Many of us have recently been reading various Bible accounts about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In Luke's Gospel we read the account of the women disciples who discovered the empty tomb. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. (Luke 24:9-10 NIV)
There are only two references to this disciple Joanna in the New Testament, and both are in the Gospel of Luke. The other reference is in the eighth chapter and verse three. She was married to a man named Cuza who was the manager of King Herod's household. There we learn more details about this group of women who traveled around with our Lord and helped support the work of Christ and the apostles. It appears that several women in this group had received divine healing from our Lord Jesus Christ. They had previously experienced some form of demonic possession and various diseases. Jesus healed them.
Why do we often overlook this detail with such a powerful lesson for the women of today? These women arose to the occasion and supported the work of spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ. It is often the case today when a missionary goes into a new territory with the Gospel that the men will be slow to embrace the teaching of Jesus. Perhaps it is because of all the cultural pressures, and sometimes the men are afraid of losing their jobs if they become a Christian.
Wherever the Gospel message is going today you will find women who are actively supporting the work, and in many cases, they are right up on the front lines. I pray that God will give us more women with this kind of courage and devotion. We need more courageous men and women to take their place in the continual effort to communicate the Gospel message of salvation for all people who will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord through obedient faith.
The battle for the hearts and minds of people is waging strong in the world today. You may have heard about the rise of Islam in Europe. Mohammad is the most popular name among baby boys in Brussels, and other European cities. One of the reasons for the increase of this religion that denies the Deity of Jesus Christ is the declining population in many Europeans countries. They have turned to immigration as a means of solving their population problems.
More importantly, we need more women of faith like Joanna who will make sacrifices and go on mission trips themselves, or who will work to support those who are serving our Lord in spreading the Gospel. There were faithful women who stood near the cross and watched in agony as our Lord suffered so that we could have forgiveness of sins and the glorious hope of eternal life. Women ran from the empty tomb and took the good news to the apostles.
I sincerely believe that "When the roll is called up yonder", there will be many Anna's, Joanna's, Mary's, Martha's, Galina's, Natasha's, Olga's who have bravely stood with our Lord and supported the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When certain authorities attempted to slow down my evangelistic work in another country, some men abandoned me as helpers, but several women began to stand up to these powers even at the risk of losing family, friends, jobs, and home. Praise God for their bravery both then and now!
One of the important differences between faith in God and faith in the teachings of Mohammad is how women have a prominent place in the Holy Scriptures. From the very beginning, we learn in the Bible that God gave man a helper. Our first mother Eve was a helper to Adam. God took a rib from Adam to make the first woman, not a bone from his foot. The greatest help comes in the form of encouragement in the time of trials. God knew that it was not good for man to live alone, and blessed us with wonderful helpers to share the joys and sorrows of this life. Thank God for godly women!
You are invited to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Write me with any questions or comments David Binkley, Sr., P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or E-mail at dgbinkley@aol.com. You may also request to receive the daily WORD OF THE DAY by e-mail. Check out our web site at www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. | 