Hold on to what you have (Revelation 2:18-29)

A small church

To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Revelation 2:18-19

Thyatira was the smallest city out of the seven churches addressed in the book of Revelation. Compared to Pergamum (which we looked at last week), Thyatira was a tiny place. In fact, Thyatira was a military outpost used to defend Pergamum which was much bigger numerically and more important economically.

And yet, the longest letter in the book of Revelation is written to the city of Thyatira. Out of all the other churches, Jesus has more to say to the Christians in this tiny city. He says, “I know your deeds”. “I know everything that’s been happening in your church. Not the big one down the street. Yours.”

This was a small but growing church. “You are now doing more than you did at first,” Jesus says (verse 19). It wasn’t growing in numbers, but in love, faith, service and perseverance. I wonder if Jesus would say that of us? “Chinese Church: you are smaller than all the other churches. Most people in Cambridge don’t even know you exist. But I do.” We have not grown bigger in fourteen years. But the question is: Are we more loving? Are we more faithful to Jesus after fourteen years?

Thyatira was. It had grown in love and faithfulness. Jesus says to them, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed”. But then he goes on to say to this small church, “You guys have a big problem.”

A big problem

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.

Revelation 2:20

The problem is “that woman.” Sounds harsh. Everything else is OK - very good, in fact - except for that one person, that woman, called Jezebel. Who is she?

Queen Jezebel is famously recorded in the Old Testament as the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. In 1 Kings 16 says this:

Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.

1 Kings 16:30-31

Ahab was the King but Jezebel was the real power behind the throne. She influenced her husband to institute nation-wide worship of the foreign god Baal. She ordered people to hunt down and kill every one of God’s prophets that they could find. When someone refused to sell the king a piece of land, she killed him and just took the property from him. Jezebel was a blood-thirsty, deceptive, mass-murderer and she ruled Israel.

But that’s not why she is condemned here by Jesus.

You see, last week we looked at the prophet Balaam who also caused that people of God to sin. But Jesus does not point to Balaam and say, “That man”. And yet look at verse 20. “You tolerate that woman, Jezebel.” Why does Jesus say, “That woman”? Two reasons:

Firstly, unlike the situation last week with Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans, Jesus is singling out an individual, not just an influence. This was a real person. This woman was single-handedly responsible for the problems in this church and the judgement that was going to fall on this church.

Now it is unlikely that her name was Jezebel. That would be like having the name “Voldemort”. Parents don’t usually give their babies names like “Voldemort” or “Hitler”. What is happening here is Jesus comparing this woman to Jezebel in the Old Testament, and saying, “This is how serious the situation is.”

Why was it so serious? Balaam never tried to be one of the people of God. But the modern-day Jezebel was a member of the church in Thyatira. She was doing damage from the inside. She calls herself a prophetess - meaning, she has taken up a position teaching God’s word. She is seductive. She is deceptive. She is influential.

So, the first reason why Jesus says, “that woman, Jezebel” is because he is talking about a specific individual in this church, who is single-handedly responsible for corrupting the church from the inside.

But the second reason is this: You have empowered this woman to cause this destruction. “You tolerate that woman.” Now the Greek word “gunaika” can be translated “woman”, but it can also mean “wife”. Some manuscripts have the additional word, “sou” meaning “your”, which has caused translators to suggest that verse 20 read as “You tolerate your wife, Jezebel”.

Jesus is saying, “She is like Jezebel because you are acting like Ahab. You have given her the authority and control over the people of God.” How? Verse 20 says, “By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” Meaning: the way in which she is exercising her influence is by her teaching. Meaning: When you allow someone to teach in the church - whether it is here on a Sunday like this, or even in a smaller group like Rock Fellowship - you are giving him or her authority. What is the criteria for allowing someone to preach the bible?

Notice that this woman Jezebel was probably a very good teacher. She calls herself a prophetess - She would stand up and say, “This is what God’s word says.” Verse 24 tells us, she even taught the “deep things” about God; meaning the people who heard her teach went, “Wow, I never knew that before! That’s deep!”

The bible says in 2 Timothy 2:20 - this is the apostle Paul writing, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” Teaching is equated with authority in the church. Paul does not allow women to take up this position of authority. That is why he writes, just a few verses later about overseers, pastors and elders, who must be men and who must be men able to teach.

