When I was scrolling through Instagram recently, I came across a pro-feminism post. Reading through the comments, the topic of Jesus came up. The poster argued that Jesus was a feminist and cited various Bible verses where he allegedly gave pro-feminist teachings. As a female Christian who isn’t sure if she’s a feminist or not, I was intrigued.
The two biggest Bible stories I can think of where Jesus interacts with women occur in Luke 7:36-50 where the woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and perfume and John 8:1-11 where Jesus saves the adulterous woman from being stoned. Clearly, Jesus was not hesitant about talking with, blessing, and forgiving women.
But is it going too far to label Jesus as a feminist?
As I write this article, I have not studied the verses from the Instagram post, but I do have an assumption about what I will find. When studying the Bible, it’s a tricky business to take verses that fit your standards and mean what you want them to. Below, I will cite the verses this person mentioned in their post and make a conjecture about whether or not it is sufficient evidence. Was Jesus actually a feminist, or is there no sufficient evidence in the Bible to support this?
1. James 2:1
Reading this section of Chapter 2, it is clear that James was not talking about favoritism of men over women, but rather between rich and poor: “has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (v. 5). There are two ways you can interpret this verse. One, say that James meant that favoritism should never be shown in any situation and he used the rich/poor scenario as an example; or, two, say that James meant that one should not show favoritism to a rich person over a poor person, but favoritism is acceptable in other situations. In my opinion, this verse has the potential to be feminist, but I have my doubts.
2. Mark 12:31
Jesus tells this to a teacher of the law after the man asks him which commandment is the most important. The first, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (v. 30), the second is mentioned above. The word “neighbor” does not refer to the person who lives in the house next to yours, but everyone whom you encounter. I wouldn’t doubt that this includes women. I’d say that this is a feminist verse.
3. Proverbs 22:2
Similar to James 2:1, this verse is referring to rich/poor, not men/women. This verse is prefaced with the idea that “a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (v. 1). A great deal of this chapter talks about the rich/poor dynamic. So, one could assume that this verse means that because God made both the rich and poor, they are more equal than different. Is it safe to substitute “rich and poor” with “men and women?” I think that this chapter was targeted at issues between the rich and poor, and that is all, so it is rather poor evidence for female equality.
4. Psalms 67:4
Looking at the psalm, it appears to be a psalm of praise for God’s graciousness and fairness. The writer asks for God’s grace and blessing (v. 1) and desires that God’s salvation is known to everyone (v. 2). God should be praised because he rules justly (v. 4). Should it be assumed that equality among men and women is part of his fair rule? It isn’t clear what the writer means by just rule. Are they referring to rich vs. poor? Issues of class? Gender equality? Who knows? This verse could be interpreted as fair rule for women. It just depends on what your definition of fairness is.
5. Romans 2:11
The section that this verse is in is about the judgment of others. God is the only one who is allowed to judge, “but for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (v. 8) “but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good” (v. 10). God does not show favoritism because he goes Because judgment is such a vague topic, it could apply to anything, including judging someone for being a female or any other gender issues. In this context, I think it’s safe to say that this verse supports feminism. In the King James version, this verse translates to “for there is no respect of persons with God,” which seems to mean something else entirely.
6. Colossians 3:10-11
This section of Colossians discusses rules for a holy life, i.e. fill your heart with good things and cut sin from your life. Verse 9 leading into 10 reads “do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” This means that when you live a godly life, you must be rid of your old sins and embrace your new, pure life. Whether you are “Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free” (v. 11) God is with you in your holy life. In short, this verse seems to have no ties to feminism, so I think that it is likely not a support for feminism.
7. John 13:14-17
This section occurs before Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus wants to wash his disciples’ feet, despite Simon Peter’s insistence not to. This shows Jesus’ willingness to be humble and his love for his disciples. This is why he tells them in verse 14 to wash one another’s feet. Verse 16 — “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” — is another lesson of humbleness. The disciples will be blessed if they do them because they will be honoring God (v. 17). It is obvious to me that this section is a lesson in humbleness, humility, love, and compassion, not equality; so, I would not say that it is evidence of Jesus’ feminism.
8. Galatians 3:26-29
This verse is probably considered feminist because of the mention of “male and female.” The section goes on to discuss equality amongst children and guardians (a Biblical reference). So, I think it’s safe to say that this is likely evidence of feminism.
Though the Instagram poster meant well, I think that pulling Bible verses out of context is not the best way to find evidence to support Jesus being a feminist. I think better evidence would be found in analyzing Jesus’ interactions with females, like in the stories mentioned above. For me, I still am not sure if Jesus is a feminist, but I would certainly like to believe he was.
