In this season of Easter, we’ve seen that women were indeed the first witnesses and proclaimers of the Resurrection. Yet, they rarely are celebrated. We know the early church clearly honored them because their names are remembered and written down.
Mark Roberts of the DuPree Center reminds us, “During the
years of his messianic ministry, not only were women taught by Jesus, but they
also became teachers of others (see John 4:4-42). Jesus had no problem with
using women to help spread the good news of the kingdom of God. That openness
to women as messengers of the gospel continued after Jesus’s death and
resurrection. It’s striking that women were not only the very first witnesses
to the resurrection, but also the very first proclaimers of the resurrection.
They were the first ones to tell the male disciples that Jesus had been raised
from the dead…It seems likely to me that one reason for this is that God wanted
to make it clear that in the church of Jesus Christ, women would be empowered
and authorized to proclaim and teach. And the recipients of their proclamation
and teaching would include men.”
Mary and Martha of Bethany. Mary the wife of Cleopas, the
Samaritan woman (Photini) are others mentioned in the Gospels. So are Lydia,
Junia, Syntheche, and Phoebe, Priscilla, Chloe, Euodia and Syntyche, Apphia,
Claudia who are all in the Epistles. Women played an important roll in the early church.
Women today have a deep well of Biblical wisdom from the New
and Old Testament women from whom to learn. There is an impression that there
aren’t important women mentioned—untrue. There is the idea that women don’t
need to study with other women—also untrue. There is a misconception that
women’s ministry is all teas and knitting—untrue.
As Madeline L’Engle says, “Nothing, no one, is too small to
matter. What you do is going to make a difference.” The Bible women make a
difference, and so do each of us.
Women have been leaders and inspirers of faith across the ages. As women of faith we can learn from them how to live in our own times of change and challenge. During the season of Pentecost we’ll be looking at some of the stories of Bible women with the intention of learning what they can teach us about living in this ever-changing world.
