Three Lessons We Can Learn From Jesus’ Determined Disciples

These formidable women were faithful until the end!

Image by Elle Stallings from Pixabay.

Jesus was beaten, mocked, and murdered! You may have heard about it.

Joe, a religious leader in town, was a secret fan of Jesus and didn't think He should have been crucified. He goes to the Roman Governor and asks if he can take Jesus’ body and give Him a proper burial. 

After doing this, Joe’s cover was blown, and the rest of the establishment learned he was a follower. Another secret fan, Nick, had to blow his cover as he assisted Joe with the burial. Nick was in the same organization as Joe. 

Nick brought 75 pounds of burial spices to place on and around Jesus, and Joe had the burial cloth to wrap Jesus’ body in. Joe provided the tomb for Jesus' burial.

Courageous

We hear very little about the women disciples who were part of Jesus' entourage. These ladies supported Jesus and His disciples throughout their three-year ministry. Their financial support came from their bank accounts!

If they saw a need, they would meet it. They made the plans they could and took the action they were physically capable of!

Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. Luke 8:1–3, NLT

Jesus greatly influenced these lady disciples just like He influenced the men who followed Him. He’d healed some of them. They would lose family and friends over their choice to follow and support Jesus. By identifying with Jesus, these women were also taking the risk of losing their lives.

Joanna, the wife of Herod’s business manager, would have resources to support Jesus and the rest of the disciples. Herod was not a big fan of Jesus. 

Yet, Joanna didn’t allow her fear of Herod or the potential threat her support may have been to her husband's job. She courageously served Jesus.

With fear, there can be no courage. How courageous are you when making a decision that could cost you your money, reputation, family, friends, or even your life? Do you make that choice, or chicken out and keep the status quo?

Compared to these women, I’m the biggest coward in this hemisphere. There’s probably at least one person who’s a bigger coward than me in the other hemisphere.

While women were not highly respected in those days, they still had a lot they could lose, yet they chose to be courageous and continue serving with Jesus and His other disciples.

Resilient

These women were with Jesus throughout His ministry. They witnessed His good and bad times, miracles, and times when the Pharisees and religious leaders challenged Him.

They were there at Jesus’ crucifixion.

Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there. Mark 15:40–41 NLT

These women were there when Joe took down Jesus’ body from the cross. They may not have stayed to watch Joe and Nick prepare Jesus’ body for burial, but they knew where His tomb was.

They were with Jesus until the end of his life and determined to ensure he had a proper burial. They wanted to do all they could, even for the body of their crucified Leader.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid. Mark 15:47 NL

Only one disciple is credited with being present at the cross—John. At least a few women were there with Jesus up to his burial. They didn’t flee or run away when things got dangerous.

Resilience takes faith and commitment, and these women had plenty of both. How resilient are you? When things get tough, do you quit and back off? If you face a threat, do you stay the course or turn the other way toward a more manageable path?

Their faith and commitment were unmatched by the rest of the men who followed Jesus. The disciples were not mentioned as being around during Jesus’ burial and did not come to His tomb until the ladies (the first missionaries) went and told them that the tomb was empty!

Dedicated

After the Sabbath had ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome purchased spices to anoint Jesus for burial. At daybreak the following day, they are walking to the tomb, and they discuss,

“Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” (Mark 16:3 NLT)

What? They’d bought spices for Jesus’ body but hadn’t considered the logistics of getting into the tomb until they were on their way. They had no idea how or who would roll the stone away.

Throughout Jesus’ three-year ministry, if these ladies saw a need, they would meet it. Even in this case, they knew there would be a need, and they made the plans they could and took the action they were physically capable of!

They didn’t think to themselves, “There’s no way we can roll the stone away, so why bother even trying? We don’t want to waste our money and time buying the spices only to show up and be unable to do what we came to do!”

Yet they were not paralyzed by the unknown. So often, I get paralyzed by not knowing something, which stops me from further planning and, for sure, from doing anything!

I love to plan and dream, and I dream big! Yet, I struggle to implement those plans, especially when I foresee something that I can’t physically do!

I have started multiple projects when I wasn’t sure I could complete them. Yet, I researched what tools I needed and bought them. I researched how to do what was required, tried it, and ran into a roadblock. 

The YouTube video I watched didn’t cover my issue regarding the steps necessary to complete my project.

More often than not, the person posting the video assumed that some steps in their video were common knowledge, but they did not plan for Michael Jay Hollifield to be watching their video!

To make a long story medium length, sometimes I’m not courageous, resilient, or proactive when implementing some of my plans. I’m grateful these dynamic disciples were not like me!

These women were courageous, resilient, and dedicated. There have been so many women in my life who could teach these lessons:

• Mom

• Wife

• Daughter

• Extended Family

• Friends

• Church volunteers

• Youth Workers

• Work Colleagues

• Deaconesses

• Missionaries

• Pastors

I am blessed to have been surrounded by some of the most remarkable women on the planet! Many women who’ve significantly influenced me fit several of those categories. It’s time Earth stops being a “man’s world!” (And no, my wife did not tell me to write that, LOL! Yet, I would have if she’d told me to.)

We were all created differently, but we were all created equal! Ladies, be encouraged today. I appreciate you. Men, tell the women in your life how much you appreciate them! I’m grateful for all my subscribers, but I want to give a special shout-out to the women reading this! Thanks!