Mary Magdalene - Her Life And Times

Mary Magdalene - Her Life And Times

WOMEN IN JESUS’ LIFE AND MINISTRY

Cooking, caring for family members, spinning, weaving, sewing, baking bread, cleaning — all of these were common tasks for women in New Testament times. Most women spent the majority of their time and energy within their homes, caring for their families. But several women stepped outside the cultural expectations of their time to play a significant role in the ministry of Jesus. Only the twelve disciples are mentioned more often than certain women, Mary Magdalene being one of them.

Mark tells us that a number of women “followed him [Jesus] and cared for his needs” (Mark 15:41). During the years of Jesus’ ministry, when he and his disciples weren’t earning an income, several women stepped in to care for them. They used their own financial resources to support Jesus and his disciples (Luke 8:3). While Jesus was teaching and healing, these women probably spent their time purchasing food, preparing it, and serving it. Perhaps they also found homes for Jesus and his disciples to stay in while on their travels. These particular women probably either didn’t have children or had children who were grown, so their responsibilities at home were decreased, and they could instead provide for the needs of Jesus and his disciples.

Two women in Bethany, Mary and Martha, always generously opened their home to Jesus when he was in their town, providing meals and a place to rest (Luke 10:38). Jesus was close enough to these women and their brother, Lazarus, that he called them his friends (John 11:11).

The most significant woman in Jesus’ life was, of course, Mary, his mother. She remained in the background during his years of public ministry. Jesus’ gentle care of her when he was hanging on the cross reveals a son’s true love for his mother.

Women watched Jesus suffer on the cross, remaining there until he had breathed his last and was buried. Women were the first to go to the tomb on Sunday morning and the first to witness his resurrection.

Luke’s gospel in particular portrays Jesus as someone who both understood and respected women, conferring on them a stature that most of them had not previously enjoyed. Jesus’ dealings with women throughout the Gospels gives all of us, men and women alike, a model to follow as we consider the status and treatment of the women with whom we come into contact every day.