Jesus’s relationships with women, as depicted in the Bible, were so special, so different from those of the ordinary men of his time and of other religious leaders.
Temple University theologian Leonard Swidler says in his book about women in the Bible that the behavior of Jesus toward women by itself is enough to suggest that a Savior was truly born in Bethlehem.
Jesus related to women as human equals and treated them with respect and affection, with gentleness and wit, with honesty and concern for their dignity. Jesus genuinely liked women, and they liked him. His erotic reactions to them would differ from those of other men only in that there would be no hint of exploitation, manipulation, or violation. He was a model of sexual maturity in his relationship with women.
There is not a single incident in the Gospels where Jesus puts down a woman or treats a woman with contempt or speaks slightly of a woman or blames a woman or speaks harshly to a woman. The others called her a whore, Jesus called her a “woman.”
Nor is there a single episode in which one can say Jesus treated a woman as anything less than a full equal. This is behavior that would stand out even in our own time, to say nothing of a time when women were usually no better than slaves.
Thanks to Fr. Andrew Greeley for pointing all this out.
How are women today still being treated as objects, as servants and as “second-class citizens?”
SHE MAY BE QUIET, BUT SHE’S A WARRIOR AND HER PRAYERS WILL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
My Commentary:
Jesus’ encounters with women in the Gospels reveal a quiet revolution — one not carried out with speeches or manifestos, but through simple, consistent acts of dignity and respect. In a world where women were often marginalized, overlooked, or reduced to social roles, Jesus saw persons. He met women not as categories or stereotypes, but as souls created in the image of God.
What makes these relationships remarkable is their naturalness. Jesus did not elevate women through flattery nor distance Himself through fear or suspicion. Instead, He spoke with them, listened to them, learned from their faith, and entrusted them with responsibility.
The Samaritan woman became an evangelist to her village. Mary of Bethany was praised for theological insight. Women stood near the cross when others fled and were chosen as the first witnesses of the Resurrection.
His purity was not cold avoidance but mature love — a love free from domination, exploitation, or hidden motive. Jesus demonstrated that true holiness deepens humanity rather than suppressing it. He showed that spiritual greatness is revealed in how one treats the vulnerable and the disregarded.
In calling a condemned woman simply “woman,” He restored what society had taken away: identity, dignity, and worth. Even today, His example challenges every generation to examine how we see and treat one another. In Christ, respect is not an ideal — it is the natural expression of love shaped by God.
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