Feminism In The Gospel Of John

Feminism is the concept that women should be equal to men on social, economic, and political grounds. Today this practice is widely spread throughout the world. This idea would have seemed preposterous in Bible times. Women were certainly considered underclass, whereas men were superior in all cases. This belief of unequal significance between men and women was challenged by Jesus during his ministry in the Gospel of John. Jesus’ stand to incorporate women had specific purpose. Through the ministry, proclamation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and witness to His resurrection, the women of the Gospel of John demonstrate Jesus’ intention for men and women to occupy equally important ministry roles.
The story of the woman at the well signifies ministry by a woman. In the fourth chapter in John’s gospel, Jesus rests at a well in Samaria and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink (Students’ 812). During that time, this interaction would have been shocking for several reasons. Jesus is talking with a woman who is a Samaritan. The relationship between Jews and Samaritans was unfriendly at best. Samaritans

When she spread the news about Jesus, she used words which expressed her desire that Jesus be the Messiah (Bryant 87). The author of John knew how Jews would react to this story. It was inappropriate for Jesus to talk this woman at this time, but John wrote this in his gospel anyway. He was not uncomfortable with his gospel containing the story. He wrote the story in order to incorporate women into ministry during that time. At this point in the gospel, this is the first woman whom Jesus leads to minister to people by telling others what he has done. The woman was more than willing to spread the news of what she knew. The woman at the well eagerly avails herself of the opportunity provided by the return of Jesus’ disciples to hasten away and tell her news to others (Tasker