Jesus through the eyes of women | Rebecca McLaughlin
Jesus and women. How important are women to Jesus, and how do they feature in the Bible’s gospel accounts? Have you ever considered how many conversations and scenes in the gospels were only witnessed by women?
Women are there from before Jesus was born (think Mary’s conversation with the angel, Mary and Elizabeth together) throughout his earthly ministry until he ascended back to heaven (the first women at the tomb). In the first century it was so counter cultural for the gospel writers to include the testimony of women in their accounts. But despite that, repeatedly in the gospels we see women as faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus, walking alongside him throughout his life, death and resurrection.
That is what Rebecca McLaughlin explores in her helpful book Jesus through the eyes of women. She sets out to show us how the first female disciples of Jesus help us know and love the Lord. She does this in an accessible and thoughtful way. Once I started reading, it was hard to put down! First, McLaughlin looks at Jesus through the lens of prophecy, as we see Mary, Elizabeth and Anna given prophetic words about the identity and role of Jesus. Then we meet some of the many women who travelled with Jesus during his earthly ministry, including his close friends Mary and Martha. The following chapters focus on the themes of nourishment, healings of women, forgiveness and finally, the influence of women’s eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
After reading this book I was convicted afresh just how much Jesus interacted with and loved women of all social standings and backgrounds. Younger women, older women, women in significant physical pain, women who’d experienced great suffering, women of high standing, social outcasts, women close to him through family bonds, and strangers from other lands, all turned to Jesus in repentance and faith. Women who came to know and love Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. McLaughlin is a clear communicator, handling Scripture well as she travels through the gospels, sharing the stories of these women.
This would be a helpful book for women and men to read at any stage in your Christian journey, for encouragement and as an apologetic to those who say that the Bible “isn’t good for women”. It filled me with joy and thankfulness for those women today who brought the good news of Jesus to me and helped me grow in my faith. There are also insightful discussion questions at the end of each chapter to help you dig deeper. These would work well for yourself, or to work through with a friend or in a group. May we all grow as disciples of Jesus as we are encouraged by the first women who recognised him as Lord.
To coincide with our annual conference, EQUIP Picks are 10 great reads, chosen and reviewed by the EQUIP Women Team for women.
EQUIP24 Picks will be available for a limited time online via our ministry partner, Reformers Bookshop.
A percentage of the sales from books bought via the above link will support our CMS missionary, M.
Meet Sarah Cameron
Sarah lives and serves in Fairfield, where she loves to see women grow as disciples of Jesus and enjoys the good foods that southwest Sydney has to offer. On the EQUIP committee she looks after our social media feeds.