Christ - The Emancipator of Women

CHRIST – THE EMANCIPATOR OF WOMEN

Mario D’Couto

            Some time back we just celebrated International Women’s day and so I take this opportunity to write about Christ’s relationship with women and what He has done for them.

            At the very outset, the title may seem rather strange but it would be surprising to find that long before any bill on the emancipation of women could be passed or before there were women activist groups, two thousand years ago, we see this being practiced by our Lord. While there are many instances in the Gospels that speak about how Our Lord dealt with women, one particular instance which struck me was Christ’s encounter with the Samaritan woman. While one may interpret this passage of scripture in terms of our relationship with God, if we go to understand the context of this encounter or the prevailing circumstances of that time, we will come to know as to why Jesus is the first emancipator of women.

            In order to arrive at a clear understanding of this, it is important to know that women during that time were treated as inferiors. In fact, this was not seen only in Judaism of that day but in nearly all religions. Christ’s appreciation of women is outstanding in a period where Greek and Roman thinkers debated in the schools of whether the woman had a soul or not. In fact, this was what the prayer of the Rabbis used to be during those days, "Blessed are You O Lord ….. Who have not made me a woman.” Our Lord’s admiration for this Samaritan woman was so extraordinary that even His followers found it difficult for centuries to live up to the height of His respect for her.

        It was the Lord who stressed the worth of the woman as equal with man; He saw her possibilities and consequently, He has been repaid by Christian women all over the world and through the centuries with a loyalty of devotion that has been outstanding. What is even more is that, Our lord made her His first missionary among the Samaritan people. Stories and testimonies, the noted and the unnoticed, Christ, the Son of God continues to touch the lives of people in ways that at times cannot be explained and this is what brings me to the main point. Besides, giving her a sense of dignity, Christ is the true Emancipator, because He has given her a new meaning of life. Think for a moment about what the adulteress woman must have thought when Jesus asked her, “Where are your accusers? Is there nobody left to accuse you? …… Go and sin no more,” (John 8:10-11) I believe Christ continues to tell each and every woman today (and also men) because He came to give life and life in abundance. Let us therefore not forget to keep the women close to our hearts in our prayers ….. our mothers, our sisters, our wives and our friends. May God bless them all.  

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