Word for Every Day ~ June 26 And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God: and the Twelve were with Him. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto Him of their substance (Lk. 8:1–3). Man magnifies sacraments and ceremonies and belittles preaching. God magnifies preaching. It pleases Him, by the foolishness of preaching, i.e., preaching the Cross, to save men (I Cor. 1:21). Christ preached incessantly, and so did the Apostle Paul, the Twelve, and the Seventy. To be sure, that is our example. If we are to see spiritual results, we will have to follow that example. Satan does not fear ceremonies, but he greatly fears the anointed preaching of the Gospel. Women are prominent and honorably mentioned in Luke. Some of these women were wealthy and they used their money to minister to the Lord’s necessities. His were the cattle on a thousand hills; with a few loaves, He could feed thousands. But He did not feed Himself. For sustenance, He depended on these women and others. Thus, He proved that He was a Man like his fellowmen; at the same time, He tested their fidelity to, and their affection for, Himself. True Disciples, now as then, minister to Him; mere professors do not. “Susanna” is mentioned only here. Nothing whatever is known of her, and yet is her name known throughout the whole world because it is recorded in this one Verse. Here, as elsewhere, it seems that women worked and men talked. Mary Magdalene was delivered from Satanic dominion; she, therefore, loved Him greatly. She was, in fact, the very first one to preach the Gospel of the Resurrection (Mk. 16:9–10). It must have been difficult for these women to face the scorn and contempt of the religious leaders of Israel; yet they were faithful to the end. It was not a woman who betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver; it was not women who forsook Him and fled; nor was it a woman who thrice denied that she knew Him. But it was women who wailed and lamented when He was led forth to be crucified; it was women who stood to the last by His Cross; and it was women who were the first to visit His Tomb on the Resurrection Morning. It was Jesus, therefore, Who liberated women from the stigma of Eve being the first to fall (Gen. 3:1–6). The Expositors Word for Every Day. Baton Rouge, LA: World Evangelism Press, 2005.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:02:47 +0000
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