The title of this blog might provoke the sensibilities of woke culture. Nowadays, the very idea of women being “weaker” is downright repulsive to modern society. Secular resistance to the idea can be seen in the myriad movies and television shoes that depict women beating men to a pulp, i.e. “The Equalizer” television series. Anything a man can do, women can do, and usually do it more effectively than men.

Many men respond to this cultural indoctrination in one of two ways. They either go along with it and to some degree emasculate themselves or, they become toxic in their masculinity. The Biblical response does neither. Christian men need to see the opposite sex through the eyes of Jesus, and the gospels reveal that our Lord highly valued women while at the same time distinguishing between male and female roles.

When Peter refers to wives as “the weaker vessel” he doesn’t expand on that thought. So, we don’t really know what kind of weakness he had in mind. Was it physical, mental or emotional weakness? Was it referring to women being more easily deceived, as was Eve in the Garden of Eden?

I think the most simple answer is that Peter was acknowledging the obvious physical difference between men and women. Men are, generally speaking, stronger than women. Peter’s point is that husbands should seek to understand, honor and value their wives. Taught by the Holy Spirit and having spent three years following Jesus, Peter had seen and learned this lesson well.

Given Christ's example and teaching, it follows that Christianity radically changed the fortune of females in the first century. Both Roman and Jewish society treated women as second-class citizens. Here are three ways Jesus paid respect to the “weaker sex”:

1. He spoke with women in public. This was something no self-respecting, first-century Jew would typically do. There are at least five or six direct encounters Jesus had with women in public and he engaged in conversation with them. The woman at the well, the widow of Nain, the woman taken in adultery, and the woman with a blood disorder, to name a few.

2. He held them responsible for their sins. In doing so, Jesus recognized women’s personal freedom to make choices and their ability of self-determination. He did not overlook or excuse their moral failures but called them to repentance and forgiveness.

3. He corrected the view of divorce that was prevalent at that time. Jewish men could basically divorce their wives for any reason. In our Lord’s teaching about divorce and remarriage, he regarded women not as property to be disposed of but as equal partners bound in covenant relationship.

Husbands, you are commanded to hold your wife in honor and live with her with understanding. That means your superior strength is intended for her well-being, to provide and to protect. According to the Bible, men should not sacrifice their position as head nor should they abuse it. They are to recognize God’s perfect plan for a partnership that mirrors that of Christ to the church.