In Genesis 2:20 we read, 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. Heavenly Father created pairs for all animals and birds, but for man alone, he gave him a suitable helper. Yet men are always interested in providing the second position to women against themselves. Men try to keep women from the mainstream, whether at home or in society. To be able to do this they pushed towards a male-dominated world creating a theology that favors them and societal laws and regulations which gave them more freedom as compared to the women. Yet it should be noticed that women continue to function and work in today’s world shoulder to shoulder with men or even better than them. Many organizations came to form to support and promote women’s empowerment. How many succeeded in what they aimed to achieve needs to be seen. Along with women’s empowerment, there should have been a movement for the empowerment of society as a whole including children and the elderly.
In the Old Testament we can read about women who fearlessly came forward to save the people when men dare not to raise even a finger. There are also instances where women have been used as an instrument ot catalyst to bring about God’s plan. Before the birth of Moses, Isrealites had grown in number in Egypt. THe Egyptian Pharaoh became scared. He ordered to kill all newborn male babies and let girls live. Shprah and Puah were two midwives who were given this duty to kill the male babies at birth. But in Exodus 1:17-21 we read,
17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. In this way he used these two women to save and increase the number of His children, the Israelites.
Let look at the New Testament now. We can never read about Jesus insulting or humiliating women anywhere. Remember the facts that Jesus was a Jew and a prophet when you read forward. We read that Jesus once spoke to a Samaritan woman which was controversial according to that time for Jews do not associate with Samaritans. The woman was labeled as a sinful woman. Jesus revealed Himself before her as Messiah.
John 4: 25-26, 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
As a result of her testimony we read in John 4: 39-42, 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Luke 7:36 we read that Jesus was invited to have dinner at the home of a Pharisees. Luke 7: 37-38, 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Here we read that the Pharisees was disturbed that the woman touched Jesus and Jesus didn’t understand that she was a sinful woman. For the Pharisees she was just a sinful woman.
The Lord then turns towards the Pharisees and says 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Here we understand that for the Lord did not condemn the woman, rather he forgave her sins. the Pharisee was focussed on her being a woman.
In John 8:1-11, we read that people brought before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. They had all desired that he would condemn and pinish her. This was the plan of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. This is how Jesus reacted , 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” It is very much possible that the man who committed adultery was one of the many people in the crowd. It is not possible for a woman to commit adultery without a man. Jesus did not punish her neither condemn her.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
In John 11, sisters Mary and Martha were weeping for the death of their brother Lazarus. Just like them Jesus too is hurt and pained when he sees the sisters. John 11:32-33,
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. Hence we understand that for Jesus there was no difference between man and woman in sin or in pain.
When Pharisees questioned Jesus about Divorce, His reply was Mathew 19:8, 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. This reply shows how much in respect and in esteem He held women in. In general, most men consider women to have been created specially for them to staisfy their lust and desires.
After Jesus’s death, it is to be noticed that Mary Magdalene and the womenfolk were the first to visit the tomb. Mary Magdalene was the one who informed the disciples about the empty tomb. She was the first person before whom Jesus appeared after resurrection. She is the first evangelist to speak of resurrection.
Even after centuries passing by there is no answer to the question that will man look upon woman as a suitable helper appointed by the Father himself. Be it a newborn baby or a shrivelled 90 year old grandmother, for a man she is just flesh created to satisfy his lust. Just think even as we call ourselves as the progressive society has the status of women in society improved or deterioated?? Many a times we have been made to wish it would be better if a girl child is not born anymore. A father who instead of loving and holding his princess has been cruelly molesting his own daughter, grandfathers, brother, so on. The ones who should be protecting are now among the biggest predators for the girls and women.
Mathew 5:27-28, 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Think how many of us would have committed adultery numerous times. Sons who grow up seeing fathers who love and respect their wives learn to respect women in general. It is possible for parents to save their sons from the sins. Fathers and grandparents should be role models for the sons to learn. Let’s start from the family first
Jehovah Roi 