Women in the Ministry of Jesus

Women are prominent in the story of Jesus—he was born of a woman, had numerous interactions with women, used women as good examples in his teaching, and was seen first by women after his resurrection.

Jesus often used women as illustrations in his teaching. "This is in stark contrast to the rabbis of the day," Linda Belleville notes. "One looks in vain in their teachings for even one story or sermon illustration that mentions women" (Women Leaders and the Church, 48). In many of Jesus’ illustrations, women are presented as positive role models of faith, which men should follow.

For example:

• The Queen of the South, who was wiser than the first-century Jews (Matt. 12:42).

• The woman mixing yeast into dough (Matt. 13:33), who is presented as an illustration of the way that the kingdom of God works.

• Women working when Christ returns, some of whom are ready and others are not (Matt. 24:41).

• Ten virgins, of whom five were prepared and five were not (Matt. 25:1-13).

• The widow of Zarephath, whom Jesus used as an example of a gentile that God favored (Luke 4:26).

• The woman who found the coin she had lost (Luke 15:8-10). In this parable the woman plays the role of God, just as the shepherd did in the preceding parable and the father does in the following parable.

• A persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), a model for disciples to imitate in prayer.

• A widow who gave everything she had (Luke 21:1-4).

In Luke 11, an anonymous woman called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you" (v. 27). Jesus did not deny that his own mother was blessed, but he said that the real blessing is given to "those who hear the word of God and obey it" (v. 28). A woman’s spiritual worth is based on her response to God, not in performing biological functions. Women are saved by faith, not by bearing children.

Jesus made a similar point when people told him that his mother and brothers wanted to speak to him (Matt. 12:47). He replied that the disciples were his real family: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (vv. 49-50).

Spiritual response is more important than biological origin. Jesus expanded the response to include "sister," even though the original comment did not mention sisters; by doing so he implied that women were spiritually on an equal footing with men.

Shortly before Jesus was arrested and killed, a woman anointed him with a large amount of expensive perfume. The disciples grumbled about the expense, but Jesus praised the woman: "She has done a beautiful thing to me.... I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (Matt. 26:10, 13).

What she did is a great illustration for all disciples: unrestrained devotion. Jesus said to the woman who anointed him, "Your faith has saved you" (Luke 7:50), and the fact that this story is preserved in the Gospels means that her faith is an example to us today.

Similarly, a Canaanite woman was praised for having great faith (Matt. 15:28). As a gentile, she had no claim to any favors from him, but she appealed for grace and mercy, and received it.

Most Jewish and Greek men had negative views of women, but Jesus treated women with dignity and respect. He viewed them not in terms of their sex, but in terms of their relationship to God. He healed various women, cast demons out of them, and raised their children from the dead.

Sheila Graham summarizes: "Jesus’ honor and respect was … extended to all women—an attitude largely unexpected and unknown in his culture and time. Jesus, unlike the men of his generation and culture, taught that women were equal to men in the sight of God.

"Women could receive God’s forgiveness and grace. Women, as well as men, could be among Christ’s personal followers. Women could be full participants in the kingdom of God.... These were revolutionary ideas. Many of his contemporaries, including his disciples, were shocked" ("Jesus and Women," The Plain Truth [July 1994]: 15).

Let’s now look at some of the women in the life of Jesus.

We begin our brief survey with a woman whose role occurred before Jesus was born. Elizabeth, wife of the elderly priest Zechariah, was noted to be "upright in the sight of God" and fully obedient (Luke 1:6). When Mary visited Elizabeth, "the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" and pronounced a blessing on Mary—and her words are now part of Scripture (vv. 41-45).

The mother of Jesus set a marvelous example with her words: "I am the Lord’s servant.... May it be to me as you have said" (v. 38). Mary was also inspired to say a poem of praise that is now part of Scripture (vv. 46-55). She again set a good example when she "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (2:19, 51). She was instrumental in Jesus’ first public miracle (John 2:1-11). At the cross, Jesus assigned John to take care of his mother, and Mary was counted among the disciples after his resurrection (Acts 1:14).

When Jesus was taken to the temple to be dedicated, an elderly prophetess named Anna "gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). Unfortunately, we do not know what she said or how she spread the news.

