Seeing Through His Eyes: How Christ Championed Woman

As a Christian, I find it incredibly important to understand not just what Jesus taught, but how he lived and interacted with people. The Christian belief is that Jesus Christ wasn’t merely a wise teacher, but God the Son in human form. This means his actions and attitudes give us the clearest picture of God’s own heart and character. As Christ himself said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” So, when I want to understand God’s view on any group of people, I look first to Jesus. Recently, I’ve been focusing on how Christ interacted with women, and it’s truly revolutionary.

A Radical Beginning: Women in His Story

Think about genealogies. In the ancient world, they were vital records, establishing lineage and status, almost exclusively tracing the male line. Yet, when Matthew starts his Gospel account of Christ’s life, he includes women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. This was highly unusual! Reading it today, we might miss the significance, but this inclusion right at the start signals that Christ’s story, and his approach to women, would be startlingly different from the norm. It makes me wonder how his mentorship changed the disciples, turning them into historians who wrote women into the narrative.

The World Christ Entered

To grasp how radical Christ’s approach was, we need to understand the context. In first-century Palestine, influenced by surrounding Greek culture and certain interpretations of the Law, a woman’s status was often severely diminished. Historians like Josephus noted the prevailing view that a woman was “in all things inferior to the man.” Philosophers like Aristotle taught women’s virtue was in obeying. Women had fewer legal rights, limited education, and were often excluded from serious theological discussions. Some Jewish men even prayed daily, thanking God they weren’t created a woman. They were often seen as morally weaker and their presence irrelevant in important matters.

Christ Breaking the Mould

Against this backdrop, Christ’s actions stand out dramatically.

• Friendship and Honour: Jesus didn’t just tolerate women; he befriended them and honoured them. We see him spending time with Mary and Martha (John 11:5), including them in his close circle. He welcomed women when others might have shunned them (Luke 7). He broke purity laws, touching a woman suffering from a hemorrhage and a deceased girl, showing that compassion and valuing the individual woman transcended ritual restrictions (Mark 5). He healed a woman crippled for 18 years on the Sabbath, deliberately calling her a “daughter of Abraham” – a title of significant honour (Luke 13).
• Inclusive Teaching: Christ consistently included women in his teaching illustrations. He’d use examples from men’s worlds (winemaking, lighting a city, shepherding) and immediately pair them with examples from women’s worlds (sewing cloth, lighting a home, searching for a lost coin). He ensured his message resonated with, and explicitly included, the women listening.
• Deep Theological Engagement: Christ didn’t shy away from deep theological conversations with women. Some of his most profound self-revelations were made to women. He revealed his identity as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) and declared “I am the resurrection and the life” to Martha (John 11). He even used female imagery for God, comparing his longing for Jerusalem to a mother hen gathering her chicks (Luke 13) and picturing God as a woman searching diligently for a lost coin (Luke 15).

Women Who Followed and Witnessed

Christ actively included women as disciples. When Mary sat at his feet to learn (Luke 10) – the recognized posture of a disciple – Jesus affirmed her choice against cultural objections. Furthermore, women were central witnesses to the pivotal moments of salvation history: Mary, the mother of Christ, at the Incarnation; the faithful women who stayed at the cross when the male disciples fled (Mark 15:40); and crucially, the women who were the first witnesses to the resurrection (Matthew 28), entrusted by Christ himself to carry the news, even when their testimony wasn’t legally valued by society.

The Heart of the Matter

Looking at how Christ treated women challenges every cultural norm that diminishes them. For me, it reveals a God who values every single person equally, regardless of gender, status, or background. Christ elevated women, included them, honoured them, and entrusted them with the most important truths. His life asks us, “Who do you think you are?” challenging any sense of superiority. But more importantly, it asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Because if Christ is God, then his radical affirmation of women reveals the very heart of the Creator. His kingdom is one where women are not just welcomed, but are central figures, right there beside him.