Summary Of Women In The Gospel Of Mark

For the research question, I will be analyzing how women are connected to faith in healing accounts of women found in the Gospel of Mark. The plotting of women in Mark’s story is important because in many instances, women are representative figures, especially in the stories of the healings of Jesus. As one reads the Gospel of Mark and gains a better understanding of the life of Jesus and his healings, one may wonder about the depths of faith the women have who have occurrences with Jesus. Per Richard A. Horsley (2001), in The Politics of Plot in Mark’s Story, the plotting of women in the gospel of mark is a crucial piece to the overall story, however it does not allow for a clear understanding until the climax of the story, which is considered
Some women approach and interact with Jesus in different ways, which identifies their depth of faith. The first occurrence observed in Mark was in Mark 1:29-31, which is the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. This healing occurs towards the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and is the first account of a healing of a woman of Jesus seen in the Gospel of Mark. The healing of Simon’s mother-in-law is the first action of Jesus at the ending of his first day of his mission work in the town of Capernaum. Simon’s mother-in-law has not heard of Jesus and his teachings and Jesus does not praise her for her faith like he has done with other individuals he has healed. The woman is completely healed and transformed through the power of Jesus, but it is clear that she lacks in her faith, because Jesus did not praise her for her faith like the others. The woman not hearing about Jesus and his teachings indicate that she is not a follower and believer of
The women of the demonic daughter begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. Jesus was reluctant to heal her daughter however, she demanded and insisted that her daughter be healed. Jesus’s response to the woman was different, as he ignored the woman at first then gave her a harsh response saying, “let the children be fed first”. The woman placed her faith and trust in Jesus that he would heal her daughter of her sufferings. Per Miller (2004), the portrayal with the gentile woman and her daughter is similar when compared to the hemorrhaging woman in Mark 5:24-34 because both show the courage of both woman and their acts of being independent individuals. Miller posed an interesting point with this observation, because both women in both accounts were passionate to receive the help from Jesus that they hoped for.
Toward the end of the Gospel of Mark, and after the crucifixion and raising from the dead, comes the story of a woman and Mary Magdalene. They were healed from the evil spirits and infirmities in Galilee in Mark 16:9. In this healing, the woman is identified by name, which is unusual considering the other women in the stories were not identified by name. In this story, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, which could indicate her faith and relationship with Jesus. When Jesus rose on the first day, he drove out the seven