Authority in submission

Now I have had very godly women, who are submissive to scripture, who love Jesus, earnestly ask me - not to stir up trouble, but out of a sincere desire to know God’s will, they say - “Calvin, what if there is a woman in the church who is able to teach? What if God has given her insight and ability and this gift of teaching?”

I would say, “Praise God for that woman and her gift. But God’s word tells us clearly to appoint men to lead the church and to teach the bible - not because men are more able than women; not because they are smarter than women - but because the leadership or men and the submission of women displays the headship of Christ and the submission of the church.”

The key principle is this: The authority to lead the people of God comes from submission to the word of God.

Now this is not to say that the moment we let a woman preach on Sunday, she’s going to turn into a Jezebel! That’s not what I’m saying at all - please don’t get me wrong! Jezebel was teaching idolatry and leading people away from God through her teaching. Jesus does condemn her personally, but he also condemns those who her allowed her to continue in her “ministry”. And the reason why it was so hard for them to put a stop to this teacher - not just this teaching - but this individual; a teacher in the church, was precisely because they invested authority in this person’s authority and not the word of God.

My appeal to you girls here in the Chinese Church is this: Many of you are here because you are studying for you PhDs. Many of you are articulate and smart and gifted. And let’s face it, the guys can be a mess. You look at them and think, “When are these men going to get their act together?” The bible says clearly from the event of the fall, that a key sin of Adam’s was irresponsiblity. We, men, are prone to laziness, ungratefulness and anger - even when it comes to leadership in the church; even when it comes to leadership in the family. We men, need to recognise that sin.

But women - the bible says of you - the fall caused women to want to rule over men. To compete. To take over. You girls, need to realise, that urge and desire will be there. It is a sin that will want to justify the action of “cleaning up the mess left by the guys” or “getting the job done properly”. If God has gifted you with ability, use that ability to God’s glory in submission to Christ. In your homes, that will be mean submission to your husband. In the church, that will mean submission to the elders and leaders of the church.

For men, we need to lead in submission and in love. Beware of hypocrisy. Or rather I should say, we should repent of our hypocrisy. We are given the privilege and responsibility of leading others in areas where often we have failed in our own lives. I will just highlight one area: prayer. We are not a church that prays well because we are not men who pray often.

Don’t get me wrong: In the midst of our failures, our sin and hypocrisy, the bible’s solution is not, “Try harder”. Rather, what the bible calls for is repentance: Acknowledgement of our sinfulness and trusting in God’s forgiveness.

Time to repent

I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.

Revelation 2:21

I find this truly amazing. Jesus gives this woman time to repent but she is unwilling. She is stubborn. “No, I will not!”

Not only her, but also the rest of the church:

So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.

Revelation 2:22

It is hard to miss the overtones of sexual misconduct in these verses. Verse 20: She misleads - literally, seduces - my servants into sexual immorality. The word is porneia - which is a broad term which covers any and every kind of sexual sin. It is the root word translated “immorality” in the next verse 21. And in verse 22, those who follow her are accused of “adultery” which means unfaithfulness to a spouse.

And yet, it is important to see that these mean much more than just sinning sexually with your bodies. It is unfaithfulness to Jesus. When Jesus sees us worshipping him on Sundays, but then going to the temple on Mondays, offering joss-sticks at the temple, or bowing down to deities and idols during Mooncake festivals - We think it is no big deal, but it is serious, friends. In God’s eyes, it is as serious as cheating on your own husband or wife.

I don’t use this illustration lightly. I have had people tell me of friends whose husbands slept with other women, and men whose wives have left them and their children. They tell me how hard it is to forgive someone who has sinner against them.

Jesus offers this forgiveness. He gives time to Jezebel. He says to the church, “Repent.” He is a husband who is willing to forgive an unfaithful spouse. That is the love of God, don’t miss that, friends. It is costly forgiveness.

But Jesus also warns those of us who will do repent. Who, like Jezebel, are unwilling to repent.

I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Revelation 2:22

Here Jesus turns from talking to Thyatira, to talking to us here at CCCC. “Then all the churches will know,” Jesus says. I don’t think this situation of a Jezebel teaching immorality to Christians has happened here. Not yet. Jesus is saying, “Make sure it doesn’t happen.” Don’t allow something as serious as this to ever happen here at CCCC. Because it can. Because if it does, Jesus will know - he searches our hearts and minds - and Jesus will repay each of us according to our actions.

But if it does - God forbid - yet if it does, Jesus says to those who are faithful to his word, “Hold on. I’m coming for you.”

