Women in the Gospel of Matthew
Even though all of Jesus' 12 apostles were men, in the Gospel of Matthew, - as well as in all of the New Testament, - we see that there were also some very brave and important women who were faithful followers of their Lord. There are many more examples of believing women in the book of Matthew, but for now I included only the verses with the word "women" in them. There are 7 such verses.
From these verses we see that women were beneficiaries of some of Jesus' greatest miracles; they were the means by which God brought important men and women into the world; they were there while Jesus was being crucified, witnessing all that happened in that event; they were the first ones to witness to the fact of Jesus' Resurrection.
1.Matthew 11:11
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Remember, women, that every human being enters the world the same way - by being born of a woman. In our day, the child-bearing role of women is downplayed. Women have many other options, we are told. However, why should we reject the most important role, the highest calling of all in favor of something that is supposedly greater? Without a great woman, John the Baptist would never have been the greatest man up to that point in time.
2.Matthew 14:21
And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Women were not excluded when Jesus fed the four thousand. The men are mentioned and counted because they were heads of households. Their wives and children were with them and were also fed.
3.Matthew 15:38
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
In the feeding of the four thousand, women were also included. Again, the men were heads of households and all in their families were included in the miraculous feeding. I don't think that the unmarried - widows and singles - were excluded, either.
4.Matthew 24:19
And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
In many ways, war and natural disasters are harder on women with children than on men. Such women are more vulnerable, being less able to defend themselves and less able to flee quickly. I think that this statement of Jesus shows how terrible the days He is talking about will be. Those days will be the worst.
When the "Abomination of Desolation" appears, people must run away as fast as they can. Pregnant women and women with infants will be at the greatest disadvantage since they will not be able to run as fast. Jesus' words remind us of how quickly the disaster will come on Jerusalem and how quickly people will need to respond in order to escape.
5.Matthew 24:41
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Again, this shows the severity of the judgment that will come when Jesus returns. Not all will be saved, but some will. Others will perish. Salvation in Christ does not depend on one being a man or a woman; God's judgment is also gender-blind.
6.Matthew 27:55
There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,
Even though women are weaker, there were many women who stayed to watch Jesus' crucifixion. These women were brave followers of Jesus. They did not let their physical limitations and low position in society get in the way of their duty. They were there to minister to Him no matter the personal cost to them.
7.Matthew 28:5
But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
It was the women who came to attend to Jesus' body, so they were the first to witness the fact of Jesus' Resurrection. The angel reassured them that Jesus was indeed alive, having risen from the dead as He said He would.
What are some conclusions that we are able to draw from these few Bible texts? For one thing, we women should not allow others to discourage us from following Christ whole heartedly and bravely. These Bible women took great risks in following Christ right to the grave, putting their own lives on the line. What a legacy and example they left for us women who wish to follow Christ! Their love for Him overcame obstacles. They knew Him and wanted to be close to Him.
Also, most of us women will be called on to raise children. Those of us who do not have our own physical children are often heavily involved in helping in the spiritual, physical, and emotional development of children around us. The child bearing role is a holy calling, and we should not allow anyone or anything to demean motherhood. In fact, those of us without children in the home should look for ways to bless children and their mothers.
Of course, much more can be gleaned from these few verses, but these are a few of the lessons I learned.
From these verses we see that women were beneficiaries of some of Jesus' greatest miracles; they were the means by which God brought important men and women into the world; they were there while Jesus was being crucified, witnessing all that happened in that event; they were the first ones to witness to the fact of Jesus' Resurrection.
1.Matthew 11:11
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Remember, women, that every human being enters the world the same way - by being born of a woman. In our day, the child-bearing role of women is downplayed. Women have many other options, we are told. However, why should we reject the most important role, the highest calling of all in favor of something that is supposedly greater? Without a great woman, John the Baptist would never have been the greatest man up to that point in time.
2.Matthew 14:21
And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Women were not excluded when Jesus fed the four thousand. The men are mentioned and counted because they were heads of households. Their wives and children were with them and were also fed.
3.Matthew 15:38
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
In the feeding of the four thousand, women were also included. Again, the men were heads of households and all in their families were included in the miraculous feeding. I don't think that the unmarried - widows and singles - were excluded, either.
4.Matthew 24:19
And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!
In many ways, war and natural disasters are harder on women with children than on men. Such women are more vulnerable, being less able to defend themselves and less able to flee quickly. I think that this statement of Jesus shows how terrible the days He is talking about will be. Those days will be the worst.
When the "Abomination of Desolation" appears, people must run away as fast as they can. Pregnant women and women with infants will be at the greatest disadvantage since they will not be able to run as fast. Jesus' words remind us of how quickly the disaster will come on Jerusalem and how quickly people will need to respond in order to escape.
5.Matthew 24:41
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.
Again, this shows the severity of the judgment that will come when Jesus returns. Not all will be saved, but some will. Others will perish. Salvation in Christ does not depend on one being a man or a woman; God's judgment is also gender-blind.
6.Matthew 27:55
There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,
Even though women are weaker, there were many women who stayed to watch Jesus' crucifixion. These women were brave followers of Jesus. They did not let their physical limitations and low position in society get in the way of their duty. They were there to minister to Him no matter the personal cost to them.
7.Matthew 28:5
But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
It was the women who came to attend to Jesus' body, so they were the first to witness the fact of Jesus' Resurrection. The angel reassured them that Jesus was indeed alive, having risen from the dead as He said He would.
What are some conclusions that we are able to draw from these few Bible texts? For one thing, we women should not allow others to discourage us from following Christ whole heartedly and bravely. These Bible women took great risks in following Christ right to the grave, putting their own lives on the line. What a legacy and example they left for us women who wish to follow Christ! Their love for Him overcame obstacles. They knew Him and wanted to be close to Him.
Also, most of us women will be called on to raise children. Those of us who do not have our own physical children are often heavily involved in helping in the spiritual, physical, and emotional development of children around us. The child bearing role is a holy calling, and we should not allow anyone or anything to demean motherhood. In fact, those of us without children in the home should look for ways to bless children and their mothers.
Of course, much more can be gleaned from these few verses, but these are a few of the lessons I learned.
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