The Emancipation of Woman

WOMEN’S MINISTRY ~ A SYMPATHETIC SERVICE

According to Thompson’s Chain Reference Bible

Matthew 26:6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."  14 Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”

·         Paraphrase of Thompson’s commentary.

o   Personal observations of how this applies to the Christian woman today.

Verses 7-10

• The Christian woman should serve to please the Lord.  Her primary goal in serving should not be  to please others.  She should  only focus on what the Lord thinks of her service, and not care what others think of her.

• In our service to others, us women should stop worrying about inconveniencing others with our service.  We need to stop worrying about their reaction to our concern about their welfare, and simply be obedient to God’s prompting to serve Him.  And, the best way to avoid conflict is to proceed anonymously.

• The Christian woman is realistic.  She does not dramatize the truth to draw attention to herself, nor does she exaggerate or embellish the truth of the matter for selfish gain.  Her ambitions are for the LORD alone.
• In our sevice to others, us women have to analyze each situation accurately.  We should not get caught up in the emotion of the moment and thereby get caught in the middle of the circumstances, nor should we get caught up in gossip about the situation which only leads to distorting the truth and ultimately hurting everyone.

• The Christian woman does not cherish her possessions more than her service to God.

o   In our service to others, us women should not become a “pack-rat”.  We need to be willing to let go of what we don’t need because someone else may have need of it more (my junk may be another’s treasure).

• The Christian woman must be prepared that even her fellow Christians will misjudge her good works, mistaking her devotion to Christ as “waste”.
• In our service to others, we need to take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows our heart, so that when others wound it, He can heal it without our getting in the way.

Verses 10-13

• The Christian woman does not over-criticize others’ work, but rather encourages them.
• In our service to others, us women must purposefully look for the good in other Christians’ actions, and deny ourselves the opportunity to cast a negative light thus robbing everyone of a blessing in the process.

• The Christian woman prioritizes her goals:  She seeks first to glorify God before edifying others.
• In our service to others, us women must purposefully live out our day in such a way that God is revealed through us so that others may see Him in us and know that we are set apart.

• The Christian woman’s gifts are hers to give by the authority of heaven, and no one can condemn her for her servant’s heart.
• In our service to others, us women must always check our motives before doing anything for anyone else, to be sure that they are godly and not carnal, because our reputation cannot be marred when we are working in the spirit of Christ, but it can be maligned if we are working for our own selfish gain.

• The Christian woman represents compassion, devotion and dedication.  She will be rewarded when God is glorified through her actions.
• In our service to others, true compassion, devotion and dedication are rarely seen in the public arena.  It is seen in the quiet of the night when we as a mother sit by our feverish child.  It is seen in the early morning when we as a wife rise to listen as our husband reads from God’s Word and shares his heart.  It is seen in the heat of the day when we as a daughter prepares a refreshing meal for her family so that her mother can rest.  These attributes are made possible  through obedience to God, through our love for Christ and our submission to the Spirit’s guidance.

• The Christian woman keeps her heart pure and her motives honorable, to bring glory to God.
• In our service to others, especially as a mother, we should encourage our children with confidence to approach God boldly, to learn directly from the Lord by the power of His Spirit, without worrying what others may think of their approach to worshipping their Lord and Savior.