Jesus Through the Eyes of Women (Luke 7-8)

This is a sermon I preached in chapel at Maranatha Baptist University on 10/28/2024 as part of a series through the Gospel of Luke.

Introduction

There is no book of Scripture entirely written by a woman, but the words of prophetesses like Deborah and Huldah as well as godly women like Abigail, along with the prayers of women like Mary mark the pages of scripture, and Mary's prayer, often referred to as the Magnificat, is largely based on Hannah's prayer; both prayers reach to the heights of praise to God for his character.

As we read a Gospel, the two key questions we need to ask are: “What do I need to believe about Jesus?” and “How do I need to become more like Jesus?” The main theme of chapters seven and eight of Luke is that Jesus is the promised Divine Messiah predicted by the Old Testament and John the Baptist, as proven by his miraculous power over nature, illness, and death. Verses 18-35 of chapter seven record how John the Baptist struggled with doubt as to Jesus’ identity because the kingdom had not yet come on earth as he expected it to; when he sent messengers to Jesus, Jesus responded by pointing out his many works to validate his identity – Jesus is the Divine Messiah sent to accomplish salvation! But since Jesus as Divine Messiah is the theme of all of Luke (as well as all four Gospels), I will point out that theme in each text, but I want to focus on a specific sub-theme in these chapters. So, what do we need to believe about Jesus, and how do we need to become more like Jesus? We must believe that Jesus values women as much as men, since both are images of God; and further that we must become more like Jesus by choosing to value women and treat them with the same respect Jesus does.

Jesus’ interactions with women

When we think of the earthly ministry of Christ, I think we tend to focus on his interaction with the disciples, and if we go beyond that to his interactions with the religious leaders, all of which were men. If we expand our memory a little bit, we may recall that Christ in his compassion and love often ministered to social outcasts, such as the Gentile centurion whose son was healed, the nine lepers, the man born blind, or the lame man. But I think we forget just how often Jesus interacted with women, how he treated them with value when they were devalued in that society and viewed as outcasts, especially by the religious leaders of the day:

He healed the woman with the flow of blood who had been ostracized 12 years.
He healed the woman made crippled by a demon.
He cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene.
He healed the Syrophoenician woman's daughter.
He cared for the Samaritan woman at the well – his longest recorded private conversation in Scripture.
He forgave the woman caught in adultery when she alone (and for some reason, not the man) was condemned to die.
He praised the widow who gave her two coins to the Temple treasury.
He praised Mary of Bethany for attentiveness to his teaching in a day when rabbis refused to teach women.
He took time to lovingly correct Martha, Mary's sister, for her attitude in service.
He mourned with Mary and Martha at the death of their brother, Lazarus.
He stopped to speak to the mourning women of Jerusalem on his way to the cross.
He took care of Mary, his mother, with his last breaths on the cross.
And his first post-resurrection appearance was to Mary Magdalene.

That is a lot of women in the life of Jesus! In fact, in Luke’s Gospel it is women who serve as the bookends of Jesus' earthly life: The Incarnation was revealed first to Mary by the word of Gabriel, and it was prophesied by her cousin Elizabeth when those two women became the first humans to worship the unborn Christ. Mary and Elizabeth’s worship was joined after Christ’s birth by that of the prophetess Anna, who bore the same Hebrew name as Hannah, the first person in Scripture to use the title "Messiah." After the resurrection, women were the first to bear the news. Though we don’t often think about it, women are honored as the first prophets and evangelists in the New Testament. Why? Because Jesus and the Gospels value and elevate women above the low view their culture had of them.

Women then and now

In the Greco-Roman world in which Paul ministered and to which Luke wrote, women were controlled by their male guardians, could not own property, and could not be full Roman citizens. While women were expected to be faithful to their husbands on threat of divorce and even death, husbands were free from all expectations of fidelity; as Demosthenes once put it, “Mistresses we keep for the sake of pleasure, concubines for the daily care of our persons, but wives to bear us legitimate children and to be faithful guardians of our households.” In the Jewish culture Jesus encountered, the testimony of women was inadmissible in court; Jewish men were permitted to divorce their wives after ten years of childlessness, and rabbis such as Hillel argued it was legitimate to divorce a wife for burning your meal; women, however, were unable to divorce their husbands for any reason. And since women could not work in that society, divorced women either became beggars, were forced to remarry, or became prostitutes, which is the background of Jesus’ statement that "whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, … [causes] her to commit adultery" (Mt. 5:33). This was the cultural milieu into which Luke wrote his Gospel, and which led to the popularity of Christianity among women in the early centuries of the church – Christianity, following the teaching and example of Jesus, gave women value in an era in which they were often treated like property or worse.

