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"Some women were watching from a
distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary
the mother of James the younger and of Joses,
and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had
followed him and cared for his needs. Many other
women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were
also there." (Mark
15:40-41)
Women have played an integral
part in the earthly life and ministry of Jesus
Christ. From the time of His birth until the
time of His death, Jesus was surrounded by women
who loved and supported Him.
In the fullness of time, God
sent His Son….through a woman (Galatians 4:4).
In Luke, chapter 1, young Mary was told by the
angel Gabriel that “ The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will
be called the Son of God .” How did Mary reply?
She simply said, “ I am the Lord's servant. May
it be to me as you have said.”
After He was born, Jesus’
position as Messiah was confirmed by a widow
named Anna, who was a prophetess. She spent her
days in the temple praying to God and when the
devout man, Simeon, whom God promised would not
see death until he saw the Messiah, gave thanks
to God for his seeing Jesus, Anna came in and
confirmed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah
(Luke 2:25-40).
In His earthly ministry, Jesus
was surrounded by women. In a time when women
had few legal rights and were considered the
property of men, Jesus saw their worth and
treated them as equals. He saw women as God’s
children and had compassion on them. During His
life Jesus ministered to a variety of women,
including:
- Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:30 -31).
- The Widow of Nain (Luke 7:10 -12.).
- Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out
seven demons (Luke 8:2).
- The woman with the issue of blood (Luke
8:42 -45).
- The woman caught in adultery (John
8:2-11).
- The Syrophoenician woman and her
daughter (Mark 7:20 -29).
- Jairus’ daughter, who he raised from the
dead (Luke 8:41 -50)
- Martha & Mary, who he came to comfort in
the death of their brother, Lazarus (John
11).
- Mary, his mother, who He made sure was
cared for at His death
(John 19: 25 -27).
While
Jesus spent Himself in ministering to people, it
was women who ministered to Him. Many women
traveled with Jesus, supporting His ministry
financially and caring for His needs. One of
these women was Mary Magdalene. A pair of
sisters also were of great help to Jesus. Martha
and Mary from Bethany often entertained Jesus
and His disciples. While they are usually
remembered for their squabble over work (Luke
10:38 -42), Martha and Mary should be remembered
for their hospitality to Christ on several
occasions and their utter devotion to Him; and
Him to them. It was at their request that He
made the journey to Bethany to visit their sick
brother, Lazarus, which led to Jesus raising him
from the dead.
There were other women, some who
were named and some who were not, that were an
important part in the life and ministry of Jesus
Christ. And while most of His twelve disciples
were absent at his crucifixion, it was these
same women who remained with Him at the cross
until he died (Mark 15:40 ; John 19:25 ).
Since women were an important
part of His ministry, it should be no surprise
that the risen Christ revealed himself first to
women and used them to bring the new of his
resurrection to others (Luke 24:1-12).
There is no doubt that Jesus
loved women. He loved us enough to pay the
penalty for our sins by dying a violent death on
the cross. Today is Good Friday. Let’s take a
moment to remember the ultimate price He paid
because of His great love for us and His desire
to provide a way for us to have peace with God.
P.S.
Remember, it doesn’t end with the tomb.
According to the Scriptures, on the 3rd day
Christ rose from the dead (Luke 24:1-12). I will
end with this traditional Easter greeting, from
days of old:
“He is
Risen…..He’s Risen Indeed.”
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