I understand what you're saying, but....
I just don't see any woman I have anything in common with (other than Salome & Vashti, but they were the bad girls)...
And I kinda like Esther (for obvious reasons)....but even she was great because she was so 'good' to start with....
Am I making sense?
"I just don't see any woman I have anything in common with (other than Salome & Vashti, but they were the bad girls)..."
Do you normally have a lot in common with anyone who lived 2000 to 4000 years ago?
I don't know how many of the men I have anything in common with. I know some I would like to be able to emulate.
The rest of this is long, so please read it when you have some time.
All quotes below taken from the English Standard Version as found at Biblegateway.com.
John 6:53-59
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Christians read this today and say, "He was talking about communion." The Jews that Jesus was talking to did not have that context. They saw this as an absolutely shocking and revolting statement. Taken at face value, this is cannibalism, which is what the early Church was accused of. Even if they had understood that he was to become a sacrifice for sin (the Jews ate the flesh of their sin offerings) drinking blood was absolutely forbidden by G-d. They were never to drink blood because the blood was the life of the creature. Blood was shed for atonement of sin because without the shedding of blood there could be no atonement, but it never passed their lips.
It was a more scandalous statement than someone today saying, "Unless you rape me you can not go to heaven." What do you think the response would be to such a thing?
John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
No flock, Sherlock. Notice that these are disciples who abandoned Him. It was cool up to now, Boss, but this is plain crazy and we won't be a part of it any longer.
John 6: 67-69
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Note that Peter did not say, "This does not bother us." He said, "Where will we go?"
To Peter, as to all of us, the issue isn't whether Jesus makes us comfortable. In fact, if Jesus makes you comfortable you probably need to look at your faith a bit. When you read the letters of Paul in historical order he goes from calling himself an undeserving Apostle to a sinner to the chief of sinners. He was clearly never comfortable with Jesus.
The question isn't whether Jesus makes us comfortable, but whether He is the Holy One of G-d.
If He is not, then no biggie. Go after whatever floats your boat. But if He is...
When Peter says, "You have the words of eternal life," he is not talking about Heaven versus Hell. That's unending life, not eternal life. People are unending, but not eternal. Our lives have a starting point. Peter was not referring to whether he was going to Heaven or Hell. Peter was referring to the ability of Jesus to infuse us with G-d's life - the Holy Spirit. I don't follow Jesus because I would go to Hell if I didn't. I follow Jesus because the relationship with G-d is the greatest reward anyone can offer me. To have G-d place His Spirit in me, I can not tell you what that is worth.
You should know by now that I believe He places His same Spirit in women as in men.
Shalom b'Shem Yeshua.