Hold on

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you); Only hold on to what you have until I come.

Revelation 2:24-25

The cross-reference for what Jesus means here is Acts 15:28. This is another letter written by the apostles in Jerusalem to encourage non-Jewish; Gentile believers who had come to put their trust in Jesus Christ. The reason for this letter was false teaching. The gospel had spread to non-Jews, but false teachers were placing extra requirements, or “burdens” on these new Christians, that they needed to be more Jewish in order to be true Christians. To assure the new believers that they were true Christians, the leaders in Jerusalem wrote and sent a letter through Paul and Silas saying:

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.

Acts 15:29

Here in Revelation says, “I will not impose any other burden on you”, referring to Jezebel’s teaching on “sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols” (verse 20). It is a message of assurance: What you have is the full gospel. You don’t need to extras - whether it is circumcision, or dressing up on Sundays, or even these “deep things”. Just hold on to the gospel - the essential truth of Jesus and his death on the cross as the only means of forgiveness and reconciliation to God.

Now the way in which Jesus encourages these faithful Christians is quite surprising. It’s like a friend who suddenly calls you up and says, “I’m in trouble. My car has broken down.” or “A tragedy has happened.” or “I’m lost and I don’t know where I am.” And you reply, “Hold on. I’m coming to get you.”

Jesus says to those who are still faithful to him. “Hold on. I’m on my way.”

Notice, this tragic situation is not caused by persecution from outside the church. It is false teaching inside the church. Moreover, it has become so difficult and perhaps even, irreversible, that the only solution is for Jesus himself to come and intervene. All because the church “tolerated” the woman, Jezebel. If you look over the page to the beginning of chapter 2, Jesus says to the Ephesian church, “I know you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.” (Revelation 2:2) That’s what should have happened in Thyatira. I hope that is what is happening right now - I hope that you are testing my words. Are they true. Is this what the bible is saying?

Holding on to the gospel means testing everything against the gospel and rejecting anything contrary to the gospel.

The author to the Hebrews writes:

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

Hebrews 3:14

Authority over the nations

To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations -  ‘He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ - just as I have received authority from my Father.

Revelation 2:26-27

Finally we come to Jesus’ promise to those who overcome. It is the promise of authority. This is significant again because the church had handed over its authority to the false teacher Jezebel. But here Jesus reminds us that his authority comes from God the Father and that our authority comes from the Son of God.

In other words this mediated authority. Mediated just means that this authority comes from somewhere else. It comes from God. It comes through Jesus. It is rooted in God’s word. Which is why Psalm 2 is quoted.

“He will rule them with an iron sceptre. He will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Psalm 2 is a messianic psalm or a coronation psalm, that is, it is talking about the king. When the bible calls Jesus, the Son of God, it is calling him God’s chosen king.

Now the strange thing is this: Here is Jesus applying this Psalm on Christians - “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end... he will rule”. It is essentially saying that Jesus will share his authority - his rule over the nations - with Christians. Many of us hear that and go, “I didn’t sign up for that. That’s a bit heavy.” And if you are feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea that you will be ruling with Christ or even exercising judgement under the authority of Christ, let me just say to you - That’s a good thing. Often times our judgements are selfish, motivated by pride, untempered by grace and driven by anger.

And yet Jesus has been telling us all throughout this passage that there will be judgement; that he will bring judgement; and that his judgements are fair. He sees into our heart. He repays according to our deeds. So when Jesus says to the Christians in Thyatira, “Hold on. I’m coming,” he is saying to them that he is returning soon to bring salvation and judgement.

But now Jesus adds one more dimension to his judgement. He will judge through the church. The word for “rule” in verse 26 is the Greek word “poimanei”, meaning, “to shepherd”; it is the word “pastor”. Pastor simply means “shepherd”.

It means that at times, leading and pastoring a church involves exercising God’s judgement in accordance with the bible. The church in Thyatira should have known this. They they should not have tolerated someone like Jezebel. They should called for repentance. They should have warned her of the consequences and given her time to turn back to God.

The morning star

I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 2:28-29

The morning star here refers to the sun, or to be exact the rising sun. Jesus who has been addressing this church in the small city of Thyatira, saying to them, “I know your works; I see your into your hearts,” now says there will come a day when everyone will see. Your faith, love and perseverance will be as evident to all, as obvious as the rising sun.

