Matthew 27:55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him.
When a clearly mentally ill man visited my church, many of us were afraid to approach him. A woman named Verglea took his hand and brought him up to the communion rail. Verglea and others like her are the spiritual descendants of the women in today’s gospel.
We should never forget that the world that Jesus lived in was very different from our own. Women were treated abhorrently—they could not own property and were often forced into marriages. They had little or no status politically or personally.
Living under such conditions often forces human beings into passive and fearful postures. But the women in Matthew’s Gospel aren’t defined by either of those characteristics. In fact these women, unlike the religious leaders who reject Jesus, have followed him and supported his ministry. These women hear God’s voice in the message that in Christ there is no male or female. They believe, as does Verglea, that all are welcome in the kingdom of God.
MOVING FORWARD: God has blessed the church with many women who preach, preside, and serve. Are there other people you know who may not be appreciated as they should? See them today.
Image-1-4.png