Roles Of Women In The Gospel Of Luke
The roles of women in the church, home, and public have been debated over many centuries. However, Jesus does not exclude women from the Kingdom of God because he refers to them as “sisters” and includes them in his non-biological family and allows them the same opportunities of salvation that men have. It is more often emphasized in the Gospel of Luke that the role of women was very prominent within Jesus’s life, but that does not exclude the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John from having significant roles filled by women. This paper is to outline the stories of Jesus’s interactions and relationships with women and deciphering why they may or may not have prominent roles in society that are mentioned within the gospels. Their roles within
…show more content…
society are challenged even before Jesus is born because of their faith in God, and their discipleship will be discussed briefly.
The first woman of interest is his own mother, Mary. She had borne Jesus but not without questions and fear. She was unmarried and pregnant, which would have been terrifying to her, but Joseph, her husband, was told that the baby was from the Holy Spirit. After she gave birth to the child, the shepherds found Mary and told them that angels spoke to them, saying, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” As soon as Mary heard this, she kept them in her mind and thought about them. This indicates that Mary was still figuring out for herself her theology even after Jesus was born. It is almost unusual to see that Mary, Jesus’s own mother, questioned and thought much about who he was, but even through the miraculous birth of Jesus, she is still able to ask questions about who the Messiah really is, which gives her a character within the story. Mary is shown to be a questioning individual, which is rare to see of a woman within the gospels, which means she yearns to learn more.
Later, in Luke 2:42-51, we have the story of when Jesus was twelve years old when they go to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When Jesus remains behind after his family leaves and they cannot find him, she questions Jesus asking why he would make her and Joseph so worried about him. Jesus replies, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This was confusing for Mary and Joseph and they did not understand what he meant, but it states that once again, Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.” Mary “was building her theology from the ground up” and putting pieces of the puzzle together in her head. It had not been revealed that Jesus was the son of God, but that he was the “Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord,” so for Jesus to state that he was in his Father’s house had been confusing for his parents.
Jesus loved Mary dearly, but still does not appoint her a prominent role within the church. Some within the Roman Catholic church even believe that since Mary, Jesus’s own mother, was not appointed a significant role within the church, no woman should ever have leadership in the church. However, this could not be further from the truth. In a society where women were not allowed to speak or ask questions in church and had significantly less education than men (because men had studied in the synagogue when they were young), they were less qualified for leadership roles within the church. Mary is not even completely sure of her own theology yet, but she questions and ponders about much of Jesus’s sayings, which would make her a better student rather than teacher or leader. In the end, however, she affirms her belief that Jesus is the son of God, and “grows in her understanding and stands in solidarity with Jesus at the foot of the cross, thereby entering into the true family of God”
Another woman of significance would be Elizabeth. She was a descendent of Aaron and her husband was a priest named Zechariah, and they both lived according to the way of the Lord but they had no children because Elizabeth was barren. An angel appeared to Zechariah to tell him that Elizabeth will have a son and that he is to be named John. Later in the chapter, Mary visited Elizabeth who was six months pregnant and felt her baby leap at Mary’s greeting, which Elizabeth takes as a sign and cried out loudly, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” Elizabeth is now seemingly overcome with amazement and cannot contain her excitement that the mother of the Savior is with her. At the beginning of the story, she seems to be a quiet, passive character but after her meeting with Mary, she becomes this extroverted, excited character and “the spokesperson, against cultural expectations, of what the angel Gabriel had told her husband.” Zechariah is shut out from this conversation between Mary and Elizabeth, which goes against the expectations. Elizabeth and Mary are the main roles, and Elizabeth plays the role of the excited, faithful, and unquestioning believer of God. Elizabeth may not have had much interaction with Jesus, but her strong faith in God made her a prominent role in society, almost more prominent than her husband.
