Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Topic: The empty tomb 33
Reading: Matthew 27:57-66, 28:1-15
Scripture: He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee. (Luke 24:6)
Note: By the turn of the 1st century, the general attitude of the Jewish men towards women had taken a turn for the worse. Womanhood wasn’t being treated with dignity as exemplified in the olden days through the book of Proverbs 31:10-31, where the virtues of the excellent woman were extolled to splendiforous proportions, going as far as to magnify her as more preferable to precious jewels such as rubies.
This negative attitude displayed by the Jewish men towards women was completely unnecessary, unscriptural, pretentious and largely attributed to wrong values imbibed through their tortuous history and occasional associations with paganism. Unfortunately, the Rabbis who should have known better were the worst culprits, who through human self-imposition, adopted a burdensome regulation regarding public order and conduct of Rabbis with women.
This public order for Rabbis was both interesting and funny. It was the most outrageous, pretentious and hypocritical act of religion at its best. A Rabbi wouldn’t talk with a woman in the street; not even his wife, daughter, mother or sister. A Hebrew husband could divorce the wife if she was found familiarly talking with a man or men.
A segment of the Pharisees carried this ridiculous attitude of distancing themselves from women to another level of madness. William Barclay refers to this group within the Pharisees as the “bleeding and bruised” Pharisees. When they saw a woman approaching, they would close their eyes, hence as expected, they were running into things constantly. How so different and reassuringly was Rabbi Jesus, when he courageously broke the gender and racial barriers in one swoop by addressing the Samaritan woman at the well, “Give me to drink.”
Food for thought: Are Christians supposed to be any different from their Master in their conduct, interactions, decisions, as well as gender and racial stereotyping and profiling?
Declaration: There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, “Give me to drink.” (John 4:7)
© Author: Rev Fred Aboe