Here’s the problem for us today: we live in an era of philosophical conflict, and this conflict greatly affects the plight of women. At the same time that women are enjoying some positive results of the Feminist movement (we wouldn’t agree with everything the movement does, but it has brought some change to society), the Trans agenda has led to the further marginalization of women by pushing women out of women's sports, so men who identify as women can compete in their place. Women are still victimized by the abortion industry, which while touting women's health as its banner refuses to acknowledge the physiological and psychological damage it causes to women. Women's pain and concerns are still largely dismissed in the medical field. Further, about 1 in 3 women (35%) have been sexually abused; 1 in 2 women (50%) have experienced intimate partner violence, with 75% of fatal partner violence resulting in the woman's death. As has always been the case, women are among the most vulnerable in society, which often leads to their abuse.

A proper view of women

We must have a correct view of women that follows the teaching and example of Jesus. The sinful world around us despises those who live from God’s perspective; it devalues women who desire to bear and raise children as good mothers, women who follow Godly morals on sex instead of participating in hookup culture, and women who devote themselves to ministry rather than to self-advancement. Do not buy the lies of this world! They devalue women while claiming to empower them, just as Satan did to Eve in the Garden.

But I fear viewing women correctly is not just a problem in the world; we can sometimes have a tendency to devalue single women in conservative Christian circles, because we are not quite sure how they fit. We can tend to devalue women who choose to follow a career because we are not quite sure how that lines up with God’s teaching on women in the home. We need to recognize that such women are not inherently making sinful decisions. We can’t judge their motives. They might have sinful motives, but we need to beware: they are not inherently making sinful decisions. But even if they were we would not be excused in devaluing them. Regarding actual sin, we tend to disregard women who have bought this world's lies of hookup culture or the Lesbian or Trans agenda, seeing only their sins and not their need for the same Savior we desperately needed in our own sin.

We must never devalue any woman. Jesus didn't; he treated prostitutes and adulteresses with value because they are images of God. Instead, we must believe that Jesus values women, because women and men are images of God, and further that we must become more like Jesus by choosing to value women and treat them with the same respect Jesus does. We are going to look at three passages today from Luke 7 and 8 that highlight Jesus as Divine Messiah – that is the key point of this section of Luke – but I am especially going to now how Jesus’ interactions with women guide us today.

Jesus raises the son of a widow from Nain (Luke 7:11-17)

In the first passage we will explore today, Jesus raises a widow woman’s only son from the dead.

“11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about.”

Here's the story: Jesus sees a funeral procession in which a widow is burying her only son, then he is moved with compassion and raises the son to life. There are several things we need to notice in this passage. First, Jesus had compassion on her; God desires to help those in a miserable plight, which is why he sent Christ to make a way of salvation in the first place. God not only feels for us (sympathy/empathy) but he acts upon that feeling to save us (compassion), and Jesus in this account was moved to help a helpless widow. He acts not because of her faith, but simply because she is helpless and he can help – that is God’s character! Jesus, as “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3) reveals the character of God, and the response of the people who saw the miracle was to glorify God, though they did not understand that the sign was intended to prove that Jesus is God.

Second, Jesus tells her not to weep. It is not a rebuke as if weeping was the wrong thing to do, since Jesus himself wept at Lazarus’ grave; rather, it is a promise that her sorrow is about to be removed. Remember, it is right to be sad about sad things – death is a result of sin, and God calls it an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26). Though death will be defeated when we receive our glorified bodies, and though death now serves as the portal to eternal life for believers, it is still bad and should be mourned, though not without hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Also remember, both Lazarus and the widow’s son eventually died again; Jesus’ healings and resurrection miracles were a foretaste of the eventual reversal of the curse, but not themselves the final hope. As we pray for people approaching death, it is not wrong to pray for healing, but more important is their relationship with God; we know that it is God’s plan that they will die someday, and physical healing only postpones eternal spiritual death unless a person knows Christ.

In the context of Luke 7 & 8, this miracle is an example of Jesus being the divine Messiah because he can raise people from the dead, so we should believe in him! The story reads like the OT accounts of Elijah (1 Kgs. 17) and Elisha (2 Kgs. 4), who both raised the sons of widows – this is a very "prophety" thing to do, and Luke wants us to think of Elijah and Elisha while recognizing that Jesus surpasses them as the Divine Messiah. The main idea here is that Jesus, as God, has gracious compassion for those in distress. Remember, wrath is not an attribute of God; love is. It is not a settled fact of God’s existence that he is always angry at someone; rather, because of his attributes of holiness and justice, wrath is his response only when he encounters sin. It is, however, a settled fact of God’s existence that he is always inclined in love toward everyone. Jesus loves you and wants to help you in your miserable plight that results from sin, whether your own sin, the sin of others against you, or the general Curse on creation. Jesus loves to help the helpless because Jesus is God. Regarding Jesus and women specifically, here Jesus stops to help a helpless widow just as he would any helpless man because Jesus as God values women made in God’s image.

