We came across some women when we read the Old Testament – some prophetesses, wives of patriarchs, and brave daughters who stepped up to claim an inheritance from their dads. We read about Ruth the Moabitess who became King David’s great-grandmother, and Queen Esther who helped save her people in the time of the Persian Empire.

But it was Jesus who really gave women equal status in the kingdom of God. He didn’t discriminate against them. He invited them to follow him, encouraged them to exercise their talents, and gave them the same learning opportunities he gave the men.

The first three months after Jesus was conceived it was two women who kept the secret safe. It was Mary who paid attention to the fulfillment of prophecy around her son and kept track of the unfolding story in her heart. In today’s reading we will see how much Jesus believed that women were meant to be part of everything he did.

The Women Who Traveled with Jesus

The Twelve apostles traveled with Jesus as he moved from town to town preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, but so did a group of women. Jesus had healed some of the women from diseases and delivered others from demons. Some women simply chose to follow him and had an income of their own so they helped pay for his expenses.

Jesus engaged women in serious conversations, answering their questions and explaining deep truths to them. He understood their hearts when they didn’t have words to express themselves, and he was gentle with them when they suffered losses and mourned. He appreciated the unique kindness and joy his women friends brought into his life and he welcomed them as his disciples.

Sparring with the Pharisees

Jesus performed some spectacular miracles that set people free and gave them new lives, but the Pharisees dismissed his miracles as if they were party tricks. Worse, they started a rumor that Jesus was in league with the devil and had the devil’s help when he drove out demons.

Jesus pointed out how illogical this was. Why would Satan undermine his own dark kingdom by helping Jesus cast out demons? Jesus was actually plundering Satan’s domain by snatching souls away from him.

“How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.” Matthew 12:29

Jesus delivered hurting people with the help of the Holy Spirit, not the devil. The Pharisees were on dangerous ground when they attributed the Spirit’s healing and deliverance to Satan. It was blasphemy and an unforgivable insult to God.

“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come.” Matthew 12:32

Jesus expected conflict and insults as part of his earthly ministry. He came to earth to contend with people and help them see the error of their ways. But insulting the work of the Holy Spirit was off-limits and God would never forgive it.

Jesus made it clear that people are going to be judged by the words that come out of their mouths.

“I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36

The Sign of Jonah

The Pharisees and teachers of the law tried to make Jesus to do a miracle just for them; challenging him to prove his power. But Jesus only did miracles on command from his Father so he didn’t comply with their demand.

But he did tell them that a miracle was coming that would demonstrate who he really was. He compared the miracle of his coming death and resurrection to Jonah’s disappearance into the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights. Jesus said he was going to be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights.

We haven’t read about the days and nights surrounding the Crucifixion yet, but here is how they worked out according to the biblical way of defining days and nights.

In Genesis it says “And there was evening and there was morning – the first day.” (Genesis 1:5) All seven days of Creation were described that way. So when Jesus was arrested on Thursday evening, Friday had already begun on God’s calendar. Here’s how it worked out:

• Night and Day One: Thursday evening to Friday evening. Jesus was arrested, crucified and buried in the tomb before sunset on Friday.
• Night and Day Two: Friday evening to Saturday evening. Jesus lay dead in the grave.
• Night and Day Three: Saturday evening to Sunday evening. Jesus rose from the dead on the morning of the third day.

Those who remembered what Jesus said about the sign of Jonah would have recognized that his prophecy about his death and resurrection had come true.

The True Family of Jesus

At age thirty Jesus left home and went from full-time son and brother to itinerant preacher and miracle worker. His family had a hard time understanding the change and they couldn’t figure out how to relate to him. They went to see him only to hear him say that the people who joined him in serving God were now his true family.

“‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’” Mark 3:33-35

Jesus wanted his birth family to become part of his spiritual family, but it  took a while for them to understand what he meant. His brothers probably didn’t join the spiritual family of Jesus until after he returned to his Father in heaven.

The Sower and the Seed

Jesus began to use more parables in his teaching around this time. He knew how hard it was to get truth into the hearts of people, so he wrapped it in memorable stories that they could think about. When his disciples asked why he did this he told them,

“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Mark 4:11-12

Parables weren’t given to confuse people, but to intrigue them and make them think. If a person heard a parable and realized she didn’t understand it, she might become a seeker after the truth. Parables were very helpful to people who already had the Holy Spirit’s help, but they were mysteries to be solved for people who were still on the way to faith.

The parable of the seed and the soils illustrated this. People of faith were like good soil and seeds of truth easily took root and thrived in their hearts.

The hearts of people who didn’t have faith yet were like hard, rocky or shallow soil and truth couldn’t take root and grow in them.

But the great thing about this parable is that hard, rocky and shallows soils can be amended with some diligent work. Jesus demonstrated this with his own disciples. He persisted in working the soil of their hearts with his teaching and eventually many of them produced great fruit for God’s kingdom.

Tomorrow we will read eight more interesting parables and then go out to sea in a storm. There was never a dull moment for the followers of Jesus.