LESSONS FROM WOMEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Did you know the Bible is filled with many lessons that we can learn from the women in the Bible?

In this blog post, I will share 5 women from the New Testament whom you can learn from and apply these lessons to your walk with Jesus Christ. In their stories, we can identify qualities they possessed in their walk with God and how God showed up in their relationship with Him.

Let’s get to it!

1. Elizabeth

Elizabeth, the wife of a priest named Zechariah. She was also the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. There are some lessons we can learn from her. In Luke 1:5-25, we found out that Elizabeth and Zechariah were called “righteous in the sight of God” and blameless in walking in the commandments of God. They were both old in age and yet did not have a child because Elizabeth was not able to conceive and was past child-bearing age. Her husband received a message from the angel Gabriel when he was fulfilling his priestly duties at the temple. The message was that God had heard their prayers and thus, his wife would bear a child and he shall be called John. However, he did not believe it because he and his wife were old. Because of this, the angel muted him, he would only be able to speak after the birth of his son.

But, fortunately, Elizabeth had faith despite being past child-bearing age she trusted in the word of God and believed that she would experience a miracle and bear a child. Elizabeth was so filled with faith and the Holy Spirit that when Mary came to visit her, she was able to recognise that she was bearing the Son of God without Mary telling her, and she blessed Mary for believing in God’s promise for her (Luke 1:44-45).

Eight days after Elizabeth’s son was born, in Jewish culture, during the child’s circumcision their name is given. In Jewish customs, the child would normally be named after the father or a relative in the family. However, John was not a name in their family line. Their relatives believed that the son should be named after the father, Zechariah. However, Elizabeth was obedient to God and said that the name of the child should be John, and she was questioned by relatives about this. But Zechariah procured a tablet and wrote on it the name of John. In this he showed his faith in the angel’s prophecy, and, with that, Zechariah was able to speak again (Luke 1:59-64).

We can learn from Elizabeth that despite her situation which seemed impossible, she still had faith in God’s promise for her. She was filled with so much faith that it overflowed for her relative, Mary in the midst of her impossible situation. Her faith in God created a comforting atmosphere and presence to be in that allowed others to have faith in God for their situation. Her faith in God was contagious it made others filled with faith in God. Her faith in God made others joyful in the midst of their tough situation. Her faith in God gave comfort to the uncomfortable. She obeyed God even when people questioned her actions, she trusted in what God said not others. She decided to please God over others.

2. Mary the mother of Jesus

The majority of the Gospel Books start off with the story of the birth of Jesus, and you cannot tell this story without introducing His mother, Mary.

Mary received an announcement from the angel Gabriel telling her that she would bear the Son of God and Savior of the world as a virgin young lady (Luke 1:31). Theologists believe that Mary was called at the age of 13 or 14. At the time she was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth (Luke 1:27). In Jewish culture, it was not permitted to have children outside of wedlock, and therefore, Joseph decided to end the engagement (Matthew 1:18-19). However, angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph and told him that Mary was going to give birth to the Savior of the world, and her conception was through the Holy Spirit, thus he should not break off the engagement (Matthew 1:20-21). As a result, their marriage took place and they gave birth to their son and named him Jesus as commanded (Matthew 1:24-25).

There are many lessons that we can learn from Mary. First, although she was described as “highly favoured” (Luke 1:28), she was like any normal human being like me and you, and yet she put her trust in the word sent by the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus. Imagine being told that God had chosen you to give birth to His Son. Her response was a faith-filled one that needs to be recognised for how beautiful it was. Her response was “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38).

There was no mention of her reaction being worry, fear or anxiety, which all would be rightful emotions to have based on the intensity of the news. But, rather her first response was to automatically trust in God’s word sent by the angel Gabriel. She believed that God would do this miracle that no one had ever seen. She would have been judged for having a child outside of wedlock, but that wasn’t the first thing that came to mind, it was to trust God despite the opinions and judgement of others. It may not have made logical sense to others, but it made sense for her and her relationship with God.

It also goes to show that God can call you on an assignment for His plan at any time, including at a young age. Mary had a huge responsibility at the age of 13 or 14, and she was a faithful steward of it. So, to my fellow young girls don’t let your age get in the way of pursuing God with all that you have.

Related: Lessons from Women in the Old Testament

3. Mary Magdalene

We are introduced to Mary Magdalene in Luke 8:2, as she was one of the women who travelled and helped Jesus’ ministry alongside the Twelve, as she came to know Jesus when He delivered her from seven demons.

