The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Kathy Shortridge of Billings, Montana from the tape, GC 1301-P, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 18." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1981. All Rights Reserved.
Question
My Jewish background kind of prompts this question. In 1st Corinthians, the 11th
chapter, starting from verse three on to about 16, we talked about a man not
covering his head in church and a woman covering her head, now I don’t know
whether this is Jewish tradition, in the context, it just doesn’t appear that
that is the case here.
Answer
No. it’s not Jewish tradition, because it's the context of a Gentile church
congregation. Its more likely in a Gentile context.
This is an interesting passage and people always ask questions about this
passage. I suppose that I have recommended the tape on this passage more times
than any tape I can think of because everyone asks about it.
Basically verse three gives the principle. I can’t remember everything I said in
that, but verse three gives the principle. That the head of everyman is Christ,
and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Now that is
the principle.
Paul wants the Corinthians to learn that Christ is the head of the church and
the man is the head of the woman, so there’s a chain of command there. Now this
should be demonstrated in the church, that man is head over woman. Everyman
praying or prophesying having his head covered dishonors his head. Because
covering is a sign of what? Of what? humility, meekness. You know, you go
into the East today and woman have a bunch of stuff over their face and veils
and they run around, like in Arab countries, and they got veils and things down
their head and down the back. So in this culture it was so, that a woman had a
demonstrable sign of submission. Now if a man stood up with a veil on, I mean,
you know, he would be denying his God ordained role as a head. Because within
that framework of society he should demonstrate that, and every woman that comes
up and takes off her veil is a "libber." See, she’s going to play the man’s
role. She’s going to do her thing, and then it flows the rest of the text that
way, and he argues from the standpoint of the culture and he even argues from
the standpoint of nature, verse 14, "Doesn’t even nature its self teach you that
if a man has long hair it’s a shame unto him." Now don’t get all upset. People
say, "O you see, that proves it! Men should never have long hair." Well, that’s
relative, I mean if a woman has her hair back to the back of her knees like some
did in those days and man had his to his shoulders, that’s not long hair.
Jesus may have had it to his shoulders. In fact, the only description we have of
him indicates he had it to his shoulders. But the point is this, and I’ve
checked this out several times, that a woman’s hair tend to grow faster than a
man's hair. So God has designed that a woman’s hair would be longer than a man's
by the very nature of that growth pattern. So you have both the culture and the
creation to demonstrate that a woman is to manifest the role of meekness or
humility, which is the role of submission. That’s essentially what the passage
is saying.
Question (continued)
Since Jesus was a Rabbi, was there not a custom where rabbi’s would have their
hair exceedingly short if not very little hair at times.
Answer (continued)
Well that’s hard to know, you know...“exceedingly short.” I mean how often did
they get a hair cut? My hair is right where I want it the day I get it cut, two
weeks later and a month later it’s like this, but I don’t have time to go down
and get it cut again. So that’s hard to know. You know. But I don’t think the
whole idea of the text is that women are to have hair down the middle of their
back, and men are to have hair above their ears with a white line across their
ear. I think that what it's saying that women ought to demonstrate their
meekness as the culture indicates because God has so ordained their very
creation. Men ought to demonstrate their headship as the culture indicates.
Now I have some problems with a lot of the unisex kind of things where that is
being mixed up. I mean I see women on television, I have to look a couple times
to see if they're women. You know, it bothers me to get on American Airlines and
go across the country and all the women have vested suits with collars and ties.
This is the uniform, and you say you're being picky, well sure, but that’s what
a man normally wears, why doesn’t she look like a woman looks. The other night I
saw a woman on there [TV] who was acting silly, banging the drum for one of
these things and she was dressed, she had absolutely no demonstration of
submissiveness, or meekness, of femininity, or grace whatever. And I don’t think
women are inferior, I mean, my goodness, I think if anything they are superior.
I married one. What can I say? You know, I mean, it's obvious: Women, there’s
nothing like a woman! I mean what is she inferior to? You can’t compare a woman
to a man, because a woman is a woman is a woman and there’s nothing to compare
her to. So the idea that we are chauvinistic is silly. I remember when the news
reel people came out here and they kept asking the women of our church in the
patio, "Why do you go to this chauvinistic place?" And they would give these
basic......."Well, because we believe the Bible!" and one of these reporters
said, “And they seem like normal women"...that’s what they said. “They seem like
normal women." You know, they expected a bunch of dowdy peoples with buns on the
top of their hair going around with whip marks on the back of their neck.
So all were trying to do is preserve the thing the way that God designed it.
There is nothing like a woman. She is supreme, in the place that God has her.
Even in Paul’s time they had a woman’s lib movement and women were going around
bare breasted, wearing armor and carrying swords. You know, they’ve always
fought against that. That’s because of Genesis Chapter 3, they’ve always fought
for supremacy.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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