This is God’s word. Someone asked me yesterday, “How do I know if God is really speaking to me?” It was a sincere question about finding out God’s will; about hearing God’s voice. And yet, here is Jesus saying that the Spirit is speaking to all the churches. God has spoken his final and full revelation through Jesus Christ. If you are reading this: This is God’s word.

The real question is: Are you listening?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;

Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us

Truths unchanged from the dawn of time

That will echo down through eternity.

And by grace we'll stand on Your promises,

And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us.

Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built

And the earth is filled with Your glory.

(“Speak, O Lord”, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend)

Headship and hairstyles (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)

Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:3

Once a month, all three congregations at the Chinese Church – the Mandarin, Cantonese and English groups – meet as one in the main hall. It was our turn last Sunday to chair the meeting and lead songs. So I thought: Why not get the whole music team up on stage? – The keyboardist, drummer, bassist and backup singers – get everyone together up front, instead of it just being me and the interpreter on stage.

So there was our reliable AV guy – one of the teenagers – hooking up the projector, when I pulled up a chair for him to sit on. He was helping me work the slides during the meeting. But when he saw me take one of the chairs from the stage, he was quite shocked. “Isn’t this just for the priests?” he asked me.

To which I pointed to our drummer (in T-shirt and jeans) who had already made himself comfortable on one of these ornate wooden chairs, happily pounding away at the electric drums propped up on yet another one of these antiques!

Now depending on what kind of church background you come from, you could hear this story and think it is either very funny or it is very, very disrespectful.

You might think it is silly that a piece of furniture should be thought of as holy or reserved for certain holy men (It is even funnier if you know who our drummer is). But then again, you wouldn’t stroll into your boss’ office and use his PC to download the latest Wong Fu video. Or you wouldn’t take a nap in the teachers’ lounge whenever you felt like it. Shouldn’t a church gathering be respectful to its leaders? Shouldn’t worship before a holy God be reverent?

Or perhaps for you, modern church culture is just flippant. These disrespectful youth – who turn up in church without their bibles, in their Batman t-shirts and torn jeans, always yapping about the latest Korean drama serial and passing Haribo sweets down the aisles during the sermon. Yet they sing their hearts out to Jesus, pay attention to the message and use their IPods to follow the bible passage; even comparing the different translations and taking notes. Shouldn’t an encounter with the living God be active and engaging? Isn’t it wonderful to see Christians eager to catch up with one another and generously share their lives – even their Haribo?

Praiseworthy

Tradition and culture are not simply rules and regulations. They carry meaning and value. And the practice of a tradition is the expression of that meaning and a display of its value. Yet it is when tradition is practiced without meaning that misunderstanding and conflict arises.

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings (or traditions), just as I passed them on to you.
1 Corinthians 11:2

Today’s passage is about church tradition. It is a specific tradition that was practiced 2000 years ago when Paul wrote this letter – so it’s very, very old. And yet the principle behind this tradition is very, very relevant today. The practice is old but the principle is timeless.

And Paul begins by praising this church in Corinth for holding to the teachings, just as he passed them on to the church (Verse 2). And if you look at the footnotes in your bibles, the word for “teachings” could also be translated “traditions”.

So he is saying: When you guys meet up on Sundays, and you keep these traditions, which have been handed down to you, from me – that’s a very good thing. So, tradition isn’t all bad. In fact, Paul seems to be saying, keeping certain traditional practices in the church is good, and is in fact, praiseworthy. I praise you for holding on to these traditions.

And yet, Paul is going to talk about one tradition that is very, very important – but none of us keep here in the Chinese Church. In fact, I don’t think churches like StAG or Eden keep this tradition either. But Paul says: this is a pretty serious tradition. He says in verse 16: If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice – nor do the churches of God. What tradition is this? The tradition of head coverings:

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head—it is just as though her head were shaved.
1 Corinthians 11:4-5

The context is a church meeting. Every man who “prays or prophesies”; Every woman who “prays or prophecies”. This is when men and women come together as the people of God to worship around God’s word – both praying and prophesying involve speaking God’s word. So, Paul is talking about Sundays when we gather as the Chinese Church. But he is also referring to any Christian gathering. You may remember that whenever the word “church” occurs in the New Testament, it is talking about a “gathering” (Greek: ekklesia); a coming together of God’s people in response to God’s call to be in fellowship with Jesus, God’s Son (1 Corinthians 1:2). So, this applies to all our gatherings – to Rock Fellowship, to Timothy and Joshua Fellowships as well.

