God Favors Women

There are times I look at my wife and think she's a miracle. For nine months she formed a human being with ten toes, ten fingers and a head. And the human being came right out of her. A miracle.

In the beginning God created man out of dust but His work seemed incomplete. So out of man, he took a rib and created woman. At last His work was complete and He called it good. God would go on to use women in extraordinary ways to achieve His purpose and plan.

Sarah’s offspring became the nation of Israel.

Miriam led the Israelites out of Egypt.

Deborah was an influential judge.

Esther saved the Jewish nation.

Mary birthed Jesus.

It’s clear and obvious that throughout scripture, God favors women. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:28,30).

Mary became the parent of the savior of the world. Mary is part of God’s redemption story with humanity.

Let’s go back to our first created woman, Eve. She disobeys God by eating from the forbidden tree. Thus, how sin entered the world. Most of us would blame Eve for the fall of humanity, even her own husband, Adam, blamed her, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it (Genesis 3:12‬). As a result of her disobedience, God punishes Adam and Eve, removes them from the Garden of Eden, causing separation between God and humanity.

Thank you Eve.

But Mary walks in the picture. Through her obedience she says “yes” to God's plan and gives birth to Jesus. Through his life, death and resurrection he reunites humanity with God for all who believe in Him. Just as sin and death entered the world through Eve, life and righteousness entered the world through Mary's obedience. Further demonstrating God’s grace and redemption through women.

Thank you Mary.

God not only favors women but God protects women. One of my favorite biblical stories is about Jesus and a woman who's been caught in adultery. The Pharisees bring her to Jesus hoping he would condemn her. Back then, the law required stoning for anyone who committed adultery. So the Pharisees try to put Jesus between a rock and a hard place. If Jesus recommends setting the women free, then he would be accused of breaking the laws of Moses. On the other hand, if Jesus recommends stoning the woman then he would be accused of breaking Roman law.

But the Pharisees don't know that you can't trap the King of Kings between rocks—He’ll move it.

So what does Jesus do? He bends down and traces his finger in the sand. It's unknown what he wrote but some believe he may have been writing the sins of the Pharisees to shame them. But I would like to believe, Jesus drew a line between the Pharisees and the woman. The Pharisees weren’t allowed to cross this line, they weren’t allowed to get anywhere near her, unless they wanted to see fire come down from heaven on them.

Jesus stands up from the ground and says the most powerful and convicting words anyone will ever hear, “let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her'' (John 8:7). And one by one the Pharisees left.

Jesus protects women. Jesus is against violence towards women, against abuse towards women, against degradation of women, and against sexual harassment towards women.

In 2017, the Me Too movement took the world by storm. Millions of women took to social media to share stories about how they’ve been sexually abused, assaulted and violated. I wish so much that the physical presence of Jesus was with them to draw that line between the offender and the victim. But if not the physical presence, I hope the spiritual presence of Jesus would bring healing to those who have experienced abuse, violence or harassment.

I love what author, speaker and professor Mary Kassin says in her article You Too: A Call to End Violence Against Women:

“The gospel of Jesus Christ — holds the only real remedy for the evil of violence against women. For it is the only thing that can change the inclination of a sinful heart.”

It was only until the Pharisees were confronted with Jesus, that they decided to put down their stones. Until we come face to face with Jesus, only then can we fully examine ourselves, our sins and come to repentance. For we have all fallen short of the glory of God.

To conclude her article, Mary Kassin reminds us that “when it comes to sin, all of us could cite the hashtag #MeToo.”

God favors women, God protects women and God speaks through women.

Throughout the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, God entrusted women to share the Good News. In John 4, after Jesus encounters the woman at the well, she runs off into the city to tell everyone about her encounter with Jesus. From that moment forward, “many of the Samaritans believed in [Jesus] because of the word of the woman who testified” (John 4:39).

When Jesus walked out of the tomb, the first person he appeared to was Mary Magdalene. He instructed her to “Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). And Mary Magdalene went on to share the news about the resurrection to the rest of the disciples. Even before Jesus laid out the great commission, women were well on their way to deliver the Good News.

Many of Jesus' greatest supporters were women. Women were hospitable towards Jesus when he visited towns (Luke 10:38-40), they financially supported his ministry (Luke 8:1-3) and they stayed by his side during the crucifixion when others fled (Luke 23:49).

Their love and dedication to Jesus could be traced back to how Jesus viewed and valued them. During that time period, women were frequently regarded as second class citizens. But Jesus had a countercultural view of women. The way Jesus viewed women was “revolutionary” for his time period (Evans). Jesus knew women had “intrinsic value equal to that of men” for he knew they were created in the image of God.

Jesus once again, setting for us the example we ought to follow. Now let’s go on and do that for others. Not only this month but every month, let us honor and appreciate the miracle that God’s given us, in women.

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1. Mary Kassin, You Too: A Call to End Violence Against Women.

2. Evans, Women in the Bible. p.45

3. James Borland, How Jesus Viewed and Valued Women.