Anna is a character that seems to be overshadowed often, but her role within the church was without doubt important. Anna is mentioned only briefly, and somewhat awkwardly, as she is described after Simeon’s prophecy of Jesus in Luke 2:34-35. Luke mentions that she is from Asher, and how long she has been a widow, which almost seems unnecessary, “but Luke’s purpose is to communicate that women were important.” Luke uses examples of both men and women to demonstrate that salvation and faithfulness to God is not only for men, but for everyone, including women. Luke contrasts men and women regularly for this reason, as Simeon is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him,” in Luke 2:25, and Anna “never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” in Luke 2:37-38. Even though Anna’s story is only three verses long and Simeon’s is ten verses long, Luke mentioning Anna at all “shows that he wants to elevate the prominence of women during the New Testament times.” Anna’s story seems insignificant at first glance, but after realizing that Luke mentions both Anna and Simeon as equals, it is clear that Anna being mentioned at all, especially within the church, is powerful and momentous.
One of the most famous stories between Jesus and a woman would be the story of the woman at the well in John 4.
The disciples had left Jesus while he was at Jacob’s well, and while they were gone, a Samarian woman came to draw water. Jesus asked for a drink, which is surprising since Jews and Samarians never communicate, and Jews never shared anything with Samarians. The woman is not named, and all the reader knows is that she is from Samaria. It is Jesus who sought the woman and began talking to her first; the woman has no idea who he is, only that he is a Jew and claims to be greater than her ancestor Jacob who had built the well. This opens the door for Jesus to mention that his water gives eternal life, whereas the water from Jacob’s well will only last a short time. She asks for this water, but Jesus asks to call her husband, to which she replies she has none. Jesus confirms this, and says that she has had five and the one she is living with is not her husband. She does not attempt to defend herself or come up with excuses as to why she is in this situation, but Jesus reveals that he is the Messiah, to which she embraces immediately. This unquestioning belief in Jesus is why her story is so significant. Her willingness to accept that Jesus is the Messiah excites her so much that she returns to the Samarians and tells them of Jesus, the Messiah, and she is possibly the first to evangelize to them of the good news. This woman may have been an outcast in her society as …show more content…
being sinful for she had divorced five times and is living with a man she is not married to. This would have been looked down upon within the Jewish society, but Jesus does not judge her, yet gives her hope and offers her the water of everlasting life. Jesus does not exclude her from the kingdom of God, which displays the inclusiveness that Jesus had in mind when coming to this world.
There is a common misconception that there were only twelve male disciples. However, it is shown in scripture that there were more than twelve, and there were women included in the group. Mary Magdalene was the first woman that Luke mentions, and followed Jesus , “staying close to Jesus and ministering to his needs.” She followed Jesus throughout his ministry and is present in all four gospels at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41, Luke 23:49, John 19:25). Mary Magdalene is assumed to be unmarried, or a widow, which would emphasize Jesus’ inclusiveness in the kingdom of God. There was also Joanna, who invested her time and money into Jesus and the disciples, and was one of the women who saw Jesus’s empty tomb, and saw the angel and told Mary Magdalene and the eleven disciples. There is also Susanna (Luke 8:3), Mary of Clopas (John 19:25), Mary the mother of James, and Salome (Mark 15:40; 16:1) that are mentioned as disciples of Jesus.
The women mentioned as disciples are a short list of the actual amount of women that would have probably followed Jesus.
“Like the Twelve, they left the comforts of the familiar and the security of the traditions.” The disciples knew that life would not be easier by following Jesus; it was quite the opposite, but they were still willing to stay with him, for they saw that he would bring the kingdom of God, and knew in their hearts that he was the promised Messiah. Even though the ministry of women is not seen as often in the Gospels, “it is no less ongoing and vital.” The whole point of Jesus coming was to be inclusive of all people, so that everyone, not only the Jews, could enter the kingdom of God. Jesus included everyone, men and women of different statuses in society of every age, and loved everyone as his family. It was no wonder that Jesus wanted to have a deep relationship with both men and women, as they were all created equally from the beginning of their
creation.
Even though women have seemingly taken a back seat to Gospels studies in the past, scholars are now realizing that the role of women are significant in the life of Jesus and the church. Women have had roles within the church, home, and public, just as men have had, and Jesus treated them all equally and loved each one as a sibling. Though Luke emphasizes the equality between men and women and their roles in society, the other gospels have touched on the women who have played major roles, such as Mary, Elizabeth, Joanna, Mary Magdalene, and more. Women have served in the church (Anna), but have also been faithful followers of Jesus (Joanna, Mary Magdalene), and the gospels have also brought to light the questioning nature of Mary the mother of Jesus, as she was still figuring out her faith. Women as disciples have been seen as non-existent at times, but realizing that Jesus had more than the Twelve and included both women and men, it is clear that Jesus’s idea of an all-inclusive kingdom was on his mind during his entire ministry, and loved each woman as a best friend, sister, or mother.
society are challenged even before Jesus is born because of their faith in God, and their discipleship will be discussed briefly.
