Does 1 Timothy 3 Mean Women Can't Be Leaders in the Church?

Discover the surprising truth about 1 Timothy 3, and how gender bias in Scriptural translations has lead a generation to believe that only men are permitted to be leaders or pastors in the church. The Greek text is gender neutral which means this instructions for leaders don't just apply to men but apply to both men and women alike.

1 Timothy 3:1-13 is often used to say that only men can preach or be senior pastors. It's easy to see why if you read it in translations like the NLT, NIV, RSV, or KJV. Take a look at how the NLT reads:

"This is a trustworthy saying: if someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position. So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well." 

That seems pretty cut and dry, doesn't it? He, man, his.... When women do get a mention it's strictly as "wives." So there we have. Men lead and women can be married to them.

But not so fast! We need to remember that the Bible was not originally written in English, and how it's translated matters significantly. Scholars like Beth Allison Barr believe this idea of male dominated leadership was shaped by poor translations of the text, which make the list of leadership roles and responsibilities seem more masculine than they really are!

In the Greek, the text is filled with gender-neutral terms like anyone or whoever. There is only one specific reference to man, which appears in verse 12 (literally "one woman man" which references the married state of deacons), but modern English Bibles have added eight to twelve male pronouns that are not found in the original text! 

Theologian Lucy Peppiatt observes this and concludes that this text doesn't make female leadership an issue. She ascribes that issue as coming from "relentless and dominant narrative of male bias" in translations.

A better translation would read something like this:

If someone aspires to be a church leader, they desire an honorable position. So a church leader must be someone whose life is above reproach. They must be faithful to their spouse. They must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. They must enjoy having guests in their home, and they must be able to teach. No heavy drinking or violence. They must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. They must manage their own family well, having children who respect and obey them. For if someone cannot manage their own household, how can they take care of God's church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because they might become proud, and the devil would cause them to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of them so that they will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their spouses must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to their spouse, and must manage their children and household well. 

What a difference reading it this way makes! And again, this gender-neutral translation is much closer to the original meaning of the text than poor, male-centered translations that are found in most Bibles.

We need to be aware that poor translations of Scripture have placed limitations on women that neither the Living God nor the authors of the Bible intended! Male-dominated leadership is not an idea that is promoted by Scripture.

More on women in leadership:
The Myth and Meaning of 'I Do Not Permit a Woman to Teach' (1 Timothy 2:11-14)
Who Was Phoebe in Romans 16? (The Only Deacon Named in Scripture)
The Truth about 'Let Women Be Silent' in 1 Corinthians 14:34

12 Times the Old Testament Prophets Denounced Rulers for Refusing to Protect the Poor

Discover some of the many times that the prophets of the Old Testament denounced their leaders for failing to protect the poor. The issue of wealthy creditors and leaders preying on those with less is seen throughout Scripture, and the prophets had a lot to say about this conflict!

Particularly in the 8th and 7th centuries BC the majority of kings in both Israel and Judah failed to stop powerful creditors from monopolizing the land that was supposed to belong to all. This lead to widespread suffering, with much of the population becoming enslaved or victims of debt bondage. Prophets like Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel protested and spoke against the exploitation of God's people.

12 times the prophets speak against rulers for failing to protect the poor: 

YHWH comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: "You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?" -Isaiah 3:14-15

What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land. -Isaiah 5:8
 
What sorrow awaits the unjust judges and those who issue unfair laws. They deprive the poor of justice and deny the rights of the needy among my people. They prey on widows and take advantage orphans. -Isaiah 10:1-2

For the leaders of my people are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes....they are ignorant shepherds, all following their own path and intent on personal gain. -Isaiah 56:10-11

They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. 

"We have fasted before you!" they say. "Why aren't you impressed? We have been hard on ourselves but you don't even notice!"

"I will tell you why!" I respond. "It's because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers." -Isaiah 58:2-3

Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter. They continually set traps to catch people. Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great and rich. They are fat and sleek and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. -Jeremiah 5:26-28

Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. -Ezekiel 22:25

Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They destroy people's lives for money! -Ezekiel 22:27

The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished. They sell honorable people for silver, and poor people for a pair of sandals. They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way...at their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their god, they drink wine bought with unjust fines. -Amos 2:6-8 

You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. -Amos 5:11

Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy! You can't wait for the Sabbath day to be over and the religious festivals to end so you can get back to cheating the helpless. You measure out grain with dishonest measures and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales. You mix the grain you sell with chaff swept from the floor. Then you enslave poor people for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals. ...YHWH says, "I will never forget the wicked things you have done." -Amos 8:4-7

What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so. When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone's house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family's inheritance. -Micah 2:1-2

These verses highlight that God takes seriously how the powerful treat the needy. He cares for the oppressed and desires all people be treated with dignity. The theme of social justice as a core tenet to faith did not start in the New Testament. Providing for the poor is at the core of biblical law and God's instructions.

