1 Corinthians 11:2-16 26/06/94
Women in the Kingdom
Women in Jewish and Greek Culture
Ancient Middle East culture had an extremely low view of women - women were seen as property, either of their father or husband - not testify in court, not inherit property, not claim any right to education - "better to burn the Torah than to teach it to a woman."
Greeks had three reasons for gratitude - that they were not made a beast, a woman or a barbarian.
Jews thanked God daily that they were not made a slave, a woman or a Gentile.
Jewish women were so heavily veiled that a man could not even recognize his own mother. They sat in the gallery of the synagogue, above and away from the men.
Women had two choices - to be a good woman, and hope that the man that she was sold to as a wife would be kind, or to throw off her veils and become a prostitute. They had the choice of oppression by one man or by many.
Ron Ward, asked by muslim men "Why do you spend so much time talking to that woman?" "She’s my wife!" "Yes, so what?" - same attitude in Bible times
Women in the Bible
Completely different view!
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:27)
While in the main, men were in leadership, there are also some famous women leaders:
Miriam - prophet, led Israel at her inception as a nation with Moses and her brother Aaron. (Ex 15:20, Mic 6:4)
Deborah - prophet - led Israel as a judge (Jud. 4-5)
Huldah - Prophet
Ester - Queen saved Israel from holocaust.
New Testament is were you find a real radical shift from the culture in treatment of women.
Jesus’ treatment of women, while no big deal to us, was extremely radical for the time - when women were ignored except for when men had a need for them, Jesus ministered to them - healed Peter’s mother-in-law, delivered the daughter of the syrophoenician woman from a demon, raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, heals the woman with the haemorrhage, raised the widow’s son at Nairn, taught Mary and Martha in their home.
Jesus had women disciples in a time when other Rabbis taught that it was better to burn the Law than to teach it to a woman: He had women followers who learned from him, traveled with him at times, and supported him financially.
Samaritan woman "Why do you, a Jewish man, speak to me, a Samaritan woman?"
Women - normally ignored by the culture, figure prominently in Jesus last hours - they are the only followers who do not abandon him at the cross in Mark - first to witness the resurrection, and to proclaim it to the other disciples. - in a day when a woman’s witness was not even accepted in the court - God chose who the world thought was foolish and weak and shamed those who the world thought was wise and strong.
In Acts, The women joined with the twelve in prayer and supplication, they helped to elect Mathias, they too received the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.
"Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." (Acts 2:18 NIV)
Mark’s mother Mary’s house was the headquarters of the early church,
Paul’s first convert in Europe was a woman - Lydia,she is obviously a leader in the church at Philippi in later times
Priscilla taught Apollos with her husband, Aquila.
Paul has been labeled as anti-women by many people, but if you look at what he really says, and the culture he says it in, he is radically pro-women. In a day when if a man found his wife committing adultery, he could legally kill her, but she did not have the same privilege for him - in a day when the men had all the rights, and the women had all the responsibility, he had all the privileges, and she the obligations: Paul spends more time telling the husbands what their responsibilities to their wives are rather than the other way around. In fact he says that the marriage relationship should be one of mutual submission, not one of the wife in complete subjection to her husband.
Paul names many women in his greetings at the end of letters, and it is fairly obvious that they are in some form of leadership, in Philippians 4, he speaks of Euodia and Syntyche who "have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel"
Most Bible scholars believe that Paul’s writings are summed up in the verse Gal. 3:28 just as the Gospel is summed up in John 3:16
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28 NIV)
Paul spends allot of time in his letters teaching about "neither Jew nor Greek", and less time about "neither slave nor free", and "neither male nor female" but the those two couplets are just as important as the first.
In Christ, there is neither male nor female, we are the same, we are one. In the light of this general Gospel principle we come to Paul’s writting about women in 1 Corinthians 11
Women in 1 Corinthians 11
Every other sermon in 1 Corinthians has begun with the problem in the church at Corinth. - same here - in the culture of the day, moral women wore veils, immoral women: prostitutes and loose women, did not.
In the church, it seems that some of the women in the church at Corinth were expressing their freedom in Christ by not wearing veils. You can imagine the trouble that this would cause, particularly as those women got up to talk - visitors would think that the church was giving recognition to loose women - too much similarity between the church and cults with priestesses/ prostitutes, and some of the Christian men may have had trouble keeping their minds on God and not on lust with an unveiled woman in front of them.
So Paul tells the women to keep the veils on particularly while they pray and prophesy in the church. Give reasons for it.
1) sign that she is in submission to her husband - not running around
- don’t let the word submission scare you, we are to be in mutual submission to one another (Eph 5:21)
Reason for this is that the relationship between the husband and wife is similar to that of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, and the relationship between Jesus and us.
2) it is disgraceful not to be veiled - like leading worship in a bikini?
If a man found his wife in adultery he would shame her by shaving her head, and tossing her out on the street naked. Disgraced - known as a sinner - unveiled women were seen in the same light.
Unscrupulous men often try to put women who are gifted down by sexualizing what they do - not being veiled would only add fuel to the fire in Corinth
3) As a sign of authority to speak
does not say that the veil is a sign of man’s authority only as a sign of authority - I would say God’s authority
Angels? -whole idea of women being men’s glory or reflection - she covers her head to show to the Angels that she is not trying to glorify humans, but glorify God!
4) Just in case we get mistaken and try to use this passage so that men can Lord it over women Paul finishes by saying 11 & 12.
It is saying that we need each other for our very life, and also in the ministry of the Church.
On the surface this can be seen as a negative passage, but on the positive side it is a description of how woman can minister (pray and prophesy) in the church.
Application
In our culture, Women do not wear veils as a sign of modesty, or out of deference to her husband any more - in our culture veils are meaningless.
Practice the principles!
1) Women who speak in the church should be in submission to their husbands - just as men should be in submission to their wives. Those who speak should be in mutual submission with the rest of the church - no lone rangers.
2) Christian Women should dress modestly when they speak. - for that matter, all the time. - Modesty is culture and context bound - dress so as not to take anyone’s mind off of God and dress so no one will question your character.
3) Just as when anyone speaks in the Church, it should glorify God, when a woman speaks, she should do the same. - Not glorify humans, but God
4) Just as they need each other back then, we need each other now. God created us male and female in his image for a reason - we are different, and we compliment each other, and if our leadership is solely men or solely women, we are missing out on God’s blessings.
God has created us different in his image, and he has made us one in Christ, let us learn to act like it.
