Women

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

WOMEN

Mark 15:40-41

40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

NIV

Where would men be if it were not for the women who cared for us? Surely God, himself insisted that it was not good for man to be alone. Yet we know that Jesus did not marry as was the custom established by man in the effort to fulfill the determination of God that man should not be alone and therefor made woman to be his helpmate. Jesus did not cleave to or join,  or be united to any one woman in the sense that God had established, but that did not men Jesus was without the care of women. Some people might think that Jesus and the twelve were simply a tribe of thirteen guys traipsing about the region, camping out, singing Kumbaya at night around the campfire being just a bunch of guys out on their own, but that is the the case. There were woman there caring for the needs of the men. We cannot be certain if any of the wife’s of the disciples traveled with them, or if any woman actually made the journey’s to different regions, but we do know that there were woman who made sure the needs of Jesus were taken care of, whatever those needs were. Some scholars ignore this and go to the place after Jesus body was removed and they brought spices to care for the needs of the body, but that is then and Mark makes a point to tell us these women had followed him and cared, past tense, for his needs. So we are to see that woman placed an important role in the ministry of Jesus. Sure we here about the deeds of the men, the travels and experiences of the twelve, but there were woman who there, doing what needed to be done. Where would men be if it were not for women?