All right, let's take our Bibles and turn to the book of John. John chapter 19. Pastor Rick was in chapter 18 this morning in Sunday school. Sorry if I'm gonna steal any of your thunder in the future. John 19. The title of today's message is Jesus and Women. This is Mother's Day, and I thought we'd do a little Mother's Day message. What was Jesus' attitude like toward women? The Gospels give us the answer. He always treated them with dignity. He saw them as valuable as he did men. He does recognize role distinctions between men and women, choosing only men to serve as his apostles, whose primary tasks were preaching and teaching and governing. But he does not ever slight women or belittle their role in his life and ministry. To Jesus, disciples came in two sexes. male and female. And one thing stands out clearly in Jesus' treatment of women, he always approached them with kindness and tenderness. And this is seen in our text in John chapter 19, verses 24 through 27. 23 and 24 talk about what the soldiers did to Jesus as he's hanging on the cross, and verse 24 ends saying, So the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, woman, behold your son. And he said to the disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own home. Here in Jesus' greatest hour of need, at the height of his suffering, there is tender concern demonstrated toward his mother. even though terrible blasphemies are being hurled against Christ, and though his mind is filled with inconceivable grief at being our sin bearer there on the cross, none of these things prevent him from showing concern for Mary, for his mother. Now it's presumed that Joseph has died by this time, And as the eldest son, Jesus was responsible for overseeing his mother's care. And evidently he'd been doing that since she is there in Jerusalem where he is. She's not with any of her other children. Where are they? They're probably in Galilee still. That's their home dwelling. And the reason he doesn't assume that they will take control of their mother's welfare is because they're not followers of Christ at this time. We know James and Jude do follow him later. James becomes a pillar of the church in Jerusalem. Jude writes an epistle that was found in our New Testaments, as well as James also writing a letter in our New Testament. but they don't believe in his mission as of yet. That doesn't happen until after the resurrection. But at this time, they do not believe that he is the Christ. So as Jesus hangs from the cross, he sees his weeping mother. And Mary was full of sorrow at this time. She, of all people, knows her son is innocent of any wrong. She never had to spank him growing up. He never did anything wrong. And neither had he done anything wrong here, yet she sees him treated as a criminal. It's hard for her to watch these horrors and listen to the mocking hatred of the people surrounding the cross. Her heart is full of pain. And what she experiences is fulfilling the prophecy of Simeon given back in Luke chapter two, when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple to be circumcised. Simeon says, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that will be spoken against. And then I think he kind of leans over toward Mary and whispers, and a sword shall pierce through your own soul also. And you see, to watch her innocent son suffer in such a way as she does here at the cross, is like a sword piercing right through her heart. And Jesus, aware of her pain, his desire is to relieve what agony he can by pointing her to John, for John to take care of her. And from that time, Mary goes to live with John. The tenderness of the scene is also found in how he addresses her. Our text says, Behold your son. Now, to address her as woman sounds impersonal or disrespectful for us. But the Greek word, though it is and is used as a general term for women, also it was frequently used as an honorific title of endearment. It's the same term he used in John 2 at the wedding of Cana, when Mary came to him about the water turning to wine. In fact, the NIV gives it this affectionate undertone, translating it, dear woman. That's what he was talking, treating her with tenderness. And this is a side of our savior that we need to see. He was tender and respectful toward his mother. And as you read the rest of the Gospels, you'll find that respectful dignity was given to all women by Jesus. Now, first we must put this in its historical context. The Roman world regarded women as second-class citizens. They couldn't own property. They couldn't make legal transactions on their own. They couldn't make financial transactions on their own. Boys were the preferred child. And if it was a female, they were often abandoned. And there was a double standard in marriage. Men could freely go with prostitutes. but the wife had to remain faithful to her husband. And a husband could divorce his wife for any reason he wanted, but the wife couldn't. So their view of women was really down there. In Judaism, women weren't so coldly treated as they were in the Roman culture, but