Consider this. When God decided to make His entrance upon this planet, He visited a woman. He chose a woman to bring forth the Eternal Son, the Messiah—the Anointed One for whom Israel had waited thousands of years.
The life of God was first placed in the womb of a woman before it got to you and to me. And God was not ashamed.
Sisters in Christ, this is your Lord’s view of a woman. Take your high place.
But that’s not all. As Jesus ministered, He ripped down all social conventions that were pitted against women. On one occasion, He rose to the defense of a woman caught in adultery. He became her attorney and saved her life. And God was not ashamed.
Jesus was noted for palling around with sinners. He supped with prostitutes and tax collectors. We are told in John Chapter 4 that He met a woman, and He did something that shocked the disciples. He talked to her in public. And He was not ashamed.
Not only was she a woman, but she was a divorcee. But not only was she a divorcee, she was actively living in immorality. Yet not only was she a woman, a divorcee, an adulteress living in sin, she was worse than a Gentile. She was a Samaritan—a half-breed. (A Samaritan was a person with whom Jews were never to talk.)
Your Lord talked to this divorced, adulterous, Samaritan woman in public, and He forgave her of her sins. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But that’s not all. Jesus Christ had a custom of using women in His parables and making them heroes. He talked about the woman who searched and found her lost coin.
He spoke of the woman who was unrelenting in the presence of the unjust judge who honored her for her persistence. He spoke of the widow who dropped all the money she had into the temple treasury and praised her for doing so. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Once, Jesus was dining with a self-righteous Pharisee, and in walked a woman. But this was not just any woman. She was a woman of the streets—a prostitute. Upon seeing the Lord, she dropped down to her knees and did something unsettling.
In the presence of Pharisees, this woman unbound her hair and poured costly perfume upon the feet of our Lord. This unclean woman touched Jesus Christ in public. She wept, washed His feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair.
This scandalous and improper act mortified the self-righteous Pharisees. At that moment, these religious leaders lost all respect for Jesus and doubted that He was a true prophet. But your Lord was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But that’s not all. Your Lord allowed an unclean woman to touch the hem of His garment, and He was not ashamed. In fact, He praised her for it. He also gave a Canaanite woman who was viewed as a dog in the eyes of Israel one of the highest compliments He ever gave anyone. He also healed her daughter, and He was not ashamed.
In the Lord’s last hours on this earth, He stayed in a small village called Bethany. It was there that He would spend His last days before He gave His life on Calvary. In Bethany, two women whom Jesus loved had their home: Mary and Martha. They were His friends, and they received Him. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
When Luke writes his Gospel, he refers to the twelve disciples with the shorthand phrase the Twelve. The Twelve lived with the Lord for three-and-a-half years. And they followed Him everywhere.
But Jesus also had a group of female disciples. Luke also used a shorthand phrase to refer to them. He simply called them the Women (Luke 23:55; Acts 1:14). Interestingly, Luke used this phrase the same way that he used the Twelve.
They were the Lord’s disciples also—the female counterpart to the Twelve. The Women followed the Lord wherever He went, and they tended to His needs. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
But there’s more. The greatest disciples of Jesus Christ were not the Twelve. They were the Women. The reason? Because they were more faithful.
When Jesus Christ was taken to die, the Twelve fled. They checked out. All the disciples (except John) said, “See ya!” But the Women stayed with Him. They didn’t leave.
They followed Him up to Calvary to do what they had been doing all along—comforting Him, taking care of Him, tending to His needs. And they watched Him undergo a bloody, gory crucifixion that lasted six long hours.
To watch a man die a hideous and horrible death is something that goes against every fiber that lives inside of a woman. Yet they would not leave Him. They stayed the entire time. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Following His death, it was the Women who first visited His burial. Even after His death, they were still following Him. They were still taking care of Him.
And when He rose again from the dead, the first faces He met—the first eyes that were laid upon Him—were the eyes of women. And it was to them that He gave the privilege of announcing His resurrection, even though their testimony wouldn’t hold up in court. And He was not ashamed.
Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
On the day of Pentecost, the Women were present in the upper room, waiting for Him to return, along with the Twelve.
Unlike His male disciples, the Women never left Him. They followed Him to the end. Their passion for and dedication to Jesus outshined that of the men. And God was not ashamed.
Throughout the Lord’s life, it was the Women who tended to His physical needs. It was the Women who looked after Him. It was the Women who supported Him financially during His earthly ministry (Luke 8:1-3).
It was the Women who cared for Him up until the bitter end as well as the glorious climax. Not the men. The Women were simply indispensable to Him. And He was not ashamed.
But beyond all these wonderful things that the Lord did in showing us how beautiful women are in His eyes, He did something else. He chose you—a woman to depict that which He came to earth to die for—His very Bride. And He is not ashamed.
Sisters, rise to your high place. This is God’s view of a woman.
Brothers, honor your sisters in the Kingdom of God. For God honors them. When our Lord pulled Eve out of Adam, He didn’t take her out of his feet below him. Nor did He take her out from his head above him. He took her out of his side.
Sisters, you are fellow heirs in the Kingdom of God. You are fellow priests in the church of God. You are honored. You are cherished. You are valuable. You are needed.
You are His friends, His followers, His daughters, yea, His own kin.
So sisters, take your high place . . . this is God’s view of you.
Other Posts Defending Women in Ministry
Does Christianity Have a Feminine Feel?
A Farewell to Self-Righteousness: In Honor of Our Sisters in Christ
Unveiling Christ
I hope there will come a day in my life time that seeing women equally will not be such a impressive thing. That we will not have to give a special thank you or praise a man(or women) that talks about our value. Although I am happy for this article I am sad that we need it so badly.
I read this and felt excitement in my heart, I read this with a smile on my face and with joy. “And He was not ashamed, sister take your high place”.
I was looking for the Lord’s view of women and I was so happy when I read this…I will take my high place ?
Me too Kate. God gave me a strong ability for public speaking, but I’ve been put down a lot and have believed lies about my identity. This post was awesome wasn’t it? So good!
Thank you.The words made me cry as I realize that God’s view of us is one of love and grace. When we learn to honor each other as The Father desires us to, the world will take notice. Jesus message will be preached through His Bride the church without the bondage of pride and selfish ambition. Thank you for your work.
Its 5:16 am. Iam reading your blog with tears rolling down my chin. These words lifted my spirit in such a way I can’t explain. The position I’m in makes me feel like I’ve lost all grounds in becoming who I know God called me to be. Thank you for reassurance.
I know it’s been a couple years, but thank you so much! As a woman it is so hard to feel important or like we are valued in God’s eyes just like men. I even started developing a hatred towards God because I felt as if he looked at women as inferior to men. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to this! This has helped me so much.
Lauren, you are not alone. I too (for a couple of cruel years) felt like I as a female was just….I can’t even put into words. I started doubted myself as a human being. You see all the MEN God used but it’s not the roles of women were so weak, could never compare to the people like Moses, David, and goodness, even Abraham. But I think it’s becuase of the way the word was wired by man that all of this came into play.
I had been doubting God, questioning his care, love, concern, and plans for me, when it was not even God. It was rather, the culture of mankind.
On January 30, 2012, I made a comment when I first read this writing. When I have been approached, many times, by brothers with the male superiority complex, for being a sister who expresses Christ through online writing, I come here to catch my breath. I don’t know why, but I am not a person who tears up easily, at least I always thought so, but you prove wrong about that, Frank. Sometimes, being wrong is a wonderful gift.
I read this when it was published (and it made me cry) and read it again yesterday, and again, had tears in my eyes.
So often being a woman in the church feels like death by a 1000 paper cuts – so many small marginalizations, diminishments, silencings, so many demands on my time without giving me or my sisters a corresponding voice in the community.
This is like water to a thirsty soul. You’re doing healing work here. Thank you.
Frank, I’m really late on this one, but I’m curious which female leaders (authors) you read in today’s era of Christianity? And would you co-author with one of them? Or perhaps let them guest blog here on your blog with you?
