JESUS’S INTERACTIONS WITH WOMEN
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, both fully divine and fully human, came to the earth as a baby born of a woman (Luke 2:1–20). And, he completed the work his Father gave him to do on earth (John 17:4). Jesus’s sacrificial death enables anyone who chooses to believe in him by faith to receive forgiveness for their sins and eternal life (John 3:16). Through faith, the resurrected Savior enables reconciliation into oneness with God (John 17:20–21).
Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Women
How does Jesus, the Son of God, view women? In his earthly ministry, did Jesus encourage, teach, and empower only men to carry on his work? After his ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit (comforter, intercessor, the presence of God) was given to all believers, women, as well as men (Acts 2:4). What can we learn from the scriptural accounts of Jesus’s interactions with women? To answer these questions, let’s consider three Bible stories.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
The first is a synopsis of the Samaritan woman’s story (John 4) from my Fathom article titled, “A Daughter’s Worth.”
Sitting beside Jacob’s Well in Sychar, Jesus asked for a drink from a Samaritan woman who came to draw water. As their conversation progressed, the woman realized this Jewish man knew all about her—her five previous husbands and the current intimate details of her life.
He explained profound wisdom to her about the living water that quenches one’s thirst for all time and how true worship reveals a reverence for the Father in Spirit and truth. On Mount Horeb, at the burning bush, God the Father had first revealed himself to Moses as the “I Am.” And here at Jacob’s well, God the Son first revealed himself to this woman as the “I Am.” As John records the story, the woman at the well believed in Jesus with faith and ran to preach the good news to her entire village. As a result, many in her city chose living water.
At Jacob’s well, Jesus entrusted his divinity news to a Samaritan. And she preached the good news with fruitful results.
We learn from the Samaritan woman’s story that Jesus did not hold any past sin against her. He engaged her, a woman, and also an outsider, in a theological conversation in a public setting.[1] In that culture, a man’s public interaction with a woman, other than a wife, was highly unusual. Yet, Jesus chose to reveal himself to the Samaritan woman as the long-awaited Messiah.
After hearing this incredible information, she dropped everything, including her shame, and courageously ran to tell the good news to all in her town. Note, Jesus did not chastise her for proclaiming the gospel to the men and others of her city. This story continues with Jesus emphatically admonishing his male disciples (who had returned to him and were astonished Jesus was speaking to a woman), “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest…I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (John 4: 35, 38 NIV). Could Jesus have been pointing to the example of the Samaritan woman’s act of faith and the resulting harvest of believers?
Jesus and Mary of Bethany
The second story is found in the book of Luke. Jesus befriended Mary of Bethany, her sister Martha, and their brother Lazarus. On a visit to their home, Mary boldly assumed a disciple-in-training position at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:39). When Martha objected, Jesus reproved Martha. He affirmed Mary’s choice to sit at his feet, saying, “…one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:42).” Jesus affirmed a woman listening and learning as a disciple at the feet of a rabbi. She had chosen a posture that was “needed,” “the best part,” and “will not be taken away.” Women and men can look to Mary’s story to be encouraged to pursue ministry training. Later, Jesus defended Mary of Bethany when she anointed his feet. He vocally affirmed her actions, rebuking Judas, one of his twelve disciples, saying, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial” (John 12:3–7). He commends Mary for understanding what the Twelve did not, that Jesus’s death was impending.
Jesus and Mary Magdalene
The third story is about Mary Magdalene. Jesus healed her of seven evil spirits (Luke 8:2), and thereafter, Mary Magdalene served Jesus as a disciple. She traveled on ministry trips with him and financially supported his ministry (Luke 8:3). She was one of the women who witnessed Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and burial. Here is a summary from “A Daughter’s Worth.” of a pivotal moment in her life and interaction with Jesus
Outside the garden tomb, Mary Magdalene stood weeping. She peered in, confused, and saw two angels where Jesus’s body had lain. A voice called out, “Mary.” She spun around, saw Jesus, and realized he had risen.
Mary Magdalene—the first resurrection witness—reached to embrace Jesus and called him “Rabboni” or teacher. Previously, Jesus had demonstrated to her his power over demons, and then he displayed his power over death. The resurrected Jesus first revealed himself to a daughter. In this encounter, Jesus restored Eve’s voice—muted at the fall—by ordaining Mary Magdalene to go and tell. And she ran to her brothers (what a sprint record she must have set) to share the joyous faith message, “He has risen.”
Many more stories can be found in the Bible, particularly in the book of Luke, about Jesus and his interactions with women. Jesus included women when he described his “family,” “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mk 3:35; Luke 8:21). Jesus had compassion on a widow in Nain, whose only son had died. He told her, “Don’t cry,” and raised her adult son from the dead, an act that likely saved her from destitution (Luke 7:11–15). “His first Gentile convert was a woman who debated with him and won” (Matt 15:21).[2]
Jesus and Women Who Touched Him
Against gender norms, Jesus allowed women to touch him. In a crowd, a bleeding woman touched Jesus, and he turned to acknowledge her action, healed her chronic illness, and compassionately affirmed her by saying, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mk 5:25–34). He allowed a woman “who lived a sinful life” to perfume his feet and wipe them with her hair as she wept. Jesus rebuked his host, a man named Simon, who objected, saying, “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).
Jesus and Women Disciples
Jesus treated women in ways contrary to Greco-Roman gender norms by allowing women disciples to travel with him and his male disciples (Luke 8:2). Certain women financiers, Mary of Magdalene, Susanna, Joanna, and others, shared their resources to fund Jesus’s ministry (Luke 8:3). The group of women who traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem were the first witnesses of his execution and the first to witness and proclaim his resurrection (Matt 28:1–18; Mk 16:1–10; Luke 24:1–10; John 20:1–18).
Conclusion
Time after time, Jesus taught theological truth to men and women with fruitful results. He affirmed women learning, evangelizing, and ministering. Counter to culture and tradition, Jesus loved, elevated, esteemed, and empowered his daughters. The Church would do well to preach these faithful women’s stories and to esteem and empower faithful women to use their gifts for building up the body.
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[1] Spencer, Aida Besancon. “Jesus’ Treatment of Women in the Gospels.” Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy, Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, eds. (Downers Grove: IL, InterVarsity Press, 2005), 128.
[2] Rudd, Bill. Should Women Be Pastors and Leaders in Church? (Bloomington: IN, West Bow Press, 2018), 349.