The Other Mary
In the darkness just before dawn, Mary Magdalene made her way to the ancient stone—that impenetrable wheel of rock she lacked the strength to roll away, and behind which lay the lifeless body of her King.
Panic set in as she found the stone heaved aside and the tomb, emptied of death, now occupied by magnificent beings in clothes as resplendent as starlight.
Strips of linen carelessly dressed the slab where the body of Jesus had lain.
When He first stood beside her, Mary failed to recognise Him through the distortion of her tears. It was only when He spoke that her eyes flung wide open and she clung to Him as if drawing strength just to breathe.
[Mary] was worthy to carry the news of His resurrection back to those Jesus also loved.
Yet unaware of this miracle, lost in the near-sightedness of their grief, the disciples mourned like fledgling orphans. Some had wandered back to the familiar—their wave-pocked fishing boats and briny nets. Jesus would go to them soon, but Mary was worth standing still for. The woman He had cast seven demons out of was worthy to carry the news of His resurrection back to those Jesus also loved.
“Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news, ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that He had said these things to her.” John 20:18
The Quality of Godly Women
In the character and quality of Godly women has been the means to rescue nations, protect the lost, and bear greatness. Not many of these women started out wealthy or as socialites. And outside of their beauty, almost everything about them went unnoticed—but not by God.
Esther was said to be beautiful, as was the dethroned queen Vashti. But it was her obedience and a disarming humility only the Holy Spirit could impart that made King Ahasuerus swear to give her anything, up to half his kingdom.
Rahab was a prostitute, but her immense display of faith in rescuing the scouts sent into Canaan by Joshua made her a biblical heroine and an important part of Jesus’ lineage.
Hagar was Sarai’s plan B, the expendable irritation in her plot to engineer an heir for Abram. Hagar was already pregnant when she sat by a spring in the wilderness having fled Sarai’s harsh treatment. An angel found her and assured her that the Lord had heard her affliction and that her son would be the first of a multitudinous race.
“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” Genesis 16:13
The God Who Sees Me
In parts of the world, women and girls experience brutal persecution for following Jesus. Persecution is not unique to women, but the way in which it happens is.
In places where women are seen as second-class citizens or are highly dependent on male relatives, they can be confined to the home and banned from seeking Christian community. In cultures where dress or immodesty causes shame, women can be attacked in a way that is so embarrassing they feel tempted to give up their faith.
Women who follow Jesus in these contexts are often isolated, discouraged, hopeless, and alone. But God sees them. He loves and values them, and through your support, they can be equipped to live as daughters of God and as powerful witnesses for Christ.
Persecuted women feel invisible,
but God sees them all
Jorina lives in Bangladesh where 90% of the population are Muslim. Women in her society are often neglected, and Christian women are considered as good as dead. But Jorina is proclaiming a daring message: God knows and loves the unseen—women just like her.
