The Special Role of Women in the Gospels
by Dér Stépanos Dingilian, Ph.D. © 2007
Women appear to have a special role in the Gospels that reflects real life experiences, even for today. This is a powerful message that the Gospel narratives are not simply stories that are created by some individuals. Rather, they are true the experiences of real people who experienced genuine life changing events, climaxed by the Passion of Christ.
In the Gospel narratives, the women play a very important role of relating the power of God, the message of Christ, to everyday situations. Women tend to ask Christ to do something about the everyday life of the people. Men seem to be often carried away as to whether this person, Jesus Christ, is the Messiah that is to come. This is certainly an important issue. Just as importantly, more than the title or the placement of Christ within the historical context of the earlier prophecies, women seem to focus the faith and the works of Christ on the immediate needs and realities of life.
For instance, St. Mary asking Christ to turn the water into wine at the wedding, as described in the Gospel according to St. John. One could very easily think: “Why bother the Son of God with a minor issue like turning water into wine? What is the big deal about this?” But in fact, there are some very important issues associated with this sign of God. First, it was the first of the signs of Christ as narrated by St. John. Second, the wine in this situation stood symbolically for the blood of Christ, a foretelling if you will, of things to come. Third, the wine at a wedding here toasting is done so often and for extended periods, is a very important aspect of the groom showing respect towards those invited to the wedding. Here, the wine is not just a drink, it is not just something that one can run down to a convenience store and buy it. No, it is a sign of earlier planning and show of respect for those present. Again, more than looking for wine, when St. Mary asked Christ to turn the water into wine, she was asking Christ to help this person maintain his sense of respect within the community, within the culture in which they lived. This appears to be a very important aspect of the women’s roles in the Gospels: Helping the Christian Faith make a lasting difference in the culture in which they lived. …
(To be continued)
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