Related posts:
The Financial World of the New Testament: Jesus, the Jubilee, and Prozbul
How John the Baptist Prepared the Way for Jesus
The Two Houses: Israel and Judah in Scripture

Jesus, the Jubilee, and Prozbul: Understanding the Financial World of the New Testament and Why the Savior Clashed with the Pharisees

This post examines why Jesus often disagreed with the Pharisees - specifically on financial issues, such as debt forgiveness. Here we discover the Prozbul clause which was one of the main points of contention between the Savior and the religious leaders of the day. This clause defied biblical law about the the seventh year and Jubilee cycle and undermined God's social welfare programs. It completely altered the financial workings of the New Testament world, making it easy for the rich to prey on the poor. Learning about this clause will help us to understand the context of the Messiah's words throughout the Gospels. 

In Jesus's first sermon, recorded in Luke 4:16-20, he quoted Isaiah 61 announcing the Jubilee year. While Christians today read that as an innocuous declaration of how great things are with the Messiah on the scene, many of the religious leaders and powerful financiers of that time found that reference to be offensive and even threatening...because the Jubilee was an important part of God's covenant, and called for debts to be forgiven!

If you read through the Gospels, it doesn't take long to see that the Jesus and the Pharisees didn't see eye to eye and often clashed on issues of the day. But it's not always clear to us why that was. A lot of people believe that Jesus was more about the 'spirit' of things and religious leaders were often obsessed with the 'letter of the law,' but there's more to these standoffs than the Savior thinking these guys were annoyingly focused on small details.

Something to keep in mind about the Pharisee movement at the time of the Gospels was that it had been strongly influenced by a man named Hillel. Also known as Hillel the Elder, he is remembered for playing a leading part in developing and recording the Mishnah and Talmud - two books on Jewish oral law and tradition. While these writings offer invaluable historic and cultural insight, it's important to recognize that these are considered different than Scripture. Hillel lived until the year 10CE, so his teachings and ideas were very much still present and influential in the days of the Messiah.

Hillel's most famous influential act was his endorsement of what is known as the Prozbul clause. 

What that clause did was create loans that were not eligible for forgiveness during the Jubilee, or Shmita years - something that directly defies biblical law. Deuteronomy 15:1 tells us that every seventh year we must cancel the debts of anyone that owes us money. (Jesus's prayer "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," was not a parable.) The Prozbul clause disregarded this law, making debts lifelong and making it nearly impossible for anyone in debt to get free of that.

The Prozbul clause was an absolute economic bombshell in the New Testament world! It touched every aspect of life. It made the poor poorer and created substantial opportunities for the well-off to exploit those of lesser means. Most of us are familiar with the burden of debts that follow you throughout your life. Imagine going from a world where every seven years those debts were erased to suddenly being weighed down with them - in many cases by religious leaders. It also created a precedent for setting aside God's laws in favor of what men decide is more expedient.

There are many arguments made that the Prozbul clause was not created to stoke greed and let the wealthy gain more control of regular people, but rather it was intended to ensure that the poor would always find a willing lender to provide them with lifesaving loans so they could buy food for their families. The logic being that lenders would not be incentivized to give money if they didn't think it would be repaid before the seventh year. It could very well be that Hillel was well-intended when he made this clause, but of course this suggests that lenders were acting in ways that directly contradict Scriptures such as Leviticus 25:37 that says no one should lend money to the poor at interest or sell them food at a profit. 

Jesus comments on this issue directly in Luke 6:35 when he says to lend without expecting to repaid. His words are literally the opposite of Hillel's Prozbul clause. 

Note that this idea was not new to Jesus, and that the forgiveness of debts is at the core of biblical law. Scripture is filled with protections for the poor and those in debt...protections that benefited not just individual debtors but the economic and spiritual health of society. One of the main criticisms of kings of Israel and Judah had to do with them letting oligarchies control the land, and we see Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Micah denounce kings for refusing to protect the poor from creditors. Jeremiah and Ezekiel in particular were major advocates of debt forgiveness, because they recognized forfeitures of land and personal liberty were violations of the Jubilee covenant that YHWH created.

The New Testament world was filled with men ignoring and breaking that covenant. Unethical money lenders were entrapping the people in debt, in direct opposition to God's directives. This was offensive to the Savior who placed so much importance on the Passover story and remembering how God redeemed his people from bondage. Of course he would have been angry with religious leaders for working to ensnare his people in debt! 

