Male and Female He
Created Them
One of my many quirks is that I can’t abide riding in the
car in silence. There is just something about the car running, and there being
no noise beyond the purr of my muffler-damaged auto, that just sets me wrong.
So, over the years, I’ve developed the habit of immediately cranking up the stereo
as soon as the key gets turned. I realize that not all my passengers appreciate
that habit, however. Often I hear groans of protest when the audio kicks in.
However, some of that might be due to my choice of what to listen to. As time
has gone on, I’ve become more and more addicted to audio lectures. The topic of
said lectures doesn’t really matter… just so long as someone is teaching
something as I’m cruising down the road. Existential theology, ancient or
medieval history, medical mysteries, linguistics, literature… I’m good with it
all. Some of what I listen to is downright amazing. Some is interesting. Some
is downright dreadful. But, listen I do!
Recently, I listened to a 36-hour series on Greek mythology.
I don’t really have much interest in Greek mythology, but thought I might learn
something, as indeed I did. The lecturer, however, had a particular bias, I
believe, that showed on a frequent basis. By and large, I found her to be very
knowledgeable, articulate, and engaging. However, she was very sensitive to the
way gender influenced the presentation of the Greek gods and heroes. She was
quick to point out how gender roles, and the relationship between the male and
female gods, shaped the plot and development of the stories. While I do not
know the material well enough to evaluate the accuracy of her presentation, the
implication that gender was one of, if not the, defining characteristic of much
Greek myth came across consistently during those 36 hours. Her point seemed to be
that what we used to call “the battle of the sexes”—the confusion and conflict
that surrounds much of the male-female relationship—is as deep and historical
as the beginning of civilization itself.
Of course, on one level, the lecturer is exactly correct—the
reality of gender and the relationship between male and female is as old as the
creation of mankind itself. The opening chapters of Genesis mark the creation
of male and female (both in God’s own image), and the entrance of sin into
God’s good creation is reflected in part in the distorted, strained bond
between the sexes. Various sections of Scripture note the damage wrought by our
sin in the way we relate as husband and wife, male and female, and the impact
of Christ’s redemption on those relationships is described at numerous points.
As always, however, it is important to remember that the
Bible is not a textbook on gender relationships. There is so, so much about
male and female, about the cultural and societal characteristics of gender, and
about the intimacy of a husband and wife that the Bible does not address.
Sociology, psychology, anthropology, and other fields have much to say in terms
of the relationship between male and female. However, Scripture does talk of
these concerns in one way that other fields do not—for when the Bible speaks,
we hear the very Words of God. And so, while the Bible may not address every
conceivable situation that confronts the male/female question, when it does
speak it speaks True.
I think it quite likely that every culture throughout time
has had to deal with the question of how best males and females should relate
to one another. Concerns about gender and equality and authority and power
appear to me to be natural outworking of our being made male and female in the
image of God and being distorted and damaged by sin. There is much to learn
here, and much mystery yet to explore. But we can have confidence that God has
spoken by His Word, and when He speaks we must seek to understand and respond
in faith—trusting always in Jesus our Lord.
This week in worship, we’ll explore how trusting in Jesus
shapes our relationships—even the relationship between husband and wife. In
preparation, read 1 Peter 3:1-7.
1. The overall context of this section is important. Don’t
be fooled by the chapter number to think that Peter is starting a brand new
idea—he is continuing on his earlier thought. How can you tell that this
passage is connected to what precedes it?
2. What does it mean to be subject to someone else? Other
translations use the word “submit”. What negative connotations do these words
have? Must they have those connotations? What other ways could the words be
understood?
3. What is the purpose clause associated with the call to be
subject?
4. Is Peter really interested in critiquing women’s
clothing, hairstyle and jewelry? If that is not Peter’s main point, what is?
Why is he talking about this at all?
5. Go back in Genesis and read about Sarah and Abraham
(chapters 16-22). What makes Sarah a good role model today?
6. How does the command to the husbands differ from that to
the wives? What possible reasons might Peter have to differentiate in this way?
7. What does it mean to be an “heir of the grace of life”?
How can you express this to others? Is this a proper goal for our relationships
together?