Although Jewish rabbis said that men should not talk with women, Jesus counted women among his friends. "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" (John 11:5). Once when Jesus was visiting Bethany, "a woman named Martha opened her home to him" (Luke 10:38). Since Martha owned a home; she may have been a widow. Her sister Mary "sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said" (v. 39). But Martha was busy preparing the meal, and asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her.

The rabbis said that women should not be taught Scripture, so Mary was shirking a typically female role in order to do something that was normally restricted to males. But Jesus did not "put her in her place." Rather, he said that she had chosen the right place at the time. "Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (v. 42). Spiritual growth is more important than domestic duties.

Graham writes: "Jesus did not feel that women’s work—or men’s work, for that matter—wasn’t important. He was not saying it is wrong to be diligent and careful about our responsibilities. Christ was saying we should get our priorities straight. Women were called to be disciples of Jesus, just as men were, and women were expected to fulfill their spiritual responsibilities, just as men were" (16-17).

In that incident, Mary set a better example than Martha did. But James Borland notes that Martha should be remembered for another incident as well: "On a later visit of Jesus to Bethany, it was Martha who was taught by Jesus while Mary sat in the house (John 11:20).... Martha gave a superb confession about Christ, saying, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world’ (John 11:27, NKJV)" (Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, 118).

The longest recorded discussion that Jesus had with any individual was with a woman—a Samaritan woman. The lesson Jesus gave her about living water was just as spiritually profound as the lesson he gave Nicodemus—and the woman had a better response. Unlike Nicodemus, she was willing to be associated with Jesus. She told her neighbors about Jesus, and many of them believed in Jesus "because of the woman’s testimony" (John 4:28-29, 39).

When Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, a woman who had been crippled for 18 years came in, and Jesus healed her (Luke 13:10-13). The synagogue ruler criticized Jesus, but Jesus defended his action, saying that the woman was "a daughter of Abraham" (v. 16).

Graham writes: "Before his most venomous critics, Jesus publicly showed his concern and high regard for this woman, someone whom others had probably seen for years as she struggled in her affliction to come to the synagogue to worship God. Someone whom they may well have shunned because she was a woman and because she was disabled" (18). By using the rare phrase "daughter of Abraham," Jesus was reminding the people that women were also among the descendants of Abraham and eligible for the blessings.

Luke tells us that several women who had been healed helped support Jesus "out of their own means" (Luke 8:3). These included "Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others." Although they were probably involved in meal preparation, Luke indicates that their most significant role was to pay the bills.

Graham writes: "Some of these women—possibly widows—had control of their own finances. It was out of their generosity that Jesus and his disciples were at least partially supported. Although Christ worked with the cultural traditions of the first century, he ignored the limitations that had been placed on women by their culture. Women were free to follow him and to take part in his ministry to the world."

Matt. 27:55-56 also mentions that "many women … had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons" (Mark 15:41 reports that her name was Salome). Luke 23:27 reports that many women from Jerusalem followed him after his arrest, and he turned to them and taught them, saying that even worse times would come for Jerusalem.

While Jesus was on his way to the home of Jairus, a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years touched him, and was healed (Mark 5:22-29). She was afraid that Jesus would be angry (rabbis normally avoided women, especially unclean ones), but Jesus was not angry. He said, "Daughter, your faith has healed you" (v. 34)—addressing her with a term of affection and publicly praising her faith. Similarly, Jesus was not afraid of touching the other unclean daughter, the dead child of Jairus (v. 41).

Luke tells us that Mary of Magdala had seven demons cast out of her (Luke 8:2), but Mary should be better known as the first to see the empty tomb, the first to carry the good news to the disciples.

Graham writes: "Mary is almost always mentioned first in a list of the female disciples of Jesus Christ. She may have been one of the leaders of that group of women who followed Jesus from the outset of his ministry in Galilee to his death and afterward. The risen Jesus appeared to her first. It’s ironic that in a time when women could not be legal witnesses, Jesus Christ chose women as the first witnesses of his resurrection."

Although the men fled for their lives, the women faithfully followed Jesus to the cross (Matt. 27:55-56), and Mary sat nearby while Joseph of Arimathea put Jesus’ body in the tomb (v. 61). Mary led the women who came to anoint Jesus early on Sunday morning (Mark 16:2), and an angel told them that Jesus had been raised (v. 6). They then told the news to the 11 disciples (Luke 24:10).

Jesus appeared first to Mary (John 20:14), and told her to tell the disciples, which she did (vv. 17-18). From birth to resurrection, women were an important part of the ministry of Jesus.