I hope it’s OK to talk of ‘the fair sex’. That phrase had no negative implications when I was growing up. In fact, the very opposite is true. But we are living in a very different culture, and I am aware that people can react to the words we use in ways we often little anticipate.

I can still remember a BBC producer for example telling me that I shouldn’t use the word ‘lady’ in my script. I was to say ‘woman’. I didn’t understand the reasoning, but I dutifully complied.

Women’s issues have dominated the headlines lately and they seem likely to do so for a little while too given the seriousness of the debates that have arisen. Many Christians for example have welcomed the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, with one leading Evangelical claiming that “The vibe shift is real” and “reflective of the continuing shift in our culture towards things like reality.” Others are far from happy.

Misogyny and the role of social media influencers has become a hot topic too with a poll of some 5,800 teachers showing that almost three in five believe social media influencers are fuelling an increase in this disrespectful approach to women. One teacher for example claims she has had ten-year-old boys refuse to speak to her because she is a woman. They prefer to speak to a male teaching assistant.

All of which got me thinking about the way Jesus treated women. We see a wonderful example of that in John’s Gospel where Jesus met a Samaritan woman and to her surprise asked her for a drink of water. I say ‘surprise’ because Jesus was flouting two social conventions. Firstly, she was a Samaritan and secondly, he was having a private chat with a woman in public, and even a woman with a dubious moral reputation. Jesus simply saw someone He could show God’s love to.

And then there are the accounts of all that happened on the first Easter Sunday. Women play a central role in the resurrection narrative even though the testimony of women was considered nothing short of worthless in the culture of the day. The first century Jewish historian Josephus summed it up when he said “Let not the testimony of women be admitted on account of the levity and boldness of their sex”

I came to the conclusion many years ago that the prominent role women play in the story of the resurrection story makes the Christian claim credible. But I would go further too and suggests that it shows the dignity and value Jesus affords to women. That’s why we should be praying that God will raise up some powerful ‘social influencers’ who will promote this wonderful truth. Our schools would certainly be happier places.