Subsídio em inglês para a English Class da Assembleia de Deus em Abreu e Lima/PE

1. LESSON 6
May 10, 2015
Women who helped Jesus
Golden Text
“And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases
[…] and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their
own means.
Useful Practice
Women have always played an important role in expanding the
Kingdom of God.
Scripture Reading
Luke 8: 1-3
1 - After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,
2 - and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary
(called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;
3 - 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.
General Objective
To show the importance of women in the ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ and in the expansion of God's Kingdom.
Specific Objectives
I – TO ANALYZE the participation of women in Judaism and the ministry

2. of Jesus.
II – TO SHOW the willingness of Elisabeth and Mary to obey God.
III – TO TALK ABOUT the willingness of women to serve Jesus.
IV – TO HIGHLIGHT the generosity of women to give offerings in favor
of Jesus' ministry.
Introduction
Over the centuries, in many places, women have been treated as
objects and have been on the fringes of society. In some cultures,
women continue to be considered inferior beings and so they are
discriminated against. In Eastern culture, to which Jesus of Nazareth
belonged, women were also seen this way.
One of the facts that is clearly observed in the Gospel of Luke is the
way Jesus treated women. Those forgotten, discriminated against and
abused women find in the Master the manifestation of God's love. The
way they found to repay was to follow him and to serve him with their
goods. An example to all those who also want to please God.
I - JESUS, JUDAISM AND WOMEN
1. The presence of women in the ministry of Jesus. The New
Testament gives ample emphasis on the female presence in the ministry
of Jesus. The third Gospel highlights this reality. The list is long: Mary
mother of Jesus; Elisabeth mother of John the Baptist; Anna, the
prophetess; the widow of Nain; the sinful woman in Simon's house;
Martha and Mary of Bethany; Mary Magdalene; Peter’s mother-in-law ;
the Woman with the Blood Flow; the bent-over woman; Joanna the wife
of Chuza, and Susanna. Some of these women were healed, others
delivered from demons and others even became followers of Jesus
together with the Twelve.
2. Jesus valued women. It is quite amazing when we compare the
treatment given to women in the New Testament with that practiced in
the Judaism of Jesus' time. In the first-century Judaism, women did not
participate in public life. They were not even allowed to appear in public
uncovered. So it was impossible to see their face. They had neither
voice nor face. Women were, therefore, consedered objects, something
that could be used and discarded. In contrast to all of this, Jesus did not
treat women as things or objects. He treated them as people! Jesus
showed that women were special beings to God and made them feel

3. that way. Many are the passages in the New Testament that give
prominence to women, and the Gospel of Luke is no exception to this
rule (Luke 1:13,42; 7:48; 8.2, 43 ... …)
II - WOMEN WILLING TO OBEY
1. Mary the mother of the Savior. The Catholic doctrine about the per-
son of Mary is based on tradition and lacks biblical support. It is groun-
ded on the Gospels, but in the apocryphal tradition that began circula-
ting around the second century of our era. Beliefs, such as the perpetual
virginity of Mary, Immaculate Conception and her rise are not part of the
New Testament canon. That is one side of the story. The other one is
the rejection to Mary that prevails among many Protestants on account
of anti-Catholicism. What the Scripture shows, in fact, is that Mary was a
person who found favor with God to participate directly in the Plan of
Salvation. Her willingness to accept and believe in God's plan is de-
monstrated in her words: "I am the Lord’s servant... May your word to
me be fulfilled […]” (Lk 1:38).
2. Elisabeth, the mother of the precursor. Elisabeth, wife of the priest
Zechariah, appears in biblical history as someone who also found favor
with God. She was chosen to be the mother of John the Baptist, the last
prophet of the Old Covenant (Luke 1:8-24); 16:16). The revelation of
John's birth was given to her husband Zechariah, who initially did not
believe. Luke's account that Elisabeth "was filled with the Holy Spirit",
when she was visited by Mary, also makes clear her willingness to
believe and accept God's plan for her (Luke 1:41-43). Like Mary,
Elisabeth was an obedient wife and her obedience was rewarded.
III- WOMEN WILLING TO SERVE
1. Serving women. Shortly after being healed by Jesus from a very high
fever, Peter's mother-in-law got up and began to wait on him (Lk 4:39).
The verb "serve" is the translation from the Greek word diakoneo. In the
Gospel of Luke, women often appear at the service of the Master. Mary
Magdalene stood out from the others. She was the first woman
mentioned in Luke 8:1-3 and is highlighted in the Gospels of Matthew,
Mark and John. She was one of the women who later witnessed the
Crucifixion (Matthew 27:55,56; Mark 15:40; John 19:25); saw where
Jesus' body was placed (Mt 27:61); and left on Sunday at the break of
dawn to anoint the body of the Lord (Mt 28:1). In addition, she would be

4. the first person to whom the risen Christ would appear (John 20:1-18).
2. Self-sacrificing women. The Gospel of Luke reveals that Jesus
counted on the help of self-sacrificing women in his ministry (Luke 7:36-
50). The evangelist shows Jesus being anointed by a woman regarded
as sinful, in the house of Simon, a Pharisee. That woman, visibly
emotional, used the ointment that she carried in an alabaster jar to
anoint Jesus as she was kissing his feet. The Gospel of John shows a
similar event that involved Mary of Bethany, which should not be
confused with Luke's account (John 12:1-8). In the text of John, it is
highlighted that Mary of Bethany would also pour the perfume from the
jar on the feet of Jesus rather than use it to her advantage. Her gesture
was harshly criticized by Judas Iscariot, who was eyeing the three
hundred denarii that ointment could make. She considered the
forgiveness that the Savior gave her much more valuable than the gains
that perfume could bring her.
IV. - WOMEN WILLING TO GIVE OFERRINGS
1. The rabbinic work. Luke records that Jesus "traveled about from one
town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom
of God. The twelve were with him "(Luke 8|:1). The dedication of Jesus
and his twelve disciples to the ministry of the word was exclusive. How
was this ministry maintained, then? Jesus instructed his disciples that,
when they were on a mission, they should "stay there, eating and
drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do
not move around from house to house "(Luke 10:7).
The worker deserved his wages. A rabbi should not get paid for his
teaching, but the Hebrew culture considered it an obligation and a
privilege to support a rabbi. There is a valid principle here - the worker
should not have material values as a motivation for his ministry. On the
other hand, those who benefit from this ministry should help to maintain
him.
2. Women’s support. In the Jewish culture of Jesus' time, female
participation in public life was very limited. Women, for example, were
not allowed to study and to teach. But they nonetheless were part of the
Master's ministry. Luke says that they served the Lord out of their own
means, that is, with their goods (Luke 8:3). While Jesus and his twelve
apostles dedicated themselves to the ministry of the Word, those women
gave them financial and material support. Behind great ministries, there
is always someone giving support, whether financial or spiritual. We
cannot deny that women have played an important role in the Lord's
work today. Many of them have devoted themselves to prayer, social

5. service, the contribution to the missionary work, etc. Much of the
missionary work is done by women. They are thousands of servants
who dedicate their lives to the harvest field of the Lord. The service of
God is for all those who love the Lord, regardless of their gender.
CONCLUSION
In the Judaism of Jesus' time, talking to a woman was considered a
shameful act (John 4:27). But Jesus talked, taught, healed, delivered
and valued women as no man has ever done. Luke shows us that
women had a significant participation in the implementation of the
Kingdom of God. Thank God for the work of women in the Harvest Field
of Lord.