HER STORY: Leaders in the Cause of Christ, Twelve Marks of Jesus Call to Discipleship

We don’t often think of Jesus gathering disciples together as a rabbi starting a school, but the shape of what Jesus did very much is the shape of a school. Jesus did depart from the traditional rabbinical model of his day in a few significant ways. For instance, unlike other schools, Jesus kept his table … Continue reading HER STORY: Leaders in the Cause of Christ, Twelve Marks of Jesus Call to Discipleship

HER STORY: Leaders in the Cause of Christ, Did Jesus Call Women to Discipleship?

Did Jesus call women into discipleship in the same way Jesus called men? Or did women simply start following Jesus of their own accord, with no formal call? Can we say, for instance, that Mary of Bethany was actually a disciple, or was she simply acting like a disciple when she sat at Jesus’s feet? … Continue reading HER STORY: Leaders in the Cause of Christ, Did Jesus Call Women to Discipleship?

HER STORY: Leaders in the Cause of Christ, Women Disciples an Introduction

The debate continues as to whether Scripture endorses, or at least permits, or rather forbids women from certain roles within the Body of Christ. May women be deacons? May women be elders? May women be pastors? May women be bishops? May women teach or lead in church? At stake, of course, is how to live … Continue reading HER STORY: Leaders in the Cause of Christ, Women Disciples an Introduction

HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Jairus’s Daughter

Season 6, Christ's Ministry: Jairus's Daughter The story of Jairus’s daughter and the woman who suffered from a bleeding disorder are told together in all three of the synoptic gospels—the gospels that more or less track with each other, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.I am going to be teaching out of Mark’s gospel, who has the … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Jairus’s Daughter

HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Mary of Magdala

Throughout his ministry, Jesus gathered around him men and women who became a community of 120 people joined in their love for and faith in Jesus. And one of those women was Mary of Magdala. She is mentioned fourteen times, in all four Gospels, and her name is almost always placed first, seemingly implying she … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Mary of Magdala

HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Cross – Symbol of Victory

Is the cross a symbol about death or life? defeat or triumph? humiliation or glory? Or all those things? As I searched for answers, I became drawn to how Christians depicted crosses a thousand years ago and more, and that search became this fifteen minute video on the ancient symbols of Christianity. From the eight-hundred-year … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Cross – Symbol of Victory

HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Wife of Pilate

Of the several influential women in the Bible who are not given names—Job’s wife, comes to mind—the wife of Pilate is perhaps the most shadowy. All that is known of her from the scriptures is her relationship to the Procurator Marcus Pontius Pilate, and the message she sent to him while he was sitting on … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Wife of Pilate

HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Widow’s Mite

In the passage just before this one, Mark talked about the scribe who had asked Jesus about the greatest commandment and was impressed with Jesus’ answer. Jesus was also pleased. He told the scribe he was very close to entering the kingdom of heaven. With such a warm endorsement from a scribe, this was a … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Widow’s Mite

HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Sinful Woman

We don’t know this woman’s backstory at all, whether she was young or old, her culture or clan. Some in our Bible study thought perhaps she was the woman who had committed adultery and was forgiven privately by Jesus after everyone had left (John 8:11). Maybe! We really have no information on her at all … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, The Sinful Woman