Violence Against Women - Part III

The third topic is closely related to domestic violence; Jesus shows that if you want to nip it in the bud, you must deal with men who control women, men who “keep them in their place” for their own selfish purposes.

The third passage is from Luke, chapter 7, and is very similar to the passage concerning the anointing by Mary, except here the woman was not an invited guest, but came in off the street. The event occurred at a very different time in Jesus' life, when he was being courted, guardedly, by the religious establishment; in this case, it was by Simon, a Pharisee.

At Simon's dinner, the woman entered after learning that Jesus was there; she wet Jesus' feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, then anointed them with a perfume.

Simon was oblivious to the spiritual drama before him; his only thought was to the superficial--"If Jesus were a prophet, he would have known what kind of woman she was." The amazing thing here was that Jesus proceeded to tell Simon not only what kind of woman she was, but what kind of man he was, as revealed by his secret thoughts and by the absence of certain actions.

Jesus said that Simon loved little in contrast to the woman: He did not anoint Jesus, he gave him no kiss of welcome, he did not wash Jesus' feet--all contrary to the custom of the day for an honored guest. The woman loved much, because she had been forgiven much.

Simon, like many of us, was oblivious to the drama of faith and conversion, and so he was oblivious to the One who was the author and object of that faith.

Jesus told Simon a parable of two debtors--one who owed much, and one who owed little. Both, however, were at the mercy of the moneylender because both were unable to pay. Simon may have recognized his need for forgiveness, but he did not put himself in the same level of need as this woman.

Pharisees like Simon were "control freaks"--they controlled those for whom they had spiritual accountability, but not for their ultimate good. Both the gospels and the Acts of the Apostles tell us that they these religious leaders became jealous when the people began to follow Jesus.

Jesus would not allow Simon to thwart the emerging faith in this woman; again, he nips that protest in the bud before it is even on Simon's lips. Simon would say that she was "that kind of woman" --a woman of a particular type that doesn't change. But Jesus assured the woman that she had brought special gifts that were acceptable because of her faith in the Savior; her sins, though many, were forgiven; she could go in peace. But she would not have gone in peace had Simon had his way.

We know that, in our culture, there are men who abuse the women they control; these two perversions of love and responsibility seem to feed one other. Any threat to control is an opportunity for abuse. Women in these relationships of control are reminded constantly of the "kind of women" they are, where they would be without that man; but they are rarely nurtured, and certainly not nurtured in a spiritual sense.

We are faced with the kindness of Jesus to Simon. Just as Jesus appealed, successfully, to the consciences of the crowd ready to stone the adulteress--and just as Jesus would later appeal to the consciences of the disciples and Judas who sought to shame Mary for her generous act--so we see Jesus kindly appealing to Simon. His words protected this penitent woman but prodded Simon. Simon was called to consider his dependence on the mercies of God and to agree that the lukewarm treatment of his guest (Jesus) was evidence of his deeper spiritual need.

It is worth noting that Jesus was able to speak to Simon because he was a guest at a meal. Not many individuals like Simon are going to read a Christian newsletter. Christ's disciples are going to have to be out in the trenches to speak to the consciences of our generation--one by one--as Jesus did. We can also use mealtime with our spouses and children to address the worldly attitudes toward women which inevitably surface.

We can be thankful for those who teach young women how to say "no" to relationships of control, say "no" to violence, and say "no" to molds that from their births seem to banish hope for any different kind of life. We can be thankful for those who nurture fragile faith with the many assurances that "He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus". And we can be thankful for the Apostle Paul, once a "Pharisee of the Pharisees", who is evidence that the "Simon's", too, can be redeemed by Christ.