The Role of Women in Christ’s Ministry

Luke 8:1–3

Luke 8:1–3 gives us a brief but important picture of the ministry of Jesus and, within that ministry, the role played by the women who followed Him. The passage naturally follows the account of the sinful woman in Luke 7:36–50. There, a woman who had been forgiven much demonstrated extraordinary love toward Christ. Here, Luke introduces additional women whose lives had also been profoundly affected by Jesus and whose gratitude expressed itself in faithful service.

Verse 1 establishes an important distinction. Jesus was traveling through cities and villages, “preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God,” and the twelve were with Him. Luke associates Jesus and the twelve directly with the proclamation ministry. The twelve were not merely part of the crowd; they had been specifically chosen and were being prepared for the work that Christ would later entrust to them.

Then Luke turns to “some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses.” These women were also closely associated with Jesus, but Luke describes their relationship differently. They were recipients of His mercy. Among them was Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. The magnitude of her deliverance helps explain the extraordinary devotion that characterizes her throughout the Gospel accounts. The principle Jesus had just stated at the end of chapter 7 remains visible: the one who has been forgiven much loves much. Mary had experienced extraordinary deliverance, and her continuing attachment to Christ reflected the magnitude of what He had done for her.

Luke then names Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, before adding that there were “many others.” Chuza occupied a significant administrative position in the household of Herod Antipas. Joanna therefore appears to have had access to substantial material resources. Luke tells us precisely how these women participated in the ministry: they were supporting Jesus and the twelve out of their own possessions.

This is significant. The women were neither irrelevant nor peripheral to Christ’s work. Their service was substantial, sacrificial, and necessary. They helped sustain the traveling ministry through the resources God had entrusted to them. Yet Luke also preserves a distinction of function. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom, the twelve accompanied Him in that mission, and the women supported that ministry materially.

That distinction becomes especially important when considering the wider teaching of Scripture concerning women and ministry. Jesus had numerous devoted women among His followers. Luke even says there were “many others.” If Christ had intended to establish women in the authoritative preaching or apostolic ministry, there could hardly have been a clearer opportunity. Yet He did not appoint any of these women among the twelve, nor does Luke describe them as being sent out to preach. Their devotion was unquestionable, but their function remained distinct.

The same pattern continues in the apostolic church. In Philippians 4, Euodia and Syntyche are remembered as women who labored alongside Paul in the work of the gospel. In Romans 16:1–2, Phoebe is commended as a servant of the church and as one who had been a benefactor of many, including Paul himself. These women performed valuable ministry, but Scripture does not describe them as holding the authoritative teaching or pastoral office.

Paul makes the distinction explicit in 1 Timothy 2:11–14, where he does not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. Significantly, Paul does not ground the instruction in a temporary cultural circumstance. He goes back to creation: Adam was formed first, then Eve. The order therefore rests in God’s design rather than in the customs of a particular generation.

Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 14:33–38, after giving instructions concerning order in the gathered church, Paul reminds his readers that the Word of God did not originate with them, nor had it come to them alone. His instructions were not merely Corinthian customs. They belonged to the apostolic instruction given to the churches. Anyone claiming spiritual authority was required to recognize that what Paul wrote was the command of the Lord.

Luke 8:1–3 therefore provides an early and important picture of a principle that becomes more fully articulated later in the New Testament. Men and women alike are indispensable to the work of God, but Scripture does not assign identical functions to both. Christ Himself established distinctions within His ministry.

The deeper issue is faithfulness and contentment with the role God assigns. Human beings naturally desire to move beyond the boundaries God establishes. Yet faithfulness does not consist in obtaining someone else’s function. It consists in serving God fully within the place He has sovereignly given.

These women did exactly that. Some had little more than gratitude to offer after being healed and delivered. Others possessed considerable material resources and used those resources for Christ. Each served according to what had been entrusted to her.

The question, then, is not whether a particular role appears prominent or prestigious. The question is whether we are faithfully doing what God has called us to do.

The women of Luke 8 were not apostles. They were not sent out as the authoritative proclaimers of the kingdom. Yet their contribution was real, valuable, sacrificial, and recorded permanently in Scripture.

They served Christ by supporting the work He had ordained.

And therein lies the principle: true devotion does not seek to redefine God’s order; it gladly serves Christ within it.