WOMEN HAVE EQUAL AUTHORITY IN MINISTRY.

Jesus taught a way of thinking about women that challenged His world—and ours—because He lived by the values of Heaven.Values are the most basic and intangible things in our thinking that cause us to make the choices we do. I believe that Jesus included the idea of values in His model prayer (Mt. 6:9-13), especially in verse 10, when He said, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I believe He was asking that God’s values would characterize all that we think and do so that the ways of Heaven would be practiced on earth. These values are foreign to our world, but Jesus embodied them, and He injected them into everyday life. When Paul talks about racial and gender equality (Eph. 2:14;Gal. 3:28)–values expressed by Jesus—he says that Jesus broke down the wall of separation. When we follow Jesus, we too will proclaim to women what Jesus has done. We will tell everyone that Jesus has broken down the walls of prejudice and separation that have debased women. One day, Jesus changed the life of a Samaritan woman. According to John (4:4-42), He met her at Jacob’s Well. Perhaps the most astounding thing about this encounter was that He revealed, for the first time with unmistakable clarity, who He was—I who speak to you am He [the Messiah] vv. 25-26. Imagine! The first person to whom Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah was a woman! And Jesus said that on the revelation of who He is, He would build His church (Mt. 16:18). This lowly, Samaritan woman was amazed that Jesus seemed to know all about her. In fact, ‚I know you‛ was the message that caught her attention. ‚And I want you to know Me. Here is who you are, and here is who I am.‛ It is Jesus caring for an individual and establishing a relationship with her! This woman was so excited that she ran to her village and told everyone about Him. It didn’t matter that she was a woman.She had met Jesus and social rules had become irrelevant.What she was doing is what we would call preaching or speaking publicly. She was proclaiming the Good News! Jesus didn’t tell her to be quiet. In some instances, He did tell people not to tell His identity and what He had done (e.g., Mt. 12:16) but on this occasion, that was not the case. Jesus did not silence this woman—or any woman. This woman didn’t go to the village elders to see if they would give her permission to speak. Her authority came from Jesus’ revelation to her of who He was. That is enough! It was then, and it is now! Jesus didn’t seem to be concerned that it was a woman who would be spreading the good news about Him. In fact, despite the fact that a woman’s testimony was not considered valid or acceptable, He entrusted this most important of all testimonies to her. He knew that the revelation of who He is would ultimately triumph over human rules. It did then, and it will today—if we will simply trust and obey Him. Consider this! Jesus didn’t restrict her to sharing her experience only with the other women or children of the village. The word ‚men‛ in John 4:28 is the Greek word anthropoi, which is gender inclusive and refers to both men and women, and is best translated ‚people.‛ So she told everyone—men, women, boys, girls—about Jesus. This is so exciting! Jesus did not limit this woman’s function or authority in any way! She was sent by Him and He did not restrict her in any way! How remarkable in the light of the church’s attitude through the centuries—and still today, in many cases! In His encounter with this woman, Jesus broke three laws.First, as a Jew, He was not permitted to speak to a Samaritan. But He did. (What does this say about Jesus?) Also, as a man, He was not to speak publicly to a woman. Yet, He did! This is why John 4:27 says that His disciples marveled that He spoke to a woman. Finally, as a teacher, Jesus was prohibited from teaching women theology. But He did! (What does all of this say about Jesus? No wonder the disciples marveled!) Essentially, Jesus called this woman to the same function He called the Twelve and the women disciples. She was to testify of Him! And despite the fact that she was a woman, He did not diminish the authority inherent in the assignment. Many Samaritans believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony. Is it possible that this woman’s ‚ministry,‛ in fact, laid the groundwork for the great revival in Samaria (Acts 8:4-8)? Do we understand the pattern here? We meet Him, get to know Him, and tell others who He is so they, too, can get to know Him. It does not get any simpler than this! And it should not get more complicated!