Monday, February 21, 2011

Jesus Loves And Respects Women



A twelve year old boy drew a picture of what he remembered about how his dad abused his mom. In the drawing his mother is lying on the floor and his dad is about to push a television set off the shelf on top of his mom. The boy is looking through a window and watching the abuse take place. His face is divided by a cross. He loves his mom and his dad and is confused about what to do.
The United States is called the land of the free and the home of the brave. Yet in the land of the free, every nine seconds a woman is abused by her partner (male and female). Jesus treated women with love and respect. There are many illustrations in the Bible that show that Jesus respected and loved women, but the one that demonstrates this most to me is the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11 NKJV).
In the story the religious leaders of Jesus’s day, brought a woman to Him that they said was caught in the very act of adultery. They said that Moses commanded that such women be stoned to death. They wanted to know what Jesus would do. But Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Those who heard Him were convicted by their conscience and left Jesus alone with the woman. Then Jesus said to the woman, “Where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” Jesus was left alone with the woman because He is the only One without sin (Rom. 3:23). He didn’t condemn the woman. In fact He went to the cross to shed His blood for her, for you, and for me. The cross represents freedom which every human being deserves.
No one should be oppressed or held captive. Jesus came to set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18).
If you are being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, call this number for help: In Clarksville, Tennessee 931-552-6900 otherwise call 1-866-592-6900. Someone from SafeHouse will help you. SafeHouse is a program of United Methodist Urban Ministries.