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REFLECTION

When Scripture is hard! is the theme for our reflection. Paul reminds the Corinthian church about God’s ordained order of headship and authority and the roles reserved for men and women and their appropriate appearance in domestic and public worship or spheres.

1. Headship – Home and Church

“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3). The headship Paul alludes to is the headship of authority and responsibility. We shall recall that Eve led Adam to eat the forbidden fruit but Adam was called to answer for their disobedience and was held accountable for which he also suffered the punishment thereof. (Genesis 3:9-11). The difficulty this arrangement poses is the strict hierarchy of headship between the man and his wife. Another difficulty is the use of the designation wife and not woman. Does it mean that an unmarried woman is not part of the hierarchy or is not under the authority and responsibility of a man unless she is married? Where do we place unmarried women in the hierarchy? Do churches that ordain women as pastors or leaders disobey the God-ordained structure of headship since a female pastor may be the wife of one of the men she leads? Did Jesus make any reference or teach about the hierarchy of headship? With Paul’s teaching in mind, could it be the reason Jesus did not choose any female to be part of the 12 disciples since the man is directly under the headship of Jesus Christ according to the hierarchy of headship presented by Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians?

2. Head coverings

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of man. (1 Corinthians 11:4-7) .We understand that wives but not women can lead prayer or prophesy. What about an unmarried woman? Is a married woman higher than an unmarried woman when it comes to prayer or prophesies? Or an unmarried woman is also allowed to pray or prophesy except that she may not cover her head. Is this teaching still relevant in the 21st Century where both married and unmarried women are being ordain pastors? Or, Are churches that ordain women as pastors going against the Biblical standard of headship? Some African tribes naturally have women with short hair, is head covering still necessary before they pray, prophesy or preach? If it is shameful for a woman to cut her hair then how do we describe women who add artificial hair to their natural hair?

3. Wearing long or short hair

“Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1 Corinthians 11:13-15) Would God not listen to a wife who prays with uncovered hair? Would God listen to the prayer of an unmarried woman with covered hair? Do men who originate from races with long hair have to maintain short hair before God listens to their prayer?

The questions we have raised only suggest that sometimes Scripture can be hard to understand and interpret because of its disconnect and conflicts with our diverse culture and various ecclesiastical dogma, traditions and policies. Paul certainly wrote his epistles to the different churches to usually address specific issues which may not be universally applicable in other situations. Regardless of the difficulty in understanding some aspects of Scripture, the goal is to imitate Christ because He is the ultimate reflection of God’s will. Again, we must see every Scripture we read through the lenses of Christ because He is the fulfilment of Scripture. Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. Matthew 5:17″ Shalom.

REFLECTION

Holy Spirit, we acknowledge our limitations when some aspects of Scripture become hard to understand and interpret. We humbly ask for Your revelation and wisdom in studying and understanding Scripture so that we will continually grow spiritually and in total obedience to the will of God.