And Paul is saying: in your gatherings as Christians, there needs to be a distinction. There needs to be a difference between the men and the women. He says in verse 4: the men should not cover their heads. Then he says to the women in verse 5: you girls should cover your heads.

Whoa, that’s bonkers! What kind of an archaic, irrelevant, masochistic, moronic church would enforce such a rule? Seriously!

And yet many churches do. Out of reverence to God’s will and in obedience to this very passage in God’s word. Today, (according to good old Wikipedia) Eastern Orthodox Churches in Greece and Finland still require women to cover their heads. Traditional Catholics observe this practice, but also evangelical churches like the Plymouth Brethren. I am told that even some churches in China currently practice head covering in their corporate meetings.

And instead of criticizing these churches for following this tradition, now that we find it here in 1 Corinthians 11, the question really should be: why aren’t we? What good reason do we have for not passing on this tradition? Is it because we don’t like it? Do we obey only the bits of God’s word we like? Or maybe because we think it is irrelevant? If so, how can you tell?

The teaching behind the tradition

Our problem is we have looked at the practice but missed the principle. Unless we understand the teaching, we will either misapply or misunderstand the tradition.

And the principle behind this practice is verse 3.

Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:3

The issue is headship. Every man is under the headship of Christ. Even man is under the authority of Christ. No problems there. The big problem is the next statement Paul makes: the head of the woman is man.

Girls: Please don’t be offended. In fact, you shouldn’t be (but I fully understand if you are). This is a startling claim – That men, by virtue of their gender, are placed by God in a position of authority over women.

This does not denigrate the value of women. Women are equal in worth and value to men. But women were created different from men. And you might say, “Of course you would say that! You’re a guy!”

No, I say that because of the next statement Paul makes. Because at the end of verse 3, Paul says The head of Christ is God. Christ is equal to God. God the Son is fully God. But Jesus is fully submissive to his Father in obedience and in love. The head of Christ is God.

I want you to notice: Paul is talking to the girls as he says this. You can tell, because of the unusual order of the statements. If all he wanted to do was establish a hierarchy – an order of authority, if you like – of who is in charge; who is more important; he would have started with “The head of Christ is God, the head of man is Christ, and the head of woman is man.” But no. He says, “The head of the woman is man” and then he says, “But look, in the same way, Christ submits himself to authority. The head of Christ is God”.

This is not new. Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives submit to your husbands.” 1 Peter 3:1: “Wives in the same way be submissive to your husbands.” The controversy with 1 Corinthians 11 is this: is Paul talking just to wives or women? The Greek word gune could refer to either. In the other letters (Ephesians and 1 Peter) there is the qualifying word “your” – Submit to your husbands; meaning it is clear at least in the two other contexts, that the bible is speaking to married women. But here in 1 Corinthians, is Paul addressing all women in general?

I think he is talking to all women, for two reasons.

The first reason is the context of the church. Paul isn’t addressing individual families but the church family as a whole – Men and women as they come together in worship before God. It is as they “pray and prophecy” (verses 2 and 3), and specifically as the woman “prays to God” (verse 13) that this practice is deemed “proper”.

The second reason is creation. Notice again in verse 3 that while Paul begins by saying the head of every man is Christ, he goes on to say the head of the woman is man – and not as you would expect – the head of every woman. “The woman” here refers to Eve, the first woman created from Adam, the first man. Paul is appealing to the biblical account of the creation of man in Genesis. Hence verse 7 picks up on this theme.

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 11:7-9

Genesis 1:27 reminds us that God created man “in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The created of humanity was, at the same time, the creation of two separate and distinct genders – male and female.

Genesis Chapter 2 is the account of the first man Adam, created to serve God in the garden and given authority over all living things. But God sees that “it is not good for man to be alone,” and decides to make a “helper suitable for him.”

So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Genesis 2:21-22

So in verses 8 onwards Paul says:

For man did not come from woman, but woman from (out of) man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
1 Corinthians 11:8-9

There is a big debate among scholars surrounding verses 8 and 9. Because Paul says that the woman came “from man” or “out of man”, some will say that the whole issue in 1 Corinthians 11 is not about authority but that of source. That is, Paul is not describing the headship of men over women, as their authority over women. Instead, “headship” is just Paul’s terminology to denote the source or origin of women. At first glance, there is merit to this view, especially when you consider verses 11 to 12.

