Hello Friends,
I thought it would a good time to do another blog. This one, I'll be honest and say that this is a great deal out of my comfort zone, so please bear with me. I felt challenged to write this piece and I do hope I am bringing some hope, encouragement, and love into this.
Lately, in my devotions, I have been reading about some of the many things Jesus accomplished during his ministry. I want to focus on some of the really cool interactions he had with women, though not all. As well as a few other neat stories that involved women in the bible.
I want to dig into this due to the things going around us in our culture today and want to encourage you ladies out there. I have been brought up to respect women and treat women with respect. I am close to my mom and my sister. I adore my niece. My life and walk with Christ has been heavily influenced by some amazing women; as leaders/ teachers and friends too! So, to any of you reading this, I hope I am doing this piece justice and I hope you are encouraged.
Here we go...
Mark 5:24-34 "A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
How cool! If you read carefully, Jesus and this woman's interaction occurred in front of a large crowd of people. He did not shame her, brush her off, or condemn her. He was compassionate and treated her with dignity and love. Something really cool about this verse too is that he called her "Daughter". A few years ago, I learned that nowhere else in the bible is it recorded that he called anyone else but her that. This woman not only suffered physically, but she would have been looked down upon and viewed as an outcast in that day. Jesus flipped a social norm here and raised her up and showed her honor. She not only regained good health, but dignity too.
I want to add something here in regards to Jesus calling this woman, daughter. As of today (Dec. 23,2018) I have learned of another time Jesus in fact called some women, daughters, but he called them daughters of Jerusalem. This is in Luke 23:27-31. I don't ever recall seeing that. So, pretty interesting. I would say Jesus was bestowing honor upon the woman he called daughter while he was telling the mourning women to not worry about him but be mourning for the hard times that were to come to Jerusalem.
Mark 14:3-9 "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
I find it pretty cool that Jesus said the woman whom poured the perfume on him would be remembered for what she did and even now in this blog, she is being remembered. Jesus made that promise for her and he kept it! He was touched by her act and her sacrifice she made with the expensive perfume. It's interesting for sure and this passage is something we should mediate on.
Another thought on this story is that the version of it told in John 12:1-8, it was Judas Iscariot, the one disciple whom would later betray Jesus, whom objected to the woman's use of the perfume and wanted her to have sold it for money to give to the poor. The passage also said that Judas said that not because he actually cared about the poor, but because "he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." Some serious greed going on there. Jesus stood up for the woman though. Now the woman is remembered for this generous act, while Judas is remembered for betraying Jesus. That is something to think about...
The next moment, I wrote about in my last blog, "Finding Hope in the Times of Struggles and Suffering" but it's a big deal and I feel it is important to talk about it again.
John 8:2-11 "At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
So, yeah and pretty cool event. Jesus stood up for this woman; he did not join in the condemnation, but rather extended mercy and compassion. He told her to leave the life she was living, that was weighing her down, and be on her way.
Jesus demonstrated his Father's love to all he encountered. You will notice he only tangled and got into it with the teachers of the law, Pharisees, and Sadducees; the religious social clubs.
Another good one, I'm not going to go into too much, as I feel that the Lord is leading me to another less known story of Jesus to share. So I'm simply going to refer you and encourage you to read for your self. Check out John 4:1-42 In this story, Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman, which in that day, that was a big deal as Samaritans were looked down upon. Anyway, check it out!
The last encounter of Jesus with a woman I will write about is actually one that occurred at the beginning of his life, when he was just a baby. I just read about it in my devotions a few days ago and was amazed as I don't ever recall reading about it. So, I for sure wanted to share what God revealed to me.
Luke 2:33-38 "The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul." There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."
I thought that was interesting about a prophetess. I didn't know that.
Now for another pretty neat story that occurred after Jesus, but during the time of his apostles spreading the gospel.
Acts 12:1-12 "It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying."
So here, a miraculous thing happened; The Lord sent an angel to get Peter out of prison. The big thing here is that many people; men and women were gathered together and were praying for Peter. A big thing happened in result of that gathering in prayer together, functioning as the body of Christ.
We are to function as one; as the body of Christ. We all have a place, a part to play.
Ephesians 4:15-16 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
So, yeah. Ladies and Gentlemen, lets love each other as Christ does, respect each other and seek unity and function as one.
There were two big characters whom I wanted to focus on, but I was lead down a different direction and used the verses that I used. I think it would be great to still mention them and where in the bible their stories are written. Be sure to check them out for yourself, they did some big things!
First is Deborah, she was a Judge of Israel. See Judges Ch.4 and Ch.5
Also, Esther, she had become Queen of Persia and saved her people from a massacre. See the book of Esther.
Both of these characters did big things. So, check them out!
I hope whoever reads this is encouraged. I hope you learn something and that maybe someone will be inspired in some way or another to step up and use their gifting or even read this and discover they too have something to contribute and can do big things too!
