Luke 8:1-3
"Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance."
I love this passage of Scripture! "Certain women" were following Jesus, as well as the disciples. Mary, Joanna & Susanna are mentioned in this portion, however, I imagine there were tons of others as well. They had experienced the love of Jesus and could not help but follow Him.
I have always loved the unique attributes that women possess. I love the characteristics that set us apart from men. I love that we are emotional and nurturing and talkative! I love when I see women interact with one another; I enjoy watching facial expressions while ladies talk and I love, love, love to see emotion. I bet Jesus did too. I bet He marveled at the species that God had created with such precision, not making a mistake in the slightest. I bet Jesus thought, way to go Dad, you done good!
Women are special. And yet, if you were to ask a group of women how many of them felt that way, nary a hand would be raised. Why? Well, there is a plethora of reasons but I think it boils down to this: we have forgotten that we are of the "Certain Women!"
If Jesus walked this earth in the flesh, you bet I'd be running to follow Him. Can you imagine what stuff they saw? And furthermore, can you imagine what a help those certain women must have been to Jesus. Had he been traveling simply with the disciples, I'd venture to say that Jesus would not have ate too well and His clothes would have been filthy! I'm sure the women there helped to meet the practical needs of Jesus, the passage of Scripture above confirms that, saying they provided for Him from their substance. But beyond the practical, I imagine the women to be the glue that held that group together, as we women do. They loved on people, they hugged, they laughed, they cried, they listened intently. No doubt they offered wisdom in areas that the men were unable to offer it. And again, I bet Jesus loved it.
He always was kind to women. He knew how special they were. In a culture that placed little to no value on women, Jesus wanted them around Him. He loved them. And He knew that they too were created for a purpose. He knew that they too had plans and gifts and talents and things that could be offered to the world. And so it was that certain women were there. Doing what we women do.
Obviously I can't follow His fleshly body today, but oh how I can follow Jesus. Oh how I can do my best to live for Him. Oh how I can do my best to be kind, to love deeply, to listen clearly, to serve wherever there is a need. My prayer today is that we women would realize that indeed we are part of the "certain women" that Jesus longs to have near Him. All of our flaws, all of our weakness', all of our quirky habits, He longs to have us with Him. Created in His image, to do something pretty cool with our lives. Because we have value. We are "Certain Woman."
2 comments:
Thank you Jennifer for your post it speaks volumes to my heart. I must say most my life I felt I was put here to serve men and that it wasn't a womans place to speak out about the Lord. I still struggle in the area of a woman being a preacher in a church. I know that the scriptures tell us to be silent in the church and if we speak we must have our husbands permission. I just want to be in Gods will no matter where my place is in all of it. I know that we have more value to Him then what I use to think. I trully thankyou for your compassion for womens needs. I feel your heart in all that you say because I've known your pain maybe not quite the same way but I have felt the same self worth that you have felt. I may not be worthy by mans standards but we our worthy by His standards. Its amazing how God can come into so much brokenness and make something beautiful out of it. You are a wonderful, beautiful woman and I am so thankful for you. God bless you and have a wonderful day.
How loudly did that speak to my heart...at the right time, in the perfect moment. It's so easy to forget the worth that God values us women at. It's easy to feel inadequate, invisible, useless and so many other negatives. God used your words to remind me that it's okay to see myself the way God sees me, it's okay to believe in myself, it's okay to believe I'm special, uniquely made in His image. Thank you for reminding me that I am too a certain woman. I am a woman made by God, made to do great things...no matter how small those things may seem.
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