In this devotional series, we will walk with some of the named and unnamed women of the resurrection. We will not only envision what drew women to Jesus and why some left their homes and cared for the physical needs of Jesus and His disciples. We will contemplate the power these women experienced even before Jesus was crucified and how we can experience His resurrection power today.
Welcome to Journey to Easter with the Women of the Resurrection. Each devotional is designed to help prepare our hearts to celebrate Easter, deepen our love for Jesus and encourage each of us to experience the power of His resurrection, not only in salvation but in everyday life.
Why did women follow Jesus, especially when doing so became increasingly dangerous? Jesus’s full acceptance of women as persons, equal to men, demonstrated how much He valued their presence, friendship, physical and financial support, prayers and life-transforming stories.
The woman’s head bowed to the ground, her body bent low, her only view, her feet. For eighteen years, she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. She could not look upward and see the sky or even possibilities, only the dirt beneath her feet. Implied in this story, is not only was her body bent over, so was her spirit. And why not? For eighteen years, her body betrayed her.
This story takes place around the third year of Jesus’ ministry. Once more, we find Jesus teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath. I imagine the Old Testament came alive as God’s Son reminded listeners of the Old Testament stories where God’s justice and mercy flowed.
Most of us will not get through life without experiencing deep loss and sometimes those losses put us on a downward spiral whose destination is total despair. It feels like a living hell.
Jesus’s treatment of women shocked not only religious leaders but also His disciples and perhaps nowhere more than when He spoke to the woman at the well. Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Judea in the south back to Galilee in the north.
The disciples were not the only ones who followed Jesus. Numerous women walked with Jesus to Jerusalem. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John use the word “follow” repeatedly. Following Jesus meant being a disciple of Christ.