I coauthored a book with Mary DeMuth. THE DAY I MET JESUS. It quickly became a bestseller after it was released. See it at http://thedayImetJesus.com
2 things come to mind when I read this, and when I think of Christ and women. First, when Jesus came to Earth, He came to set men free from the bonds that held us. Many believed it was to be the Roman army, I am of the mind it was our own finite regulations. When we accept Christ as Savior, we decide someone else is not good enough, they are not allowed to be with us when we worship, their baptism was not seen by me therefore, they cannot share the bread and wine with me in communion. We become very selective. We tend to bind ourselves in chains that we made.
Second, I think of just what God has used since Jesus came here. He never once said He would use only the best ingredients to make his soup, at least not by our standards. He chose what we consider to be the worst of the lot to be His disciples. One of the earliest Church leaders was a woman, and not only a woman, but a former hooker! The lineage of Jesus included a “lady of the evening”! God has done so many things that we do not think He would do. We work so hard to try to put God into our terms, fit into our definitions, that we tend to lose sight of just who we are really speaking of! The simple idea of a woman even needing to take their place of honor, shows just how finite we really are.
God never called a shepherd; indeed, He called a young man whose heart was available, he just happened to be a shepherd.
I have been a follower of christ for many years and I use to feel that the Bible left women out. Then I wondered “maybe it is because Eve was the “mother” of sin and women are not seen as men. I WAS WRONG and what a relief it is to have been wrong. When you said God chose us to depict the very reason the Lord came to earth for – I broke down in tears and realized how much Jesus Christ and God loves women and how important he thinks we are and this whole time I new he loved me but I didn’t realize how important he sees us…We are his daughters!
THANK YOU
Michelle,
Eve was deceived, but Adam was deliberately disobedient.
There is so much in our culture that demeans womanhood. My ears cringe when I hear jokes about “cave men” so too when someone puts down this high calling of motherhood. Thank you for this post. It was very uplifting and an encouragement to press on and take my “high place”!
Frank, I really love all you said. Great points! Wondering though, in everything I’ve read of yours, what is your take of women in leadership? Women Elders? Something I wrestle with?
Todd: See my post “Rethinking Women in Ministry” https://www.frankviola.org/popular
Todd, Barak “a hero of the faith” wouldn’t go into battle unless a woman (Deborah) went with him???
I read this post a week or so ago and shared it on Facebook. I came back and read it again when I saw it on Rachel Held Evans’ blog. I teared up both times.
A few years ago I heard a sermon where the pastor mentioned “some of you someday might be pastors–or pastor’s wives–” Ever since then from time to time I’ll think maybe I should become a pastor–or pastor’s husband.
Great post. What a great reminder…we all matter to God. I’m so thankful I serve on a church staff where I am afforded the same opportunities as men. I know quite often thats not the case.
This article touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. It spoke to me so much I shared it with all of the ladies in my home Bible study group. Thank you for reminding us how God sees women.
Dear Frank:
I really like your blog, and liked your piece on “Gods View of a Woman”.
My good friend and I had a discussion about women in leadership and pastoral/preaching roles in the evangelical church that we both attend. The mindset of our church is that, biblically, women should not hold these positions. I disagree. (I have learned much and have been spiritually enriched by a women pastor who headed the church that I attended before I moved to this city.)
What is your opinion of “Women behind the Pulpit”?
See my post “Rethinking Women in Ministry” https://www.frankviola.org/popular
This is beautiful. There is so much coming out of the church at the moment that makes me feel sad, but you make me feel as though it is possible to be Christian after all.
Catherine
Thank you.
I love this post, found through Rachel Held Evans, but I do want to urge you to consider your interpretation of John’s Woman at the Well. Nowhere does it say she was living in sin or was immoral, just that the man she was living with was not her husband. Moreover, it does not say that she was a divorcee but that she had 5 husbands. It is possible that she had married short-lived men or that she was currently living with a brother/uncle/male relative. I know this may seem far-fetched, but I do think we tend to cast aspersions on women in the bible without doing a thorough reading. Scripture even calls Magdalene one possessed by a demon. Not a prostitute. And yet — for centuries she has been labeled so. Yet another way church tradition has worked to keep women in line.