The first woman of interest is his own mother, Mary. She had borne Jesus but not without questions and fear. She was unmarried and pregnant, which would have been terrifying to her, but Joseph, her husband, was told that the baby was from the Holy Spirit. After she gave birth to the child, the shepherds found Mary and told them that angels spoke to them, saying, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” As soon as Mary heard this, she kept them in her mind and thought about them. This indicates that Mary was still figuring out for herself her theology even after Jesus was born. It is almost unusual to see that Mary, Jesus’s own mother, questioned and thought much about who he was, but even through the miraculous birth of Jesus, she is still able to ask questions about who the Messiah really is, which gives her a character within the story. Mary is shown to be a questioning individual, which is rare to see of a woman within the gospels, which means she yearns to learn more.
Later, in Luke 2:42-51, we have the story of when Jesus was twelve years old when they go to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When Jesus remains behind after his family leaves and they cannot find him, she questions Jesus asking why he would make her and Joseph so worried about him. Jesus replies, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This was confusing for Mary and Joseph and they did not understand what he meant, but it states that once again, Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.” Mary “was building her theology from the ground up” and putting pieces of the puzzle together in her head. It had not been revealed that Jesus was the son of God, but that he was the “Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord,” so for Jesus to state that he was in his Father’s house had been confusing for his parents.
Jesus loved Mary dearly, but still does not appoint her a prominent role within the church. Some within the Roman Catholic church even believe that since Mary, Jesus’s own mother, was not appointed a significant role within the church, no woman should ever have leadership in the church. However, this could not be further from the truth. In a society where women were not allowed to speak or ask questions in church and had significantly less education than men (because men had studied in the synagogue when they were young), they were less qualified for leadership roles within the church. Mary is not even completely sure of her own theology yet, but she questions and ponders about much of Jesus’s sayings, which would make her a better student rather than teacher or leader. In the end, however, she affirms her belief that Jesus is the son of God, and “grows in her understanding and stands in solidarity with Jesus at the foot of the cross, thereby entering into the true family of God”
Another woman of significance would be Elizabeth. She was a descendent of Aaron and her husband was a priest named Zechariah, and they both lived according to the way of the Lord but they had no children because Elizabeth was barren. An angel appeared to Zechariah to tell him that Elizabeth will have a son and that he is to be named John. Later in the chapter, Mary visited Elizabeth who was six months pregnant and felt her baby leap at Mary’s greeting, which Elizabeth takes as a sign and cried out loudly, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” Elizabeth is now seemingly overcome with amazement and cannot contain her excitement that the mother of the Savior is with her. At the beginning of the story, she seems to be a quiet, passive character but after her meeting with Mary, she becomes this extroverted, excited character and “the spokesperson, against cultural expectations, of what the angel Gabriel had told her husband.” Zechariah is shut out from this conversation between Mary and Elizabeth, which goes against the expectations. Elizabeth and Mary are the main roles, and Elizabeth plays the role of the excited, faithful, and unquestioning believer of God. Elizabeth may not have had much interaction with Jesus, but her strong faith in God made her a prominent role in society, almost more prominent than her husband.
Anna is a character that seems to be overshadowed often, but her role within the church was without doubt important. Anna is mentioned only briefly, and somewhat awkwardly, as she is described after Simeon’s prophecy of Jesus in Luke 2:34-35. Luke mentions that she is from Asher, and how long she has been a widow, which almost seems unnecessary, “but Luke’s purpose is to communicate that women were important.” Luke uses examples of both men and women to demonstrate that salvation and faithfulness to God is not only for men, but for everyone, including women. Luke contrasts men and women regularly for this reason, as Simeon is described as “righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him,” in Luke 2:25, and Anna “never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” in Luke 2:37-38. Even though Anna’s story is only three verses long and Simeon’s is ten verses long, Luke mentioning Anna at all “shows that he wants to elevate the prominence of women during the New Testament times.” Anna’s story seems insignificant at first glance, but after realizing that Luke mentions both Anna and Simeon as equals, it is clear that Anna being mentioned at all, especially within the church, is powerful and momentous.
