Women as Church Elders: What Did Jesus Do?

Steve Behlke
August 09, 2008

Click here to read PT 1:Wonderful Women and Church Leadership and it's the comments.

The question is not what do you think but what does God think? What did Jesus do? And what does Holy Writ actually say about women as elders, primary pastors, bishops, or overseers?

After asking this question I've been reminded that it is easier:

To say what we think rather than what God actually says, whether we agree or not...

To believe we are right, no matter what our view, and everyone else is wrong...

To change the meaning of Scripture than to change our mind...

To believe there are no absolutes, nobody knows the answer, so I'll believe what I want and you believe what you want.

And this goes way beyond our beliefs about women and church leadership and biblical interpretation.

But let's get to our matter: What did Jesus do in this regard? And which women did He set over the church as leaders?

First, it must be stated that Jesus didn't appoint anyone to be an elder over the church. God used Paul and the early churches to appoint elders. However, Jesus did choose Twelve Apostles. So that's what we'll go with for today.

Now Jesus was no male chauvenist, that title does not stick, but He only chose men to be His Apostles. Each of the Twelve that Jesus Christ appointed to be Apostles were men.

And listen, it's not that He did not have some good and godly and gifted women to choose from. When you consider the twelve guys that Jesus chose, frankly, I don't think their goodness, godliness, or giftedness had anything to do with their selection! They weren't brainiacs or spiritual giants either. I think Martha could have ran circles around John in the area of busyness and service. Her sister Mary probably towered over Peter in terms of spirituality and listening to Jesus.

But the simple fact remains, Jesus Christ chose 12 men to be His apostles.

Again, Jesus was not lacking good women around Him, nor was He chauvenistic or biased or bound by His culture. He broke every other cultural rule, so He certainly could have broken this one! In fact, I'm almost surprised that He didn't. But He had His reasons.

As far as woman as humans, as Christians, as people of worth and value and love and friendship and honor are concerned, there is no doubt that Jesus loved and honored and gave value to women! We cannot fathom how scandalously cross-cultural Jesus' encounters and friendships with women were! Christ was a liberator of women — as well as other mistreated, marginalized, vulnerable, low-on-the-cultural-totem-pole, at-risk, persons.

Jesus was a liberator but not a woman's libber. That's pushing an agenda which slips right off of Him, that's airbrushing Jesus, that's reimaging Christ to our liking.

Here's some beautiful realities regarding Jesus and His esteem of women:

Two of His BFFs were women (Martha and Mary). There were others too, there was Mary (no, not his mother), and the other Mary, and the other Mary too.

Jesus taught women, Martha's sister Mary is an incredible example. Jesus' Mother is an example of obedience. Another woman would be mentioned for her extravagant worship of Christ for all time.

Jesus healed the woman who had been sick and bleeding for twelve years.

Jesus was the only one to defend a women who was busted in adultery, a pretty scandalous and substantial sin (at least, in her husband's and in her community's eyes).

He was questioned by his own followers for talking to the woman at the well.

He received support from Mary of Magdalene (whom He healed of evil spirits and sickness), Joanna, and Susanna.

The religious leaders mocked Jesus for letting a prostitute touch Him, weeping in gratitude at His feet.

Mary, His "mother" was blessed to carry "God the infant Jesus Christ" in her womb and to nurse Him at her breast.

The first people that Jesus showed Himself to after His resurrection were women!

The last person that Jesus spoke directly to before giving up His Spirit on the cross was a woman.

So Jesus' opinion of the fairest is not sexest or biased and those who care about this should rejoice...

But which women did Jesus choose to be His apostles? None, all twelve were men. This is not a slap in the face of women, Jesus didn't do rude things like that.

Did Jesus confer upon any woman rule and authority in the church? Not that I have been shown. Again, this is not a minimizing of women, Jesus didn't think that way.

And among the women stated above, there is no sense that they were anything but blessed and graced and honored by God! There is no way that what they did was small and insignificant or that they were second-class Christians or given the wrong end of the stick because they weren't chosen to be one of the Twelve. Even after Judas hung himself, the Eleven sought another Apostle who had to be "a man" who had accompanied them and seen Jesus Christ from first to last (Acts 1:21).

So Jesus taught women, ministered to women, received ministry from women, honored and protected and valued women. He went out of his way to speak to women and to heal women and to reconcile women to the Father.

But there is no passage that I am aware of by which Jesus sets up women to be apostles or primary leaders in the church.

There is much more to be addressed, looked at, interpreted, and understood on this matter. And we will address this together after I return from Lake Winnepa-Something.

But the question that arises at this point, and I think it's always significant, is does Jesus matter?!

Hopefully we all say yes (and mean it) but for now, how much weight should be given to what Jesus did or did not do? Then what about the New Testament? And what about the New Testament Church? And what about some of those other things, cultural things, like women wearing a veil and stuff? I'll await addressing some of these until next week.

Have Fun. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Be filled with love. Be angry (if you must) but do not sin.