If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be freeindeed. (John 8:36)
Our gracious heavenly Father inspired Luke the evangelist to write about the New Covenant in the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke tells the story in two parts – his Gospel and the book of Acts.
For the last six months we have looked at the ways that life changed for women with the coming of Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel we see that Jesus modeled the new way of living as He went about treating women like equal human beings. Jesus shocked His disciples on many occasions, but He expected them to learn from Him. He expected them to see that in His kingdom women as well as men were to serve. He did not hand out specific job descriptions; He meant for women to follow Him in whatever way they were called. For most women this would still mean being a good wife and mother. Other women were single or widowed and Jesus affirmed them in their callings as well.
Not only did Jesus treat women with respect and kindness, He made no differentiation as to social class.
– Some women were really poor – Mary His own mother, and Mary the mother of James.
– Other women were very wealthy – Joanna, the wife of Chuza who was a steward in King Herod’s household, Susanna, and Jairus’ daughter.
– Some women had relative freedom and responsibility – such as Martha and Mary of Bethany, who were landowners.
– Others were castoffs due to illness or demon possession – such as the hemorrhaging woman, the woman bent double, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna.
– Some women were prominent – Susanna, Joanna, and Jairus’ wife.
– Other women were considered unclean and lowly because they were prostitutes – The Samaritan woman, the “sinful” woman, and an unnamed anointing woman.
– Many women were widowed – Anna the prophetess, the widow of Nain, and the widow with the two mites.
One thing all of these women had in common was that they had sadness or troubles in their lives. Even one as wealthy as Joanna had been demon possessed and needed Jesus’ help. For all of these women life changed when they encountered the Savior.
Jesus saved all of these women not only spiritually, but also physically and socially. Women who were sick were considered unclean and were social outcasts. Single women were not given the same respect as married women. Impoverished widows were neglected and were in danger of starvation and illness. Prostitutes were socially unacceptable anywhere. Jesus brought salvation and hope to all of these women.
The apostles learned their lessons well from Master Jesus. When the Holy Spirit descended on the 
group of believers at Pentecost, men and women were included. The coming of the Spirit confirmed that new communities of God worshipers would include everybody with no exceptions because of ethnicity, religion, or gender. Luke tells us that “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14). No longer was the worship service to be for men only. Women were to participate. Luke goes on, “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:3,4).
This was not a one-time event. Luke tells us that God had been planning this change all along. “’And it shall be in the last days’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy’” (Acts 2:17a). Note that the Holy Spirit fell on all of them and the women as well as the men would prophesy.
Some might say, “Well this was just a single special event to inaugurate the Church. After this women were to be silent in the Church.” But we don’t see this happening. Luke, the author of the book of Acts, makes a conscience effort to show how the status of women would be greater in the Church than in their previous position in Jewish culture. We see women evangelizing, teaching, prophesying, supporting the apostles and other workers, and starting house churches. Women will serve in the Church and out of the Church by caring for the poor and underprivileged. Women will share in the blessings of the Spirit. Women will also have the privilege of being persecuted or martyred for Christ.
Why would Luke take time to tell all of these stories if he did not want us to see that the way for women to serve in the kingdom of God alongside men was now open in this new era? Though women live in a patriarchal society, they are no longer second-class citizens. All are members of the priesthood of believers. All are expected to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling he word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). Nowhere in the New Testament is it suggested that women can get by without taking their responsibility to witness for Christ seriously. Far from hanging around in the wings as silent observers, women are enjoined with men to study the Word of God and be ready to witness to others with the truth of the Gospel.
Again, some might suggest that this was all part of the early Church and would fall away at the end of the apostolic age.
In the coming weeks we will see that that is not true either. Luke’s friend, Paul, will work with women, 
write about women, and commend women for their part in the New Community of Christ. In his epistles, Paul will give his judgment on life in the home, in the Church, and in society for women. Life for the new Christians would look very different from the old life they had in Judaism or paganism. They would have a new identity – children of God. All relate to God equally through the Holy Spirit and because of salvation in Jesus. This will cause a shift in the way men and women relate to each other.
Now instead of a domineering hierarchy, leadership will be like that of Christ. Jesus told His disciples, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lordit over them, and their great men exercise authority over them” (Matthew 20:25). The disciples were not to follow the example of the worldly rulers, but to follow His example. “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
Christ died to give His followers freedom to serve not to lord their position over others.
“Act as freemen, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as servants of God” (1 Pet. 2:16).
