March - Women's History Month Biblical Leaders in the New Testament

There are more than 180 called women in the New Testament, for many are called but few were chosen. Women in the Bible held positions of power and were called prophetesses, judges and leaders, warriors, healers and caregivers, mothers and wives, disciples, and followers of Jesus Christ who testified of him. In a patriarchal society, some women rise above the patriarch. A handful of women in the history of Christianity surpassed all societal expectations of Biblical times. Contemporary women church planters owe much to those first-century evangelizing women who embraced the whole gospel, believing Christ had called them to proclaim the good news. The first-century church proved that when men and women work together to build the Kingdom of God, operating in freedom and in the power and giftedness of the Holy Spirit, the effects of the Fall are reversed, and the glories of the gospel are made manifest. Contemporary women church planters owe much to those first-century evangelizing women who embraced the whole gospel, believing Christ had called them to proclaim the good news. The first-century church proved that when men and women work together to build the Kingdom of God, operating in freedom and in the power and giftedness of the Holy Spirit, the effects of the Fall are reversed, and the glories of the gospel are made manifest. “For many are called, but few are chosen” Matthew 22:14 (NKJV). 

Women in history had their spheres of influence despite male dominance. To rise above a culture where their sexuality was not acknowledged was miraculous. A culture whose inheritance and marital laws favored men and ostracized women made it difficult for any female to get through. Despite the male dominance factor, the Jehovah God called when to do many great works in the New Testament, just like in the Old Testament. Women took as large of a role in early church leadership as was allowed by the conventions of that society, so women today should be able to serve in whatever leadership positions they are qualified for according to God's purpose and will for their lives. God has always placed women in leadership positions. Women throughout the history of Christianity have proved their capabilities by excelling in fields that used to be reserved for men. These women’s lives were an appeal to equality. A woman’s place is not only in the house looking after the children, as women are capable of so much more. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” John 15:16 (NKJV).

Women were last at the cross, first at the tomb, and the first to be told to, “Go and tell others.” Jesus himself chose a woman to be the first preacher of the gospel. It was Mary to whom the resurrected Jesus said, “Go and tell the others”. Jesus in all his words and deeds left us an example to treat women as equals with men, never subordinated or restricted in role. His treatment of women as equals defied the judicial, social, and religious customs of his day. Mary Magdalene is often considered one of the first true disciples of Jesus. Mary Magdalene is often misunderstood, for she was a faithful follower of Jesus. After Jesus healed her, she ventured alongside him in his ministry, meeting his needs and encouraging the disciples, eventually bearing witness to his crucifixion and burial. Mary Magdalene was the first woman evangelist and witness of Jesus Christ's resurrection and spread the word to the Twelve Apostles. Because she was the first to witness Jesus's resurrection, Mary Magdalene is known in some Christian traditions as the “apostle to the apostles”. “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe” Mark 16: 9-11 (NKJV).

In a culture that frowned upon the religious education of women, Jesus encouraged women to be his disciples. Examining biblical models of women in ministry can change our preconceived images of leadership by providing biblically informed reasons for reinvesting women with the dignity and high regard God conferred on them in creation and redemption, and by encouraging us to reflect positively on the gifts with which God has endowed women in the past. Such an examination can even challenge our thinking about women’s use of initiative and authority in the church and suggest avenues of ministry available to women and men that are both contemporary and innovative. By God’s grace, following the faith journeys of others will help to transform our attitudes and behaviors, so that our relationships can better reflect Christ, the One Promised to redeem humanity. God has surely not called all women into vocational, pastoral leadership (just as he has not called all men either), but he has surely called some. The Bible itself testifies to this. They were partners in the proclamation of the gospel, and this partnership is embedded in the creation story. Men and women fulfill each other’s contributions to the Kingdom. Male and female are partners in the work of realizing God’s Kingdom on earth. In some obvious ways, men and women complement one another, and in all ways, they are in partnership. God has chosen distinct roles for both men and women so that they may complement each other in a way that most glorifies Himself. Women may be fragile in some regards, but so are many things that are most precious to us. Men and women should work together, each fulfilling their respective, distinct roles, for the common goal of glorifying God. Their equality is not limited to spiritual standing before God but applies to their dominion over the earth. God blessed man and woman and charged them both. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that [a]moves on the earth” Genesis 1:27-29 (NKJV).