Tackling Tradition 70: The Weaker Vessel

What does 1 Peter 3 mean by calling women the weaker vessel? 

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

First, let’s recall that 1 Peter is written to one or more groups of persecuted Christians.  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:10 - 12 reminds them that the prophets of old had prophesied about the LORD’s gospel & that they were serving not themselves but those receiving this very letter.  In that sense it can be said that people God called to speak &/or write in the past were paracleting those to whom 1 Peter is addressed. 

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

The rest of the chapter calls them to holiness, very like God’s people in exile long ago.    The purpose of the Exile was to purify & refine the exiles in preparation for their return home a few decades later. 

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;24 for

“All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,

25 

but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Chapter 2 moves from these general statements to more specific statements that address their situation in particular. 

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

2:9 - 11 focuses on the receiving audience’s identity.  Like Paul in 1 Corinthians 6, the author reminds them of who & what they are:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Chapter 3 addresses one of the ongoing problems in the churches of the Apostolic Era — some of the women in the churches were asserting their co-equality in a manner that was disruptive of orderly worship.    The texts compares & contrasts these women with those depicted favorably in the Bible. 

The disruptive women were adorning themselves immodestly, possibly because some of them were of higher social status.  In the New Testament, dressing modestly is commended as a means to level the playing field between the rich & poor.  With respect to women’s attire, dressing line Queen Galleia in Dr. Who might also be a visual means of advertising their services, services like those available in a Greco-Roman temple. 

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

Abraham’s wealth, over time, increased.  He & Sarah lived in a land & in a time in which they were surrounded by warmongering & gluttony.   Consequently, though well off, they lived modestly.  After all, in that era, particularly as a quasi-itinerant family with herds & servants & any number of friends as well as hirelings,  living immodestly would be unwise.  It would certainly put a target on the backs of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Eleazer, their flocks, &tc. 

Then the author says this:

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Notice that there is no criticism of women’s innate character nor their abilities.   Rather, men are reminded that women are heirs with them.   They are to be honored as co-heirs with men. 

Peter isn’t calling them weaker vessels because of their character or their athleticism when compared to men.  Rather, he is calling men’s attention to the fact that the women in their church & community were part of an oppressed class of people.    Roman society could be overupengrupen misogynistic — to the point that women depended on men for their inheritance rights.    

Peter isn’t instructing men to think of women as weaker vessels because God morally intends for them to be socially, legally, &/or ecclesiastically subordinate to men.   Rather, he is implicitly reminding men that they are responsible for the oppression of women in society, & their oppression was (& is) a systemic social evil.    He wants them to stop looking at their own image as men, declaring it “natural” & women / co-equality / egalitarianism “unnatural” then doing theology, philosophy, & ethics/justice accordingly (Romans 1:18 - 32).

In other words, oppression in general & persecution in general are tremendously difficult for women.   

• Women are at a physical disadvantage to men.  They have to work as hard or harder to physically compete.  

• Women birth children.  In societies run on male dominance / hegemony, persecutors can target men who are fathers via targeting their children & the mothers of those children.  They can target men by targeting their wives, sisters, mothers, & others.    They can target women by seeking to destroy the men in their lives, & in societies in which women are heavily dependent on men like Ruth & Naomi who pinned their hopes on Boaz as kinsman redeemer, that creates &/or perpetuates systemic abuse, poverty, even childlessness over time.    

• History is littered with the results of (at times. hegemonic) male oppression of women through the law & the legal system.   While it is true that women have worked tirelessly behind th scenes in general, it is also true that women like Queen Salome,  Matilda, Elizabeth 1,  Mary Queen of Scots, & Catherine de’ Medici were consciously living in a man’s world.  Women’s suffrage is a historically new, somewhat novel phenomenon compared to human history as a whole.    Women  as church elders, deacons, & ministers is still controversial in many places.  

Men, this is our legacy, & we are called to paraclete women as true co-equals by replicating & restoring to them just as Matthew 5:41 - 48 teaches. 

O LORD, Hear our prayer(s)!