RITA KHATCHADORIAN

I saw a TikTok that shared two pictures.
The first said:
“A woman should hide her beauty so as not to provoke men.”
The second said:
“Jesus says that men should gouge their eyes out and cut off their hands if they cannot control their lustful desires.”
Someone replied:
“Jesus is such a girl dad.”

And I couldn’t help but feel proud of the truth behind that statement.
Because when we truly look at the teachings of Jesus, we see something powerful: Jesus did not place the burden of men’s actions onto women. He did not teach that women were responsible for controlling men’s thoughts. Instead, Jesus challenged men to take responsibility for themselves.
In Matthew 5:27–30, Jesus says:
“Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart… If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.”
The message is clear: the responsibility for controlling lust belongs to the person experiencing it. Jesus does not say, “Women must make themselves smaller so men will behave.” He says men must discipline their own hearts.
This was a radical message in the world Jesus lived in.

One of the most beautiful examples of Jesus honoring women is found in the story of His resurrection.
After Jesus was crucified, the first people to discover that He had risen were women.
In the society of that time, women’s testimony was often not given the same public authority as men’s. Yet Jesus chose women to be the first witnesses of the most important event in Christianity.
In John 20, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and finds it empty. She is the first person Jesus appears to after His resurrection.
Jesus says:
“Mary.”
— John 20:16
Then He gives her a mission:
“Go instead to my brothers and tell them…”
— John 20:17

Jesus entrusted a woman with the announcement that would become the foundation of Christian faith: He is risen.
This is why Mary Magdalene has often been described as the “apostle to the apostles”—the one sent by Jesus to tell the apostles the good news.
If Jesus wanted to follow the social expectations of His time, He could have appeared first to powerful men, religious leaders, or His closest male disciples. Instead, He chose women.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus repeatedly treated women with dignity in ways that challenged the culture around Him.
He spoke publicly with women.
In John 4, Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well. This interaction crossed several social boundaries: she was a woman, a Samaritan, and someone who was socially looked down upon. Yet Jesus did not ignore her or treat her as unworthy.
Instead, He revealed one of the most important truths about Himself to her:
“I, the one speaking to you—I am He.”
— John 4:26
Jesus revealed that He was the Messiah to a woman.

In John 8, religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery before Jesus. They wanted to publicly shame and punish her.
Instead, Jesus confronted them:
“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
— John 8:7
Jesus did not excuse sin, but He also refused to allow a woman to be used as an object of humiliation.
He saw her as a human being worthy of mercy, dignity, and a chance to change.

In Luke 10, we see Mary and Martha welcoming Jesus into their home. Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening and learning.This detail is significant because sitting at a teacher’s feet was the position of a disciple.Jesus did not tell Mary, “This knowledge is only for men.”Instead, He says:“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
— Luke 10:42
Jesus welcomed women as people who could seek God, understand Scripture, and grow spiritually.

The respect Jesus showed women continued in the early Christian community.
Women were not simply observers. They were leaders, supporters, teachers, and servants.
Phoebe is described by Paul as a servant of the church in Romans 16:1–2.
Priscilla helped teach theology to Apollos, an important preacher, in Acts 18:26.
Junia is mentioned in Romans 16:7 and is recognized by many scholars as a woman honored among the apostles.
Christianity began with women playing essential roles in spreading its message.

From the very beginning, Scripture teaches:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
— Genesis 1:27

Both men and women are made in the image of God.
A woman’s worth does not come from her appearance, her relationship to a man, or what society decides about her. Her worth comes from God.

The Bible says:

“There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
— Galatians 3:28

This does not erase the differences between men and women, but it declares something revolutionary: men and women have equal spiritual value before God.
Women are not secondary. They are not lesser. They are not an afterthought.
They are created by God, loved by God, and included in His plan.

Another powerful example of Jesus’ heart is the way He spoke about children.

In the ancient world, children had very little social power. They were often seen as insignificant compared to adults. But Jesus repeatedly elevated them and showed that they hold great value in God’s eyes.
When His disciples argued about who was the greatest, Jesus brought a child before them and said:

“Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 18:3

Jesus did not see children as unimportant. He used them as an example of humility, innocence, and the kind of heart God desires.
But Jesus also gave one of the strongest warnings in Scripture about anyone who harms children:

“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
— Matthew 18:6

This shows the seriousness with which Jesus views the protection of children. The responsibility is placed on the person with power, not on the child. The vulnerable are not blamed for the actions of those who harm them.

Jesus also challenged the way women could be treated in His time.
In the ancient world, women could be vulnerable in marriage, especially when men had the power to abandon them. Jesus spoke against using marriage selfishly and reminded people of God’s original intention:

“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
— Matthew 19:6

Jesus taught that marriage was not a way for men to gain control over women, but a covenant involving faithfulness, responsibility, and love.
He raised the standard for men by teaching:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
— Ephesians 5:25

The example Jesus gives is not domination—it is sacrifice. A husband is called to love in the same way Christ loved: through humility, service, and self-giving.
When we look at Jesus’ teachings as a whole, a pattern appears:

To me, this is why Christianity is the real feminism — not because it simply adopts a modern word, but because it goes to the foundation of what women’s rights are built on: the belief that every woman has inherent value, dignity, and worth because she was created by God.
Before society gave women a voice, Jesus listened to them.
Before society recognized women as witnesses, Jesus trusted them.
Before society defended the vulnerable, Jesus called people to protect them.
The heart of Christianity is the belief that women are not lesser, not invisible, and not created to be controlled. They are loved by God, valued by God, and worthy of honor.