In a Middle Eastern culture where women were treated as property, why would the writers of the bible portray the women as the mighty warriors of faith?  The bible proves itself to be true in a multitude of ways.  One of my favorite proofs is in how the writers disclose stories that paint themselves in a bad light.  The technical term is embarrassing testimony.  The idea is when someone gives their story and they include embarrassing details about their actions it is likely to be true.  No man in his right mind would make up a story where they came off looking like cowards and the women came out looking brave.

As Rick discussed this week, the bible is more than a collection of stories and parables.  It is a historically accurate document.  Noah’s arc, it was real.  The parting of the Red Sea, it was real!  Jesus’s resurrection from the dead, TRUE!  Jesus carrying you in the sand when you only saw one set of footprints… okay so that one isn’t true.  It’s not in the bible.  The point is, the bible is God’s written word, applicable, and true.  And when comparing how the men reacted compared to the women, it only helps to prove that fact.

There stood all of the men, mere hours before Jesus was arrested, swearing that they would never leave Him.  Peter pushes further stating, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”  Yet even as all His disciples abandon Him and go into hiding, the women stand strong.  While the 11 remaining disciples bounce and one kills himself, the women go to the tomb.  It was a woman who encounters the angel in the tomb, a woman was the brave one who continued to seek Him even though all hope was seemingly lost.  While men were in hiding, a woman stood strong.

If the bible was made up, why would the founding father of Christianity upon whom Christ would build His church, leave in stories that made him look like an idiot?  Peter, please don’t be angry with me in heaven when I meet you but honestly, if you were so dumb to rewrite the bible you probably should have left out the part about abandoning Jesus.  Probably the part where He said to you, “get behind me satan,” also.  And I’d likely tell a different version of me walking on water, and it would have been WAY better with me moon walking on the water rather than drowning!

If the bible is revisionist history, the writers didn’t do a very good job of portraying the heroes of the faith in a good light. David was an adulteress and a murderer.  Moses was too afraid to speak to pharaoh.  Elijah ran away form a chick who threatened him even after God had performed and amazing miracle for him merely moments before.

If the bible is revisionist history, our founding fathers weren’t the brightest crayons in the box.  It is Timothy’s mother and grandmother who were first credited for passing their faith to him.  It was the aunt of Barnabas, the mother of Mark whose house Peter escaped to by the help of the angel.  In a misogynistic Middle Eastern culture, showing the women as strong and the men as cowards might not be the best idea.  But if it is the truth, then what option do you have?