As well as certain women!

Luke 8:1-3

After that, Jesus travelled through the country, town by town, and village by village, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, as well as certain women, who had been cured from evil spirits and from illnesses. There was Mary, who is called Mary Magdalene, out of whom there went seven devils, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, who was Herod's agent, and Susanna and many others. It was their habit to minister to their needs out of their resources.

Food for thought!

Today's gospel reading is especially special. It reminds us that women played a prominent part role in the life of the Jesus. It shows us Jesus on the road. The synagogues are no longer open to him, as once they had been. He had begun, as it were, in the church, where any man with a message from God usually begins hoping to find a responsive and receptive audience. 

Instead of a welcome, Jesus found opposition and even persecution; instead of eager listeners he found the scribes and Pharisees bleakly waiting to catch him out on every word he said. Fed up with the ecclesiastics of his time, Jesus has now taken the matter into his own hands: he now has taken his ministry to the open road and to the hillside and to the lake shore: "Jesus travelled through the country, town by town, and village by village, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God."

And Jesus is not alone. Besides men, this passage lists a little group of women who have dared to join Jesus, come what may. The gospel says that these women have even committed their resources to his ministry. These women are saying, Jesus must win! Jesus cannot and will not fail; we shall help him; we shall follow him wherever he goes; we shall support him; we shall not abandon him. His fate is our fate. His cause is our cause. Please note that the service of these grateful women was permanent during the whole of our Lord’s wandering life after his leaving the synagogue.

The women' help was practical. Being women, at that time as like today, they would not be allowed to preach; but they gave the gifts they had. They helped Jesus in his ministry. Yes, in the company of every great man, there is a great woman. Even in the company of Jesus there were great women. 

It is not always the person in the foreground who is doing the greatest work. Many a man could hardly survive one week without the help of a woman in his company! Many women today are in the background, unseen but essential to us men. GOD knows us that is whay he said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." (Gen. 2:18).