When Jesus stepped into the public scene, he did something shocking.

He treated women as equals. He spoke to them in public when it was socially unacceptable; he let women become disciples when they weren鈥檛 allowed to learn; and he left the testimony of his resurrection to the credibility of women in a day when their testimony was not admissible in court.

No wonder women loved him.

Early Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates helped to set the stage for Jesus鈥� day by teaching that women were inferior beings.

Rabbinical Judaism also played a large role in the subjugation of women. Later, in spite of Jesus鈥� clear teachings and example, many of the so called early church fathers were no better.

In fact, they were worse. Many of their writings culminated in the witch hunts of the 1700鈥檚. Today, many religions continue to discriminate against women. To all this hatred, God鈥檚 word is revolutionary.

From the beginning of creation, the Bible records God鈥檚 unbiased view of women by exalting them to be leaders, judges, queens and prophets to society.

The New Testament welcomes them as equal participants.

So serious is God鈥檚 command about women鈥檚 equality that husbands are warned to treat their wives as equals at home or God will refuse to hear their prayers (1 Peter 3:7).

God鈥檚 word brings liberty to the oppressed.

He said, 鈥淭here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one (equals) in Christ Jesus.鈥� 鈥� Galatians 3:28.

Jesus said he and his father do not play favorites.   What a joy to know that any person - from any nation, from any social class, of any gender can place their faith in the son of God and have immediate access to a loving heavenly father who treats his daughters with the same equality as his sons.