06/14/2025
The Faithful Women of Galilee
By Ben May
46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.
47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”
48 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts, and returned.
49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. (Luke 23:46-49)
Who were these women from Galilee? The scriptures seem to make a special effort to distinguish them from the rest. Perhaps we can find the answer in Luke 8:1-3. “1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,
2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities–Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,
3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.”
These women were evidently the same as those who watched at a safe distance the crucifixion and death of Jesus, their Savior. Unlike most of the crowd, they were not there to gawk and see the spectacle of three men dying a gruesome death. They were watching in order to serve. (Luke 24:55,56) 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. They, unlike what we know of the men, were looking for what they could now do for their Lord. It would not be a pleasant task, anointing the dead body of one they loved and even worshipped, but they would do so because of their love for Him.
As soon as the Sabbath was over, they put their plan into action. (Luke 24:1) “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.”
But there was a “problem.” They went from wondering how they could roll the large stone away to discovering that it had already been rolled away! And to add to their astonishment, His body was missing! The answer to their questions were soon answered by an angel. 6 “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”
8 And they remembered His words.
(Luke 24:6-8)
On their way to tell the disciples what the angel had told them, Jesus met them. (Matt 28:9-10) 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So, they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Shame on the men for not believing the report of these faithful servants of Jesus! Jesus Himself will soon chastise all His disciples for their slowness to believe in His resurrection. The women remembered Jesus’ words about His resurrection as soon as they were reminded of them by the angel. They believed but had not yet seen Jesus. It is apparently Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who are the first to see Jesus following His resurrection (Matthew 28:9).
Jesus had told His disciples to “tarry in Jerusalem” until they were endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) It will be approximately ten days before they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. While waiting they met where some were staying in an upper room in Jerusalem for prayer and supplication (Acts 1:14). Among the 120 disciples it is noted that “the women and Mary the mother of Jesus” were there. Undoubtably, these are the same faithful women from Galilee who have been so faithful in their service and impactful on the important events of those days.
We understand that there are rolls given by God for women and men that are different from each other and in some cases cannot be assumed by the other. Public leadership roles have been primarily delegated by the Lord to men, and even then, not to all men. We need to be careful in our opinion and attitude toward the faithful women who so effectively serve the needs of so many, including the church itself. It was to women that the Lord first appeared. They supported the Lord in His personal ministry financially. Yet the disciples made light of what they were telling them about Jesus being risen. I wonder if we are not at times guilty of doing the same. Let us all be thankful for these faithful women of Galilee. And let us be thankful for the many faithful women who are serving, often unnoticed and underappreciated, in the Lord’s church today. Look around, do the math, and realize how sad our assemblies would be without our faithful women. Thank you, Lord, for these faithful women of Galilee!