Jesus welcomes a repentant sinful woman (7:36-50)

In the next passage, Jesus welcomes a repentant sinful woman.

“36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”

Here's the setting: while Jesus is at a Pharisee's house for a meal, an unknown sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet; she is not Mary of Bethany (that event occurred in Bethany near Jerusalem, this is in Capernaum of Galilee) or Mary Magdalene (she is introduced in the next account). She is an otherwise unknown sinful woman. The passage then goes on.

“39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one ought five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

Here’s the conflict: Jesus rebukes Simon, the scorning Pharisee, through a parable which reveals that his lack of love for Jesus results from his continuing unforgiven state. Simon doubts that Jesus is a prophet, even though we saw evidence that he is one in our previous story, and the passage between these two stories records Jesus’ many miracles as evidence to ease John the Baptist’s doubts (7:18-35). In Simon’s mind, a true prophet would both immediately recognize such a sinner as the woman and not allow such a sinner to touch him. Jesus' response shows the grave error of the Pharisee: Jesus not only knows the mind of the woman but also of Simon! He is not only a true prophet, but he is greater than a prophet – he can forgive sins himself because he is God! Whenever Jesus states that a person’s sins are forgiven, he is making the claim that, as God, he has the authority to forgive sins. As is often the case, Jesus next tells a story to point out the flaws in the Pharisee’s thinking: the parable teaches that those who have been forgiven love God because they are thankful for his mercy, while those who have not received God's forgiveness do not love him but despise him for his mercy to others (see "Prodigal Son," ch.15). The Pharisee, who is not a believer, looks down on Jesus and does not think he needs forgiveness, so he does not honor Jesus as a guest; the woman is a believer, having come to faith in Jesus before this event, and so she recognizes the great forgiveness Jesus has given her and honors him greatly.

In context, Jesus' forgiveness of the woman's sins shows that he is the Divine Messiah. Since Jesus is the Messiah, we should believe in him for forgiveness, and honor him for that forgiveness; to do otherwise betrays that we may not truly know either him or his forgiveness. The main idea is that Jesus loves sinners and welcomes them with forgiveness when they repent, regardless of their sin; but those who think they do not need forgiveness cut themselves off from it and condemn themselves to judgment. While God is love, he is also just, and Christ himself will judge sinners who do not repent; God took it upon himself to make a way for us to be forgiven, but we must accept Christ to be saved. Jesus loves to save sinners because Jesus is God. Regarding women, Jesus here accepted a repentant woman, even allowing her to touch him; yet he rejected Simon for his unbelief. Gender does not affect a person’s standing with Jesus, because Jesus as God values women made in God’s image.

Jesus' ministry is supported by women (8:1-3)

In our final passage today, Jesus’ ministry is described as being supported by women.

“1And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, 2 and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”

Here's the story: This is a very brief account we tend to gloss over. As Jesus traveled through the villages preaching, he brought with him not only the twelve disciples but also other disciples, many of whom were women he had helped and who supported his ministry. In the context, the record of Jesus' healing and exorcisms for these women is further evidence of his nature as God, so we should believe in him! Jesus is God, but the key idea is that Jesus in his humanity humbled himself to the limits of human existence in obedience to the Father; he experienced hunger, thirst, and need for shelter. Rather than miraculously producing these things on demand though his Divine power (as Satan tempted him in the wilderness), Jesus obeyed the Father by depending upon others, and many of those supporters were women. Jesus is God, yet he humbled himself and became human to save us. In his humanity, Jesus was not ashamed to be supported by women but accepted their love-motivated service and welcomed them into his followers, because Jesus as God values women made in God’s image.

Applications for today

So, what do we learn about Jesus from these three passages that should affect how we live? I will start with some broad application of the core idea that Jesus is the Divine Messiah. Everyone, believe in Jesus and follow his example: Believe that Jesus is the Divine Messiah with power to save our souls and restore this world; he will break the Curse and create the new heavens and new earth, where we will dwell with him forever! Believe that Jesus as God is moved with compassion toward your sinful state; he is abounding with love toward you and ready and willing to forgive you if you will repent of your sin! Whether you know him or not, come to him today without fear of wrath; wrath is only for those who refuse to repent, since Jesus bore the wrath for those who believe when he died on the cross. Show the same compassion and love for others that Christ did; reach out to the hurting and the outcasts, and don't content yourself with living among people who have little love for God.