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
1 Corinthians 11:11-12

However, once you start to consider the rest of the passage, this “source” view starts to run into serious problems. Firstly, you have to do some impressive theological acrobatics to explain the “sign of authority” on the woman’s head, in verse 10. Secondly, we have seen that Paul is quoting from Genesis 1 and 2, where God created Eve not only from Adam, but for Adam, as his helper – and that the whole chapter accounts the mediation of authority from God to Adam to creation. But finally, if headship denotes “source”, then you will run into a serious problem explaining the principle of verse 3: the head of Christ is God. Unless you are a Mormon and you believe that Christ was a created being, interpreting head as “source” in verse 3 is tantamount to heresy!

Submission is hard

I suspect what lies behind the source/headship interpretation is a sincere and right motivation to affirm women in churches, especially their role in public worship. I understand if people fear that men will undermine women in their worth and contribution in the body of Christ.

Furthermore, submission is hard. Both men and women want to dominate – It is the result of the fall (Genesis 3:16). Yet in Christ, we are called to submit to Christ and submit to one another. Our rebellion against submission is rooted in our rebellion against God.

And we must not miss how Paul describes this submission as not simply good but glorious.

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. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
1 Corinthians 11:7-10

Again, notice that Paul seems to be addressing the women in particular. Perhaps the issue lay somewhat with women in the church who were rebelling against this very teaching (as I wonder, some of you possibly are). Or because, he wants to encourage them to see how God’s will in creation is not designed to oppress them, but to display their true worth and dignity.

So in verse 7, Paul now replaces the analogy of “headship” with “glory”. He says the woman is the glory of man. By this, he is saying: there is something glorious, almost beautiful and compelling, in a woman’s submission. But maybe even more than that: There is something very powerful in that submission.

What do I mean by powerful?

Well, verse 10 is a strange verse that seems to sum up the argument – Paul says, “For this reason” – This is the motivation for your submission. “For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.” What on earth does that mean – because of the angels?

One view is that the angels are offended. Job 38:7 says that the angels were present at creation; and passages like Revelation 2 to 4 describe angels present in church gatherings; also Hebrews 12:22 describes how we participate with the heavenly “church” – with the angels in joyful assembly. So these heavenly beings would be offended if they saw men and women participating in worship of God in the church, yet ignoring God’s order in creation.

The second view says that this “sign of authority” is not that of men over women; but is in fact the authority that men and women will have over angels in the coming age. Back in Chapter 6 we read Paul’s statement in verse 3, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?”

This brings us back to the nature of authority of God and the nature of authority of his church. It is a mediated authority. It is an authority or power that is passed down. It is received in submission and obedience; and in recognition of the highest authority, namely God. Because God has given all authority to the Son, so in Christ, we receive authority and power over the earth (that is, through the gospel to bring men and women into the kingdom). It was true in creation. It will be so in the new creation.

What is the principle? It is verse 3: The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Jesus Christ submitted himself to his Father’s will and received all authority in heaven and on earth. That is why he is able to save. Through Christ’s submission to his Father’s will.

The problem of the practice

But then, what is the practice? Does this mean from next week onwards, our elders will have to stand at the door handing our scarves to all the girls as they enter the church building? And how big does the scarf have to be – should it cover the entire head or will a small tea towel do?

In this entire passage, the word for scarf or veil (peribolaiou) only occurs once in verse 15 where Paul writes, “For long hair is given to her as a covering (peribolaiou).” But there, Paul isn’t talking about scarves or veils. He is saying that her long hair is given her as her veil.

So then, is Paul just talking about hair? Makes some sense, I guess, if you look at verses 5 and 6, where he says it would be disgraceful for the women to have “her hair cut or shaved off”. But even if Paul was talking about hair there is the problem of how much hair? Is he then advising men to go bald and shave off all their hair in verse 4 – since having “his head covered dishonours his head”? So in some churches that do take this view – that Paul is talking about hair – you will see the women tying up their hair up like a bun (or a tower like Marge Simpson).

Again, the problem lies is applying the practice without the principle and establishing a tradition without proper teaching. The principle is simply this: there must be a distinction. That men and women, created equal by God, were created distinct under God. Men are men, and ought to look and be discernable as men. Women are women, and ought to look and be discernable as women.

I find it interesting that Paul appeals repeatedly to the believers’ sense of propriety and shame.