Thanks Heather. You are correct. Scripture can be interpreted to degrade women and it has been for sure. But I see this a tad different, maybe. Let me explain. Given how things worked in the first century, it’s hard to imagine that all five of her husbands died. Also, most scholars agree that Jesus’ word that the man she was living wasn’t her husband was a reference to an inappropriate relationship. Hence why she changed the subject when the Lord put His finger on that point. I got into this in my “Diary of a Desperate Samaritan Woman” which you may find of encouragement. Regardless, the woman in Luke 7 was clearly a prostitute and this is what flipped the Pharisees out. Mary of Bethany (my favorite female disciple along with Mary of Magdala), on the other hand, didn’t have this sort of past and some people confuse her with the woman in Luke 7, which I don’t think is correct.
But here’s the big point for me. To my mind, all of this simply magnifies the glory of Jesus as Merciful Redeemer and Deliverer and Forgiver instead of putting women down. Peter sinned many times, yet the glories of Jesus Christ was magnified in making Peter the lead apostle *despite* his continued failings. I spoke on this here. You may find it of encouragement. In a way, that talk is the male equivalent of “God’s View of a Woman,” but it applies to all of us. Would love to hear your thought on those two talks.
I never post on anything, anywhere. But this touched me, made me cry. I don’t even know if I’m a believer or not but I think this is the version of God that I feel is most true. Real, simple, powerful love for all persons, regardless of gender or race.
Thank you.
See also Gabriel’s message to Mary:
You are highly favored
You are blessed among women
Do not be afraid
I’ve been going to church for years and yet I never knew it like this before. So affirming. Thank you.
This gave me goosebumps! Thank you for sharing.
Oh my gosh what an incredible learning experience you have given me today, and many others I am certain. Some instances I did not know of, and some I enjoyed reading about again. Kudos to you Sir, for bringing this subject and the passages to the forefront and sharing God’s view with the world. Thank you, thank you. My heart is full.
This is beautiful and affirming and life-giving. Thank you.
Those are powerful words, and I thank you for sharing them.
Preach It Baby!
Hi. Thank you for posting your message about women. I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and as I Christian Venezuelan I also struggle with the believes that the Venezuelan church has about women. Greetings!
“Sisters, take your high place. This is God’s view of a woman”. Thank you soooooo much 4 tis. I am blessed by it. Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Love it! Love Jesus <3
Thank you for taking a risk! We all need to hear this…over and over and over. Blessings.
Thank you so much! Sometimes I feel so put down by what should be lifting me up. This was so beautiful and moved me to tears!
Thanks for such an encouraging word, Frank! I’m wondering: Of the four streams that you recently overviewed, which one would you say comes the closest to what you shared here?
People in all four streams have resonated with this piece. While everything I write can be placed into the category of “beyond evangelical,” some of it finds resonation with most Christians, even non-evangelicals. Even non-evangelical Christians have expressed appreciation for this post.
Great, great post, Frank! While I think you could have emphasized the personal friendships Jesus had with women, I give a thumbs up to this post.
Beautiful. Powerful. Inspirational. And Scriptural. AMEN!
Thank you, Frank, for this lovely expression of the role of the woman. Thank you, GOD, that I am cherished, valuable, needed.
How sweet it is to be in Christ – for both male and female alike!
So beautifully poetic! I can’t wait to read it aloud to my sisters.
Frank, thanks for reminding us that GOD created man and woman as partners. I am so thankful that Jesus demonstrated love equally among gender, race, nationality, abled/disabled, rich/poor, etc. May we as his followers love without bias or prejudice. And thank you to my Dad who demonstrated in our home a place of partnership for my mother, and as a daughter always made me feel valued and respected, causing me to find a husband with the same character, who now demonstrates that to our two daughters and daughter-in-law…who can find fault in the ways of JESUS 🙂
Loved this post Frank.