Applications for men

Finally, what specifically do we learn about how Jesus interacted with women in these passages, and how can we apply that truth to our lives today? I will deal with this in two sections, one for the men and one for the women. Men, treat God's female images – women – with the same respect and value Jesus did:

Men, delight in women's differences rather than feeling threatened – The differences between men and women aren't bugs, they are features: their unique perspective, emotion, connection, attention to detail, and values are designed by God for your benefit. Remember, the point of Genesis 2 is that Adam and Eve have more in common than different, and her status as a “suitable helper” is designed to complement his deficiencies. True "fragile masculinity" is thinking you need to control women because they are a threat to you, but that attitude has no place in the church of Jesus Christ, where “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Men in ministry especially, value and seek the perspective of your wives – godly women are vital to the health of the church; don’t refuse their help.
Men, do not make your stance toward women in the church only about what they cannot do – No, women should not be pastors, but they are gifted by the Holy Spirit for ministry in the church, not just to their children. The command for male leadership in the church does not make ministry exclusive to men.
Men, do not excuse yourself from God's commands where women are involved – The "one another" commands to the church – “love one another,” “serve one another,” “pray for one another,” “edify one another,” and more – are to be followed by all believers toward all believers, regardless of gender; so, which women are you regularly praying for, encouraging with truth, and serving in love other than your family?

Applications for women

Women, view yourselves as images of God with equal value to men, though with an intentionally different, yet equally good and equally important God-designed function:

Women, be a devoted disciples of Jesus – Learn from him and serve him and his people, just like Mary, Joanna, Susanna, and more! Study his word and be a lifelong student of Scripture like Mary of Bethany, discerning the teaching you hear – including this sermon – to see whether it lines up with Scripture.
Women, don't buy the lie that you have a second-rate existence because you are not a man – You are an equal image of God with equal value saved by the same precious blood of Jesus Christ, gifted by the same Holy Spirit to serve for the edification of the same body of Christ – you are just as vital to his work as any man.
Women, don't think that you are less important to Jesus because he was not a woman, or that the Bible is not for you because it was written by men – Scripture is ultimately God's word, not man’s word; it quotes the words of many women and uses multiple female word pictures to describe God to us. While God does use primarily male pictures to describe himself, remember that God is not male – he is spirit without biological gender. Jesus became a human man not because men are better but because it best fulfilled the Father’s plan for his ministry. The gender gap is not a factor in your access to God, only your sins, which God freely forgives in Christ.
Women, don't think that you cannot serve in the church because you are not a man – Again, while the pastoral office is limited to qualified men (not just any man), all the "one another" passages are commanded for all believers toward all believers, regardless of gender. Paul’s statement “I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man” (1 Tim. 2:7) does not mean “Women cannot communicate spiritual truth to male believers to encourage them in their Christian walk.” It didn’t for Priscilla, and Mary’s prayer is inspired, authoritative Scripture to all men. So, what men are you regularly praying for, encouraging with truth, and serving in love other than your husband and family?
Women, don't buy the lie that the path forward for better treatment of women involves treating men badly – The basis upon which men should treat you with respect and dignity is that you are God’s image, and the same is true for men. You cannot right one wrong by committing another wrong. When we are oppressed or sinned against, we love our enemies and give place to God’s wrath and sovereign working in the present, looking forward to the restoration of all things when Christ returns and establishes his kingdom – there will be no oppression or sexism in eternity! As you wait for that day, spend time in lament and even imprecatory prayer against the sins of men against women, yet “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).

Conclusion

In an age that sadly cannot answer the question "what is a woman?" Christians need to answer that question from Scripture: "A woman is an infinitely-valuable image of God, designed by God, provided with salvation by God, for God's glory in following God's will, as it works itself out through God's design for gender." I preached this message today because I am aware that some of our male students struggle to respect women, and that some of our female students struggle to think of themselves as valuable to God because they have not been valued by the men in their lives. Men, roughly half of people are female, and you are called to sacrificially love everyone you interact with; many will be women. All of you have had mothers. Many of you have sisters. Many of you will marry. Some will have daughters. Hopefully, some of you will be pastors. If you excuse the mistreatment of female images of God in your lives, it won't matter whatever else you accomplish – you will have blasphemed God by degrading his images and disqualified yourself for ministry in his eyes. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren – that word includes both male and female believers – ye have done it unto me” (Mt. 25:40). This is not a trivial matter. We must believe that Jesus values women as much as men, since both are images of God, and we must become more like Jesus by choosing to value women and treat them with the same respect Jesus does.

All Scripture verses come from the KJV.

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