the women who followed jesus

Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. (Luke 8:1-3)

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus had a bunch of women following him around, yet never had any hint of scandal attached to his ministry or character?

Here was a man. He was such that he could attract not only the loyalty of hard working men, men who worked with their hands and had no time for wimps, but also attract the loyalty of women of all parts of life.

He had women of all kinds hanging around him. Women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases were there, a fairly prominent woman, Susanna, who was pretty high up in society being the wife of Herod’s business manager, and others who supported Jesus and his apostles. Also there was Mary Magdalene.

She was one that the scripture says, from whom he had cast seven demons. This was a woman who had ample opportunity to be grateful to Jesus. He had rescued her from a living hell.

She is always portrayed as a former prostitute, and she may have been, but chances are that she was not. She may very well have been an older woman who had been used by her owners as a fortune teller, or the like.

Whatever her background, she had living in her seven demons. And they controlled her. She lived her life in a living hell, controlled by the spirits of darkness, never being able to leave them, to shut them out, not even able to commit suicide.

One day, Jesus had come along and saw her and took pity on her and delivered her. To say she was grateful would have been an understatement. More than likely, she would have died for Jesus on the Mount of Olives when he was captured if she could have.

Being a woman, she couldn’t. But she was there with him to the end, standing at the foot of the cross with his mother. And not only that, she was the first to see the risen Christ in the garden.

In the garden, after his death, she was in such tears that she didn’t recognize him and thought maybe he was the gardener and had moved Jesus somewhere else.

But when he spoke her name – Mary – she knew him in an instant. She had heard him say that name so many times, she would recognize it anywhere.

Not only that, she was the one who went to tell the apostles. She has been called the “apostle to the apostles.” Oh, since she was a woman, they didn’t believe her at first, but they knew what kind of person she was and knew that she was no flake.

If she said she had seen him, she had seen him.

One of many women who followed the man, Jesus Christ and loved him.