She was the first person to witness the risen Jesus Christ and spread the news of the empty tomb to a couple of the disciples, Peter and John (John 20:1, 11-18).

It is evident to see here that someone who was set free by Jesus, made it their life mission to serve Him as their demonstration of gratitude and love of Him. This is how we should be Jesus, it should be from a place of appreciation and love for everything He did for us on the cross that changed the course of our eternal destiny. Mary Magdalene understood this and used the resources she had, whether it was time or money to give them to Jesus and His ministry so, that the gospel can be heard and set many others free, as it did for her.

It is important that we do not the gospel stop at us. What I mean by this is that when we receive the gospel, we should continue the spread of the gospel and share it with others, whether it is sharing your testimony, who Jesus is or helping out a ministry.

Also, it is significant to notice that God used a woman to be the first to see Jesus resurrected and to be the one to spread that news. Women did not hold much value in Jewish society and culture at that time, so for Jesus to use a woman to witness such a valuable moment in history and to be the one to deliver the news, shows how much God saw women just as valuable as men. Men and women are equally as important to God with our own distinct roles.

So, my fellow women of God, you are valuable and precious to God and He has called and prepared you to do His work here on earth (Ephesians 2:10), don’t let your gender stop you from doing it, but do it within biblical means.

4. Mary of Bethany

We come to know who Mary of Bethany is in Luke 10:38-42, as we are introduced to her as the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, a town near Jerusalem. Jesus and the disciples were frequent visitors to their home.

Mary of Bethany is known as the sister who did the right thing at this one particular time when Jesus came over to their home. As Martha was distracted in the kitchen preparing for dinner (Luke 10:40), Mary, on the other hand, was sitting at Jesus’ feet soaking in everything that He was saying (Luke 10:39), and this annoyed Martha because she was not getting help from her sister. But Jesus’ response was “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42).

Another highlighted thing that Mary of Bethany did is she anointed Jesus’ feet with costly oil before His arrest (Matthew 26:6-13). To others like Judas, her act was thought as of her wasting such expensive oil. However, Jesus explained that she was preparing Him for His burial. It could be that Mary of Bethany did not know the spiritual implication and revelation that was behind her anointing Jesus with not just any oil, but an oil; myrrh, which is used for burial, which was a Jewish tradition, but she did it anyway.

Again, Mary of Bethany did a wonderful act that Jesus praised her for, but others initially did not understand. Let this be a lesson to all of us that we should prioritise being in Jesus’ presence, and despite what others may think whether it is we are doing too much for Jesus and doing too little for the world, that it should not stop us from seeking God and doing His will. Mary knew this important lesson or the “better” thing that there is only one main priority in the life of every believer and that is a personal love relationship with God through Christ Jesus.

Related: A Guide to Becoming a Woman of God Ebook

5. Samaritan Woman

The story of the Samaritan woman begins as Jesus is in the Judean countryside with His disciples (John 3:22). The passage tells us that Jesus had to pass through Samaria (John 4:4) as He was going from Judea to Galilee. This, in and of itself, was uncommon for Jews to do, as Samaritans were part Jew and part Gentile, and greatly disliked by both parties. 

It was afternoon, and Jesus needed to rest, so He rested by a well (John 4:6). It was common for women to draw water from a well during the morning or late evening. However, a Samaritan woman came to the well Jesus was at during the afternoon, which was uncommon.

As the story progresses, we learn that this woman regularly comes to the well at this time of day (John 4:15). She has been married 5 times, and is currently living in unrepentant sin, by living with her boyfriend (John 4:16-18). These circumstances point to her desire to avoid the shame that would come by attending the well when other women were present. And yet, Jesus, in His divine intentionality sought to meet this specific woman at this specific time.

From the information, Jesus knew about the woman and it was His first time meeting her, the Samaritan woman began to realise that He may be the Messiah. From her conversation with Him, she didn’t waste any time and started to spread the news about who Jesus was and the things He knew about her (John 4:28-30). People in her town believed that Jesus was the Messiah because of her testimony, that they too wanted to meet Him which grew their faith in Him, once they did (John 4:42).

We can learn from this that God loves all of His children, including those who may be outsiders in society. He can use anyone to spread the gospel. The Samaritan woman who was an outcast was the first woman to evangelise about Jesus Christ. Don’t be afraid to share your testimony, you don’t know who it can touch and what your story can do to them. Her shame became a story to showcase the glory of God that He is the Living Water that fills our void.

I hope this blog post blessed you with lessons you can take away from these incredible women from the New Testament.

Leave a comment, sharing what lesson you have taken away from this blog post.