One of the most famous stories between Jesus and a woman would be the story of the woman at the well in John 4.
The disciples had left Jesus while he was at Jacob’s well, and while they were gone, a Samarian woman came to draw water. Jesus asked for a drink, which is surprising since Jews and Samarians never communicate, and Jews never shared anything with Samarians. The woman is not named, and all the reader knows is that she is from Samaria. It is Jesus who sought the woman and began talking to her first; the woman has no idea who he is, only that he is a Jew and claims to be greater than her ancestor Jacob who had built the well. This opens the door for Jesus to mention that his water gives eternal life, whereas the water from Jacob’s well will only last a short time. She asks for this water, but Jesus asks to call her husband, to which she replies she has none. Jesus confirms this, and says that she has had five and the one she is living with is not her husband. She does not attempt to defend herself or come up with excuses as to why she is in this situation, but Jesus reveals that he is the Messiah, to which she embraces immediately. This unquestioning belief in Jesus is why her story is so significant. Her willingness to accept that Jesus is the Messiah excites her so much that she returns to the Samarians and tells them of Jesus, the Messiah, and she is possibly the first to evangelize to them of the good news. This woman may have been an outcast in her society as …show more content…
being sinful for she had divorced five times and is living with a man she is not married to. This would have been looked down upon within the Jewish society, but Jesus does not judge her, yet gives her hope and offers her the water of everlasting life. Jesus does not exclude her from the kingdom of God, which displays the inclusiveness that Jesus had in mind when coming to this world.
There is a common misconception that there were only twelve male disciples. However, it is shown in scripture that there were more than twelve, and there were women included in the group. Mary Magdalene was the first woman that Luke mentions, and followed Jesus , “staying close to Jesus and ministering to his needs.” She followed Jesus throughout his ministry and is present in all four gospels at the crucifixion (Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41, Luke 23:49, John 19:25). Mary Magdalene is assumed to be unmarried, or a widow, which would emphasize Jesus’ inclusiveness in the kingdom of God. There was also Joanna, who invested her time and money into Jesus and the disciples, and was one of the women who saw Jesus’s empty tomb, and saw the angel and told Mary Magdalene and the eleven disciples. There is also Susanna (Luke 8:3), Mary of Clopas (John 19:25), Mary the mother of James, and Salome (Mark 15:40; 16:1) that are mentioned as disciples of Jesus.
The women mentioned as disciples are a short list of the actual amount of women that would have probably followed Jesus.
“Like the Twelve, they left the comforts of the familiar and the security of the traditions.” The disciples knew that life would not be easier by following Jesus; it was quite the opposite, but they were still willing to stay with him, for they saw that he would bring the kingdom of God, and knew in their hearts that he was the promised Messiah. Even though the ministry of women is not seen as often in the Gospels, “it is no less ongoing and vital.” The whole point of Jesus coming was to be inclusive of all people, so that everyone, not only the Jews, could enter the kingdom of God. Jesus included everyone, men and women of different statuses in society of every age, and loved everyone as his family. It was no wonder that Jesus wanted to have a deep relationship with both men and women, as they were all created equally from the beginning of their
creation.
Even though women have seemingly taken a back seat to Gospels studies in the past, scholars are now realizing that the role of women are significant in the life of Jesus and the church. Women have had roles within the church, home, and public, just as men have had, and Jesus treated them all equally and loved each one as a sibling. Though Luke emphasizes the equality between men and women and their roles in society, the other gospels have touched on the women who have played major roles, such as Mary, Elizabeth, Joanna, Mary Magdalene, and more. Women have served in the church (Anna), but have also been faithful followers of Jesus (Joanna, Mary Magdalene), and the gospels have also brought to light the questioning nature of Mary the mother of Jesus, as she was still figuring out her faith. Women as disciples have been seen as non-existent at times, but realizing that Jesus had more than the Twelve and included both women and men, it is clear that Jesus’s idea of an all-inclusive kingdom was on his mind during his entire ministry, and loved each woman as a best friend, sister, or mother.