Have always found that women have a very low view of themselves. Especially considering the institutional churches practice and teaching concerning women. I’m glad that there are those that are beginning to see that in fact there is no longer male or female, Jew or Greek. That we are all one in Christ! I pray that this truth will open up much more revelation amongst our brothers and sisters worldwide!
What a wonderful expression of God’s love for women. As a woman who has had leadership positions and have been rebuffed frequently, this was so refreshing to read. Thank You.
You have perfectly represented what I’ve been trying to voice for several years now. Thank you.
Beautiful and Amen!
God bless your passion and work!
Thank you Frank, We need more men like yourself to stand up for women in this world to show that we are not second class or inferior as some would say.
I think one of the main reasons that people find this issues so hard to deal with – plus why it effects our emotions so deeply, is that it has something to do with self esteem and sense of security in each of us. But when we all grasp and realise that we are all one ‘in Christ’ and there is no difference between male and female as the book of Galatians says, we can all affirm each other as God has made and called us.
It hasn’t been that long ago since slavery was an accepted thing, and now all people realise how bad that was.
Praying that the Spirit of God will continue to work in people’s hearts to reveal His truth regarding women’s freedom.
This reminds me of 1Cor. 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Thanks for pointing out all the parables he used women in, I never realized that before or ever saw it before.
Frank, so beautifully written! I hung onto every word. I’m sharing!
This is just beautifully written and describes the Christ I love and WANT to love because he first loved me!
Frank, thank you for this. I, unlike many of my peers within the Evangelical church, have never questioned God’s goodness towards women. I have questioned His goodness towards me, Nicole, but not women in general.
And then yet reading this, example after example, of Christ’s faithfulness, care, concern, and obvious love for women cements this fact all the more for me.
I know many women who struggle with feeling that the God of the Bible really cares about women. I will be sending them to this post.
Love that message.
Thanks Frank! I am taking my high place.
So what was the reaction of the congregation when you delivered this message? Thanks for sharing this.
Valeria: Beyond what I could have expected. Tears from both women and men in the room and some repenting for how they treated their fellow sisters. We had a meal aferwards in a home and for the first time (they told us), the men cleaned up and washed the dishes. This was revolutionary for these folks and something that Chilean men look down upon. God was clearly at work. It was amazing and humbling to me.
That just brings tears to my eyes. Your message was beautiful, but their response to it is something only God could have accomplished.
Hi Frank,
Loved this message. Do you by chance have this translated into Spanish? We live in Guatemala and probably like in Chile, women (especially the Mayan women where we live) are also treated as second-rate citizens here. I’d do it myself but my Spanish still isn’t good enough for that. I believe this would be such an encouragement for many of them. Thanks.
Thank you, Frank. I’ve heard this and know it, but the way you delivered this message was absolutely beautiful. Not ashamed to admit I was crying!
Wow, great post, Frank, and couldn’t be more timely. I have shared this on my fbook because I think it is such an important message. Over the years He has been teaching me this important paradigm and I have learner/am learning to love my wife as Christ loved the church, by laying my life down for her and serving her. What an amazing transformation in our relationship, it has freed her to be the woman God called her to be and has helped her know how much God loves her. I had to repent of my thinking of her being subservient to me.
So sisters, take your high place . . . this is God’s view of you, and it has become mine too, because of Jesus.
Amen, Frank. I hope this article finds its way to many women and plays a part in setting them free to see themselves as God sees them.
There is nothing that I can add to this. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Frank.
Frank, I sit here after reading your words and I feel like I am in slow motion, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the expression of Christ, of Love. I suppose I could go on and on, but I really just want to say to you, Thank you!
Wow Frank, the room surely became “Chile” at these words!
How liberating for me to read this, particularly as a man… If God’s Spirit envelopes and gushes through my or any other person’s spirit, man or woman (or any other non-spiritual difference between people) – then she, he or I can just MOVE!
Without first thinking:
Wait a minute…I’m a man, and the Bible says…” (with a stern face)
My spirit does not have “physically” distinguishable characteristics from others’ spirits! (reminder to self).
THANK-YOU !!!!!