There were many women in the life of Jesus. They ranged in age from the little daughter of Jairus to the elderly prophetess Anna. There were the virtuous like Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his beloved aunt Elizabeth. The promiscuous loved Jesus like the woman caught in adultery, the street-wise Mary Magdalene, the multi-married Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and the immoral woman who broke the alabaster vial of perfume over His feet.
Without exception every woman who met Jesus came to love Him. Poor women loved Him, like the destitute woman who touched the hem of his garment. The sick and deformed loved Him like the bent over woman in Luke’s gospel. Strong women loved Jesus such as the demanding Syrophoenician. Joanna and Susanna, whom Jesus delivered of sickness and evil spirits, loved Him and showed it by giving money for His support (Luke 8:1-3). The two sweet sisters in Bethany, Mary and Martha, loved Him perhaps more than anyone.
Women so adored Jesus that it was a group of women who braved the danger of the crucifixion and stayed with Him, while all the men fled except John. And it was women, bereft and grieving over Jesus, who discovered the empty tomb first.
Why did women so love Jesus? What so attracted them to Him? Stay tuned. Part 2 coming next week.
Prayer Focus This Week…
- Kit Van Rennsaler – increasing difficulty with her rheumatoid arthritis; severe infections
- Max Radach – recovery from a bad fall, suffering a fractured skull
- Chris Lizotte’s mother Nancy, in the hospital with heart challenges
- Regina Jacobsen – battling severe pain that the cause has not been diagnosed
- Seven year-old Jordan, born with a serious genetic disease, passed yesterday; pray for the family
- Mark Ellis now halfway through his Burma missions trip; pray for great connections
- Healing – Elizabeth Swellen, Roy Slavin, John Burns,
- Planning for the Women’s Retreat coming up
How God Works In Our Tribulations: “When I returned home from the hospital, my daughter showered me with caring love and attention. She verbalized many things she may never have said had I not gone through this trial. She’s still treating me like I’m her precious baby, it’s just so darn sweet. I now see this down time of recovery as a real luxury. I’ve never really rested. I’ve been on the run my entire life. Even after my great losses, I couldn’t slow down. Had to keep going, there were people and things to take care of.
Since all of that running has stopped, I’m home with time to reflect, pray, and meditate on devotions and my Bible. Like I said, it’s a luxury in this crazy world to have the time to draw near to our Lord. For me anyway. So dear friend, thank you and your prayer crew for taking the time to pray for me. I, like Pastor Greg, see the results of God’s blessings through your prayers. (excerpt of a letter from Terry Sanders, a dear friend of Mary Deane, following her open heart surgery)
Finally: May faith increase, love grow, and hope be renewed in each and every one of us this week.
Pastor Jay