Mothers’ Day: extraordinary daughters of God
Martha Olawale
“And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him.” Matthew 27:55
The value of Christian women to kingdom growth cannot be overstated. Jesus knew this and made them integral in His ministry on earth. While the role of the twelve disciples formed the base camp from which Christianity grew, Christ’s mission flourished because of the women who surrounded Him. Even in a culture that believed women should not play significant roles in important issues, God made sure they were an essential part of the story.
To start with, Mary was the first to know of the imminent visit of the Messiah to our broken world. God did not choose to tell an army of men or an earthly royal family first; He chose a woman. Luke 1:28 says, “The angel came to her and said, ‘Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.” The privileged information of Christ’s birth was given to a little girl with no strength other than her willingness to submit to the will of God.
Furthermore, during His short years of ministry, many women saw the glory of God in Christ and ministered to Him in different ways. Martha opened her home to and fed Him (Luke 10:38), Joanna sponsored Him financially (Luke 8:3), and Mary Magdalene washed His feet with her tears and lavished them with the oil in her alabaster jar (Luke 7:37-38). They loved Jesus in the most tangible ways and expressed it. Luke 8:3 states, “Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and MANY others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” They were independently using what they had to support Christ’s ministry.
The women were not just part of a crowd but actively followed Jesus. They played crucial roles in the grand scale of the events that led to this moment in humanity's history when millions call Jesus their Savior. They were not relegated to His background but were essential to His purpose and journey to and after the cross.
Jesus trusted them because they were His friends. Yes, it was devastating to see Him on the cross as He went through the agony of death. However, even in their pain, they were Ministers of Christ. Matthew 27:55 (KJV) says, “And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him.” Jesus was more than a hero lost in time to them; He was their Messiah, and they loved Him. After His resurrection, He appeared to them first, and many continued to live to honor Him. Acts 9:36 says Dorcas did “Good things” and devoted her life to helping others because she was His disciple.
Being a woman of faith puts a level of gas in our pedal that accelerates the greatness within us, pushing us beyond expectations. We are not onlookers but participants. We are extraordinary beings, and the world experiences beautiful things when we walk in the fullness of who we are as daughters of the Almighty God. A woman who walks with God is called by love, established by grace, and lives purposefully in honor of Christ.
