Jesus and Women in the New Testament
By Candi Davis
I have been curious about the role women played in the Savior’s life. If He marked the path, if He was the perfect example, if He came to earth to save - and He did - what role do we as women play in that perfectly marked path?
Here is what I found from my studies of the Savior’s interactions with women in the New Testament:
The first recorded miracle He performed was changing water to wine at a wedding feast His mother was hosting. The wine had run out, and the feast was in danger of failure. His words to her when she came to Him for help were simple and humble, “Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? That will I do.” John 2:4 KJV, JST.
The first person He raised from the dead was the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus. He took her gently by the hand and said, “Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.” Mark 5:41 KJV
One of the most detailed stories of Christ’s ministering to a woman was the healing of the woman with an issue of blood. She was unclean according to Jewish law, so it was unlawful for her to be anywhere she might come into contact with people. But she had been plagued with this illness for twelve years, and she had faith that if she could just touch the Savior, she could be healed. Life could return to normal, and she could regain acceptance in her social circles, her family, and society. So, she broke the law. And when she touched the hem of His garment, He knew that virtue had gone out of Him. He asked His apostles who had touched Him. I can’t imagine how afraid she must have been. I don’t know what the Jewish punishment was for being unclean in a crowd of people that were each becoming unclean as they came into contact with her. The consequences must have frightened her, because she hid. Jesus knew virtue had left Him; He knew He had been touched by her. He kept looking for her, and when He found her, she fell to her knees before Him and told Him what she had done. Then what did He do? He did not condemn her, He did not send her away, He did not even shy away from her. He called her “Daughter,” and told her, “thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:34 KJV
Another detailed story of Christ speaking to a woman is the story of the woman at the well. One of the few times He openly declared He was the Messiah, and more importantly, the first time, was to the woman at the well. She was a Samaritan, so she was also unclean according to Jewish law. She was living with a man who was not her husband. She, however, believed in the coming of the Messiah, and when she said to Him, “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ,” He told her, “I that speak unto thee am He.” John 4:25-26 KJV
There is such tenderness in the story of Christ’s appearance to Mary Magdalene near the garden tomb after His resurrection. She was the very first person to see the risen Lord. He came to her as she was crying and said, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” Then tenderly He called her by name, “Mary,” and when she recognized Him and went to embrace Him, He said to her, “Hold me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God.” To Mary, he gave the responsibility and privilege of announcing His glorious resurrection. John 20:17 AB
The stories in the Savior’s life that involve women are the tenderest in scripture. To the woman who was found in adultery, He said, “Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.” His response as He defends the woman who washed His feet with expensive ointment; “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. And wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” He is gentle as He tells Martha that it’s okay to leave dishes undone to sit at His feet. “Martha, Martha, thou art worried over many things.” He then encourages both sisters to partake of the word of life, the gospel, when He says, “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 KJV
Finally, as He suffers unimaginable pain on the cross, He looks down to His Mother, thinks of her need, and gently places her in the care of the Apostle John. “When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” John 19:25-27 KJV
When we think about the way He treated not just the women, but all His disciples, we must feel we are loved by Him beyond measure. He calls us His little children. In D&C 50:41, He says, “Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me. And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.”
So when we go to Him in prayer with a problem we cannot possibly solve, we can claim His words when He said, “Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? That will I do.”
When we are low in our hearts with the pain of loss, He says to us, too, “ Damsel, I say unto thee arise.”
When we seek healing for our mortal afflictions, we can remember that He said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”
When we give from our heart, our widow’s might of service in any capacity that brings others to Him, we remember He said, “She hath wrought a good work on me. And wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”
When there is too much to possibly get done in a day, we hear the echo “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
With the woman at the well,, we too can proclaim what He tells us in our hearts, “The Messiah cometh. I that speak unto thee am He.”
He knows our names as well as He knew Mary’s when He spoke to her in the garden.
He takes care of each of us as tenderly as He took care of His mother, though He was in agony.
No matter how many times we fall, or sin, or rebel, or feel too tired to keep trying, He loves us this way.
In D&C 112:13, He says, “And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.”
During my studies of the Savior and his interactions with women in the New Testament, the thing that struck me the most was how careful He was to uplift each of the women He addressed. The other striking thing is how easy it is to take His words as if they were addressed to us. Every phrase would carry meaning in our modern lives. They are timeless examples of how to communicate love, respect, concern, and equality. One last thing I noticed is that He never berates any of these women. That’s to be expected of the Savior. But there were many times when a disciple was corrected by Him. He revealed Himself as the Messiah to a woman first (the woman at the well), and He revealed His resurrected Self first to a woman (Mary Magdalene). My desire is that we will each feel His love and know in the deepest part of our hearts that we are loved by the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
Candi Rogers Davis grew up in Washington and Colorado, the oldest daughter of seven children. Her father worked for the church in CES, and her mother was a voice teacher. She majored in English at BYU. She is married and the mother of five daughters and six grandchildren, her greatest loves. In the church, she has served as ward Young Women’s President and Stake Relief Society President. She is involved in service for several non-profits, including A New Leaf and the Idea Museum for Children. She is a lifelong lover of books, usually reading at least three at a time. In her spare time, she likes to chat with her sisters and friends and dabble in quilting.