“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (1Tim 2:11-12).
Click. You’ve seen it happen if you’ve ever watched a movie about war. A soldier on patrol with his buddies suddenly realizes he’s stepped on a land mine. Everyone freezes. One false move and he’s a goner. Well, we’ve come to one of those scriptural land mines that we like to avoid. It’s particularly tricky for an old white dude to talk about the role of women in worship. (Just to be clear, a coworker’s daughter recently saw me and asked her mom if she knew the “old white dude.”)
But rather than give you my opinion, let’s look at the context of these verses scripturally, culturally, and historically. It’s not just Paul’s opinion. This isn’t just the ramblings of a single guy back in the first century who has it out for women. Remember, he’s an apostle. That means he’s Jesus’ handpicked personal rep with all the authority of the One who chose him. Ultimately, let’s hear what God has to say. Not you. Not me. God.
Okay, here we go. From somewhere on his Macedonian mission, Paul writes back to Timothy, the past of the Ephesian church. “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather she is to remain quiet” (v11-12). Click. Everybody remain calm while we go all Hurt Locker on what the apostle has to say.
Let’s remember why Paul wrote this little letter in the first place. He planted this church a few years back during his third Gospel tour of the Mediterranean Rim (Acts 19). The apostle spent three years in this massive port city telling folks all about Jesus and about how the Jewish Messiah has thrown the doors open to God’s kingdom to non-Jews everywhere. After spending a few years behind bars falsely accused, Paul is back on the road with the Good News, this time to Macedonia. He’s tapped his spiritual son Timothy as the new pastor of this growing church (1Tim 1:1-3).
But things aren’t all that rosy in E City. A team of spiritual snake oil salesmen has weaseled their way into the church (and you thought one of your friends trying to sell you multilevel marketing products was annoying!). These hucksters have distracted Jesus followers from, well, following Jesus. Paul has already given the boot to the Despicable Duo of Hymenaeus and Alexander (1Tim 1:20). Now it’s up to Tim to clean up the mess they’ve left behind (1Tim 1:3-7).
They must have had quite an impact on worship in the Ephesian church. Gatherings that should be focused on Jesus are out of control. Men are duking it out instead of praying it up (1Tim 2:8). Women have transformed into a fashion show as they show off their best threads, hairstyles, and bling (1Tim 2:9). What should be all about Jesus instead is all about who’s on the Ephesus best dressed list. Paul wants the ladies to realize the only essential items in any wardrobe from Christ’s perspective are good works (1Tim 2:10). It’s a classic look that never goes out of style.
So the frame of reference for these verses is all about worship. Not work. Not politics. Worship gatherings. Got it? Good. With that as background, Paul writes, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man; rather she is to be quiet” (v11-12). Okay, everybody just take a breath. We’re going to be alright.
Cultural and historical context are also HUGELY important here. Back in the day, Ephesus was the home of a world famous temple to Greek goddess Artemis, the daughter of Zeus. Folks traveled for hundreds of miles to participate in some wild and crazy worship at this joint. You can do your own research, but let’s just say the ladies ran the show when it comes the female deity. And going to worship Artemis included sex with temple prostitutes. Yeah, this isn’t anything like going to church with Memaw. These were the kind of folks Jesus was saving and using to build His church in Ephesus.
The combination of their background and the impact of the false teachers has caused some serious chaos in worship services. It certainly appears that at least some of the ladies are loud and running the show. Why else would Paul go out of his way to drop these commands? Notice that twice he encourages women to be quiet. This is the Greek term hesuchia, which means peaceful, tranquil, and calm. It comes from a root word that means to sit still. Picture someone giving calm attention to what’s going on.
It does NOT mean silent. It does NOT mean seen and not heard. When Paul addressed a huge mob at the temple in Jerusalem, when the people realized he spoke in their native Hebrew language “they became even more quiet (Gr. hesuchia)” (Acts 22:2). In one of his letters to the Thessalonian church, the apostle wrote that believers are “to do their work quietly (Gr. hesuchia) and earn their own living” (2Th 3:12). Again, we’re not talking about total silence. There’s not some sort of ban on talking and communication by the ladies. That’s ridiculous.
There’s a big lesson here for both men and women. When we get together for worship, let’s calmly pay attention. Stop muttering under your breath. Quit whispering to the person next to you. Let’s face it, you hate it when folks do it at the movies. It’s one thing for you to be distracted, but there’s no reason to make sure those sitting around also aren’t paying attention.
The ladies are to remain calm in the context of teaching during church gatherings. NOT silent. NOT seen and not heard. Clearly Paul tells the Corinthian church that women contribute to the life and worship of the church through prayer and prophesy (1Cor 11:5). And remember how Peter quotes the prophet Joel in his very first sermon. “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17-18). Hard to prophesy when you’re seen and not heard.
“Let a woman learn” (v11). Notice how women are to be included in the learning process. Paul gives the command that the ladies are not to be ignored when it comes to growing in their knowledge and application of God’s Word. Digging into Scripture is not like putting a “No Girls Allowed” sign on your treehouse. Both Jewish or Greco-Roman culture in the first century saw women as little more than property. Jesus regularly taught members of the opposite sex. Just ask Martha’s sister Mary (Lk 10:39). The bulk of this command actually falls on the men. As spiritual leaders in the home, husbands are accountable for the growth of their wives. Remember, you’re following Jesus as one flesh. Cultivate an environment where she can grow and flourish as she learns from the Lord.
Paul instructs Tim, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man” (v12). First of all, let me say that I’m probably not going to change anyone’s mind here. And I’m not going to go into a long, drawn out case for either egalitarianism or complementarianism (I think the Bible clearly teaches the latter by the way). As we said earlier, the apostle is NOT saying women should never hold important leadership positions outside the church in business or government. And he doesn’t say ladies should be devoid of authority in the church either.
Paul is specifically restricting women from filling the office and role of lead pastor or teacher. Men are to be the spiritual leaders of the local church as elders as we’ll see just a few verses later (1Tim 3:1-8). That’s not to say qualified ladies can’t teach in certain situations (Acts 18:26; Titus 2:3-4). As a matter of fact, there are some very important scenarios where having a female instructor is WAY better! The apostle actually goes out of his way to say how women are particularly effective when teaching women (Titus 2:4) and children (2Tim 1:5). And guys, don’t think Paul’s giving you a hall pass when it comes to teaching kids.
Again, context is key. Scripturally. Historically. Culturally. Paul is specifically talking about worship gatherings in the local church where we preach and learn God’s Word. The people of Ephesus had some serious gender baggage thanks to the Temple of Artemis. And women in those days of the Greco-Roman world were seriously disenfranchised. One thing we’ll see in the following verses is how the apostle ultimately bases his commands on God’s created order. Walk gingerly. More land mines ahead.
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