How did Jesus say ‘woman?’ What attitude was in his tone of voice? In John 2:4 and again in John 19:36, Jesus calls his own mother ‘woman.’ I know that when Jesus spoke to a woman in public, he used the term woman with an attitude that was gender affirming. He referred to women in a way that affirmed His own creativity. The word of God makes it clear that in eternity past, the genders were created by this same Jesus!
Today, we hear Jesus speak to her……
Luke 13: 10-17
Verse 12 And when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”
“Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”
It is strange for us to hear her addressed simply as ‘woman.’ I have to tell a story here….
I was renting the downstairs apartment in my home to a young couple and on a particular day, I was in the basement doing the laundry. I over heard, through the thin apartment door, the young husband loudly yell to his wife, “Woman! Get me a beer!” She responded, “Why should I?” His answer was, “Cuz you da woman and I da man, and da woman do what da man say!” About that time I went upstairs knowing I had overheard way too much.
How did Jesus say ‘woman?’ What attitude was in his tone of voice? In John 2:4 and again in John 19:36, Jesus calls his own mother ‘woman.’ I know that when Jesus spoke to a woman in public, he used the term woman with an attitude that was gender affirming. He referred to women in a way that affirmed His own creativity. The word of God makes it clear that in eternity past, the genders were created by this same Jesus!
Col. 1: 15,16 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation . 16 For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him
As long as we are on gender here, I have to mention something that has been on my mind as I have studied this passage. It has to do with the arrangement of the Synagogue in the time of Jesus. The business about separating the men and the women in the worship service rubs that modern woman the wrong way because we do not like the idea of being isolated behind a wall because of our gender. However, I think it is reasonable to believe that the men of that day created that system because they were trying to be godly men. Let me explain what I mean.
I understand that men find woman to be extremely distracting. I have read that the interest men have in the feminine gender makes it difficult for them to focus completely on anything totally when women are around. I have to believe that the men who were running the Synagogue in Jesus day made the separation of the sexes in the worship service in order to help themselves. It’s reasonable to assume that they wanted to be Gods men……. otherwise they would not have been there at all! They had to create a setup where the sight of the women would not distract them from the worship of God. I think they arranged the meeting place because they really liked woman…… as men always have and still do.
Woman is a term that is gender specific and Jesus affirmed the creativity of the Godhead by referring to her gender as her most identifiable characteristic. In this day of gender confusion, we need to make reference to one another in ways that affirm and appreciate the work of God in the creation of our gender. How can we refer to one another in ways that honor the fact that we are created male and female? What words and attitudes can we convey to each other that delight in our own gender and respect and appreciate our opposites?
Lord, Thank You for making me a woman. I love the creative work of Your hands that decided on my gender in eternity past. Thank You Lord for the men You have created to be the opposite gender in this world. They are the work of Your creative design as well. Help me to affirm and appreciate men and women that You have made. Help me to convey to the men and women around me the respect and honor You have given to our gender assignment. Surely, You have done all things well. Amen