Women: Equal Partners Turning the World Upside Down Since the 1st Century

WOMEN WERE EQUAL PARTNERS IN TURNING THE 1ST CENTURY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN (a 2-minute must-read)

According to Paul, Jesus set us free, ascended above, and gave ministerial gifts to men and women equally to equip His body for local service - bearing His name well publicly with great love. These gifts are often referred to as the Five-Fold Ministry: Missionaries, Evangelists, Teachers, Prophets, and Pastors. Jesus' revolution of “the first shall be last” upended ancient near eastern gender norms and turned wives into Apostles, sisters into Overseers, and daughters into Deacons. At a time when women were discouraged from education, Paul implored women to study and lead. Please enjoy this short read that celebrates the hard working women of the New Testament.

Women have been turning the world upside down from the beginning as equal partners in the ministry of the Gospel. In fact, women are the very reason that Jesus was able to travel across Galilee, the Decapolis, Samaria, Perea, and Judea to proclaim the Gospel in the first place. The Lord stated, “the son of man has no place to rest his head”, because he was busy fulfilling the prophecy, “your sons will be taught by the Lord”. Being a traveling teacher was expensive. Luke records how Jesus and his disciples were funded. No, it was not by men, they were too afraid they’d be kicked out of their synagogue. It was the 1st century women disciples.

2 Also, some women were with him. They had been cured from evil spirits and various illnesses. These women were Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Joanna, whose husband Chusa was Herod’s administrator; Susanna; and many other women. They provided financial support for Jesus and his disciples. Luke 8:2-3

From the very beginning we see Jesus, our mirror of God, partnering with women to spread the good news of the kingdom. In the 1st century world, Jesus’ interactions with women as gospel partners was revolutionary. Why? Because this was contrary to the culture of the day where women were viewed as second class citizens at best. Women were not allowed to partner in government, hold property, or even provide testimony at the judge’s seat, with few exceptions. We see those ancient cultural views still pop up in church culture today, this is wrong and against Scripture. These views ignore the fact that God did not create 1st century or ancient culture. He created humans and they had a “very good” culture, but humans were filled with pride and rewrote their culture when they decided, “I will be like the Most High.” So, when we read about oppressive patriarchal cultures in the Bible and women who appear in second class roles, what are we to make of this? Well, Jesus would say, “In the beginning, it wasn’t so”. We must look to Jesus as our guide, observe his interactions and how he administrated the early church through his Apostles.

In the ministry of Jesus and the early Church, women were powerful vessels in the hands of God. Jesus looked at women, seeing ministry partners, often sharing revolutionary doctrinal truths with them. He proclaimed to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). In John 4, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman at the well and it wasn’t any ordinary conversation. By speaking with her, Jesus was breaking through societal expectations and shattering cultural norms and misconceptions. Even the disciples couldn’t believe he was speaking with a Samaritan woman. And it was this woman he chose to take the Gospel to her village—a female evangelist to a people often rejected by the Jews. When the disciples begged Jesus to eat at the well he said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about”, as the crowds gathered to hear the Messiah teach.

It was also women who were present at the birth of the Savior, at the cross when he died, and first to see him after the resurrection and proclaim, “He is risen!” While the men often scattered, it was the women who stayed close to Jesus and it was this courage that offered them the opportunity to be part of history as Gospel partners. Women played a significant role in his revolutionary mission “to make all things new” while “reconciling all humanity to himself”. It was also through these Gospel partnerships that we observe Jesus, the perfect likeness of God as a human, break down the oppressive patriarchal constructs of his day to redefine his vision for women as Apostles, Pastors, Evangelists, Prophetesses, Deacons and more.

But it didn’t end there. We see Jesus administrating the early church through the brave acts of women who often, had to work twice as hard as their male counterparts, in a society that viewed them as “less than”. Here are a few notable women who led the 1st century church shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts and helped turn the world upside down. Paul saluted many of them.

-Phoebe was mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:1 to be a servant or “deaconess” who taught in the Cenchreae church. She was commissioned by Paul to go to Rome and preach the epistle of Romans on Paul’s behalf. Where would the church today be without Romans?

-Junia was considered an outstanding Apostle by Paul (Romans 16:7). Imagine the power and impact this female Apostle had on her ancient audience of subordinated and disenfranchised women? Like a rock struck in the desert that springs forth waters of living hope, her female audience must've drank in her example and considered, "why not me?"

-Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), Nympha (Colossians 4:15), and Apphia (Philemon 1:2) all led house churches and defied the ancient patriarchal stereotype of their day (and sometimes ours) that women are governed by maternal instincts and not reason. Aren't maternal instincts what we admire about Jesus who compassionately states, "the people are like sheep without a shepherd?"

-Paul stated in Romans 16 that there were 4 women who “worked very hard” and that phrase was used by Paul to refer to ministry work. If Paul, the hardest working Apostle (shipwrecked 3Xs, flogged 5Xs, beaten with rods 3Xs, stoned 1X, imprisoned frequently), says, "you worked very hard”, it's truly saying something!

-Priscilla was a church planter (Romans 16:5) and someone highly regarded by Paul. It’s interesting that she instructed Apollos in key theological understandings and is commended for her ability as a Gospel teacher.

-Tabitha led a benevolence ministry (Acts 9:36) and Philip’s four daughters were all identified as prophets, the highest gifting (Acts 21:8,9). Can you picture the hush of the gathering as Philip’s daughters edify the church body as the Spirit of Christ speaks through them?

These incredible 1st century women who served as ministry leaders in the early Church were normalized and not exceptions. Jesus entrusted women to be his Gospel partners while on earth, and when he ascended above, he administered his church, whom he is the head, through these brave women also. It’s Important for us to remember that Jesus’ church is “neither Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, but all are one in Christ.” Let’s never lose sight that men and women are equal partners with God in sharing the good news that transforms lives.

As fellow members of Christ’s body, we must advocate and be allies for those pursuing the activation of their gifting through ministry regardless of gender. This was the vision of Jesus’ diverse and talented church body which He has uniquely framed together for His purposes. If you don't think Jesus was serious about it, He drew a line in the sand by declaring "it's better for a millstone to be hung around the neck of someone who discourages My children from serving Me." God bless!

© 2024 by The Apostles Handbook

Link to great article that goes deeper into this subject..."Women in the New Testament; A Middle Eastern Cultural View" by Dr. Kenneth Bailey

Article by Dr. Kenneth Bailey