Episode 349: Saving Faith

One aspect of Jesus’s regard for the full intrinsic value of women is seen in how he spoke to the women he addressed. He spoke in a thoughtful, caring manner. Each synoptic gospel writer records Jesus addressing the woman with the bleeding disorder tenderly as “daughter” and referring to the bent woman as a “daughter of Abraham” (Luke 13:16). Jesus called the Jewish women ‘daughters of Abraham’ (Luke 13:16), thereby according them a spiritual status equal to that of men.

In general, how did Jesus speak to women in the Bible? What does that reveal that might be instructive to us today? We examine several passages that capture Jesus directly addressing a woman. From what we explore, it is clear that Jesus sought to elevate and not denigrate, that he affirmed and valued women whom he encountered.