When we realize much of the Old Testament has to do with the conflict between debtors and creditors, it only makes sense that this issue would continue to come up in the Messiah's day. This is why Jesus was angry with the money lenders in the Temple, why he encouraged people to sell their possessions and give to the poor, why he told parables about debt relief (Matthew 18:21), why he believed it was hard for a rich man to enter God's kingdom (Matthew 19:23), why he was against wage labor (Matthew 20), and why he did not believe YHWH and money could be served simultaneously. 

This means the Savior didn't think the Pharisees were too focused on God's laws - he was angry that they disregarded them. Understanding the Prozbul clause is a key to seeing the words of Jesus as he truly meant them.

Related posts:
How Did John the Baptist Prepare the Way for Jesus?
What Jesus Meant by the Poor Will Always Be With You
What the Laws and Rulings of Ezekiel 25 Mean

The Forgotten Lesson of Rhoda in Acts 12

This post takes a look at the life of Rhoda, a servant girl in the house of Mary, mother of John Mark, as glimpsed in Acts 12:13-16. Though the mention of her going to the door when Peter knocked after a divine prison breakout is brief, we have a significant lesson to learn from this woman of faith.

Who is Rhoda in the Bible?

We are told that Rhoda is a female servant, likely a young one, in the home of Mary. While Scripture doesn't overtly say she was a follower of the Messiah, we have reason to believe that she was based on her actions in this story. We also know that she was able to recognize Peter's voice, which meant she was in the thick of the action of the early church and had heard people preach and discuss the Gospel. The story we have of her takes place during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, where she was working in a home that was hosting gatherings of believers.

Rhoda comes up in Acts 12:13-16 and is usually treated like an amusing anecdote. 

This passage of Scripture immediately follows the miraculous escape from prison that Peter had after he was awoken by an angel who distracted the guards, released his chains, walked past soldiers and through a gate that opened by itself. It was such a dramatic scene that Peter didn't think it was actually happening. He presumed it to be a vision or dream according to Acts 12:9. Once the angel mysteriously disappeared and Peter found himself outside the city did he realize it was a divine rescue-mission so he could avoid whatever Herod and the religious leaders planned to do to him at his trial the next day. It's such a wild and exciting part of the Bible that it's easy to gloss over the next detail.

Peter decided to head to the house of a woman named Mary. She was the mother John Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark. She had apparently been using her home as some sort of base or gathering place for the Disciples and followers of the Messiah. Peter knew he would be welcomed and sheltered there, and that he could reconnect with other believers. Sure enough, many of Jesus's followers had come together there to pray, despite the late hour. 

Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. When she heard Peter's voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said Peter was standing there. "You are crazy!" everyone told her. But she kept saying it was Peter. -Acts 12:13-15

In the past, I have consistently heard this story told in a way that highlights the shock of the disciples, in order to emphasize just how impossible this prison breakout was. It only happened because of divine intervention. It was so unlikely that Rhoda's joy at the surprise of Peter's presence was so encompassing that she was too excited to open the gate. 

But what's really noteworthy here isn't just the joy at Peter's safe return. Rhoda usually gets treated by pastors like she's fan-girling over Peter and is such an airhead that she doesn't even think to let him in. But she doesn't forget to let him in, she can't let him in. This isn't a matter of opening an unlocked screen door. Believers at this point are facing heavy persecution. Peter is in prison. James has already been killed. It seems likely that they are taking security precautions, especially given that it's the middle of the night during a Biblical holiday. The gate would have been large and heavy. It would have been tricky and cumbersome to open under the best circumstances, but the joy and surprise Rhoda experienced kept her from being able to open up the gate for him. 

What stands out is that no one listened to her. No one took her at her word that Peter was there. No one offered to help her open the gate so they could check. They came up with elaborate explanations about what she had heard. They actually insisted to her that she was crazy!

But she kept saying it was Peter!

This isn't the first time that the Bible tells a story about a woman who is not believed. The same thing happens to Mary Magdalene when she follows the instruction of Jesus to go and tell his brothers what he's said to her.

It's interesting that the Bible records this happening. More than once. We have a lesson to learn here, and it's a simple one: it's okay to believe women and it's okay to hear them talk about the Gospel.

Scripture literally puts this detail in: a woman knew the truth, a woman shared the truth, and she wasn't believed.

Many women continue to be treated this way today. Having their words, devotionals, teachings, and insights be disregarded and then being verbally abused for talking about truth. The inclusion of this detail of Rhoda's life highlights that not believing women has backfired on people and the church in general. Her story reminds these women to keep saying it. 

Rhoda's story teaches us that we can keep speaking the truth of Scripture even when we don't have the support of the people around us. We see from her story that all of God's children deserve to be treated with respect and care, regardless of their gender, societal rank, or socioeconomic status. 

Before calling someone crazy, go check the gate.

More posts about women in Scripture:
The Significance of Sarah in the Bible
Who Was Phoebe in Romans 16?
What the Mary and Martha Story Actually Means