If it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
1 Corinthians 11:3

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
1 Corinthians 11:13

Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him.
1 Corinthians 11:14

There was therefore something improper, unnatural and even shameful of the manner in which these men and women presented themselves when they come together as the church. For the men, it had to do with long hair. For the women, it had to do either with the length of their hair, or the covering over their hair.

Together this seems to imply that the Corinthian men and women were presenting themselves in such a way, so as to blur the lines between their gender differences. In particular, the women may be doing so in rebellion against the authority of men. And the manner of their dressing, or hairstyle, or whatever it was they did, was designed to make a statement that they would not submit. Not to the men in the church. Not to the husbands in their families. And Paul is saying to these women, your display of dissatisfaction and displeasure was not simply an act of defiance against a social structure but against the created order instituted by God and mediated through Christ.

I know I shouldn’t just pick on the women, I know. Men today are a mess. They need to hear what Paul is saying in this passage. You are the image and glory of God (verse 7). You live in submission to Christ as your head (verse 3). There is such awesome responsibility in these verses. And yet ours is a generation of unambitious slackers, whiney adolescents and irresponsible brutes. We, men need to take initiative in relationships, display spiritual leadership in the home and exercise compassion and maturity in the church. Christ will call you to account. For your wives and children. For his body, the church. Men, be men.

But submission – it’s a real problem for girls. And it is a huge problem for women. Yes, the irresponsible men don’t make it any easier. But that isn’t ultimately the reason why you ought to submit, is it? God calls you to submission – in creation, in his church, in Christ. And the passage we have read today is ambiguous precisely because you can rebel against that submission in so many ways, even in subtle ways.

You see, I don’t think this passage has anything to do with being inappropriately dressed or being distracting in your looks. Paul does appeal to our sense of shame and disgrace, but it is shame before God (verse 13). And the covering isn’t a dress or a shawl over a woman’s body. It is over the head – as a sign of authority (verse 10).

Is there a distinction in your church meetings? Are the men, men and are the women, women. In their appearance? But also in their roles of authority and in their visible roles of leadership?

An ignored tradition

In 2 Thessalonian 2, Paul writes:

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings (or traditions) we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:15

It is the same expression used in 1 Corinthians 11:2, where Paul praises the Corinthians for holding to the teachings/traditions. My point is you pass on a tradition by teaching the tradition. You pass on a practice by teaching the principle of the practice. The Thessalonians discern the truth of these traditions – by the apostles’ spoken and written word.

Some traditions we carry on simply for nostalgia sake. Those were the good old days! We’ve always done it that way! Our founding pastor said so! From the type of songs to the arrangement of chairs - Anything can become a tradition given enough time and fuelled by enough nostalgia. But such traditions, as well-meaning they may be, can become symbols of empty pride, or worse, false gospels contrary to the teachings of the bible.

Often we will say: practice what you preach! Here is God’s word asking: Are you preaching what you practice? Do we understand why we meet as the church? What does it mean to worship God? Why did Jesus die for our sins? Why do Christians give of their time and money? What is the purpose of the bread and the cup in communion? Should I get baptised?

For a church like ours, steeped in traditions and customs, we must be very careful. It is so easy to give the illusion we are obeying the bible through our piety and outward respectability. As good Chinese boys and girls, we fool others; we might even fool ourselves. Jesus says, in the Great Commission we should not only obey everything he commanded, but to teach disciples in order to obey. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians, we hold on to the teaching in order to hold on to the traditions.

But some traditions we do not hold on to because we do not hold to their teachings. I think today’s passage is one clear example. Head coverings? Why, that’s just irrelevant and archaic. The danger is we will look at this passage on head coverings and say: This portion of the bible is irrelevant and archaic. What we lose is something very precious. It is God’s clear word on the authority of Christ mediated to his church. What we lose is the glory of Jesus displayed in men. What we lose is the beauty of submission displayed in women.

Some churches will not touch a passage like 1 Corinthians 11. Not because it talks about head coverings, but because it clearly teaches on headship. We will preach on the prodigal son four times a year; Jesus will feed the multitude again and again; and Daniel visits the lions so often he has taught them to do circus tricks. But we are afraid to tell men: Be men. Be loving. Be responsible. Be like Christ. And we dare not tell women: be submissive.

The challenge is this: Could the apostle Paul say these words of us and our church?

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.
1 Corinthians 11:2