they were still seen as being inferior. Their testimony was inadmissible in court. They were regarded as unreliable witnesses. And rabbinic literature contains explicit opinions about women, making general statements that they are greedy, lazy, and jealous. That's the culture of the times. But Jesus' regard for women was much different than his contemporaries. First of all, let's consider his speech toward women. He spoke here tenderly toward Mary at the cross. And one might argue, well, that's his mom. I mean, that's one of the Ten Commandments. You should honor your mother and father all the days of your life. So sure, he spoke that way to his mom. But you see, that incident was not an aberration. He always spoke in a thoughtful, caring manner toward women. That same term, woman, that he used toward Mary here, he also used to address Mary Magdalene in John 20, verse 15, when he saw her weeping in the garden cemetery after his resurrection. It was a tender moment as Mary assumed someone had stolen the body of her Lord, but Jesus approaches her tenderly saying, dear woman, why are you weeping? He gave the same address of woman to the woman caught in adultery in John eight verse 10. For there in the midst of her shame and her embarrassment, he spoke kindly to alleviate her fears and misgivings. Now, Jesus never glossed over her sin. He always held women and men responsible for their sin. It's seen with the woman at the well in John 4. It's seen with this adulterous woman in John 8, who he exhorted to sin no more. And the sinful woman also, who anointed his feet in Luke 7. Their sin was not condoned, but confronted. And each had the responsibility to repent in order to be forgiven. But still, Jesus treated them with dignity and respect. Matthew, Mark, and Luke record Jesus' tenderness toward the woman with the bleeding disorder. She stealthily goes in to just touch the hem of his garment. She had faith that she would be healed, and she was. And Jesus turns around and says, who touched me? Well, immediately her guard goes up. She's terrified. She shouldn't be there in the first place because she's unclean. And then she touches a man. That's not supposed to be done. But what is Jesus' reaction? She's fearful of rebuke. Jesus, Mark 534, says, she came in fear and trembling and fell down before him. And Jesus' response was one of tender care. Take heart, daughter. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace. There's no rebuke, just kindness. Speaking to her as a father does to his loving daughter. This is a great example for us as guys to remember. We need to treat women with dignity. We need to speak to them tenderly, carefully. We should speak to them with tenderness, show them kindness. Peter, passage we read this morning, instructs husbands to treat their wives. He says in 1 Peter 3, seven, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman. That's what Jesus did. And that's how we are to treat our wives as well. But let's go on to his ministry to women. Jesus gave his miracles, weren't always to men. He also showed care and concern for women. In healing, there was the woman with the bleeding disorder, that is the one that's more well-known. But there were others. Mark 7, he deliberately goes to Gentile territory north of Galilee in order to get away from the hubbub of controversy surrounding him. But while he's there, he's approached by a Syrophoenician woman, a Gentile, who has a demon-possessed daughter. And he grants her request. There's other things taught there, but still he grants, in the end, he grants her request. and the demon is cast out of her daughter. In Matthew 8, he graciously heals Peter's mother-in-law. And there was also the healing of the woman with the 18-year bent back in Luke 13, and he does it publicly on the Sabbath in the synagogue. The hostile religious leaders inside had shown no pity whatsoever toward her, but Jesus, graciously helps this poor woman. He also rescues women from prostitution. He rescues other women from demon possession. Mary Magdalene is one of them in whom seven demons resided, but Jesus delivered her and she served him faithfully afterwards. In fact, she's one of the women at the cross there that we read in our text. Jesus cared for the widow of Nain in Luke 7, whose son had just died. Here she is, a widow, and no more children. She has no means of support. And Jesus sees her need and raises her son to life again so that her needs would be met. There are several more examples of Jesus' concern for physical needs of females, but he was most concerned for their spiritual needs. We read much in the gospels about Jesus teaching the 12 disciples, but Jesus' ministry was to all people, no matter their gender. So he commends Mary, the sister of Lazarus, for her desire to sit at his feet, to listen, to hear his words. He commends her for her desire for spiritual growth. But let's consider two specific incidents of his spiritual help to women. First of all, the Samaritan woman. Turn, if you will, back to John 4. In John 4, Jesus wants to go to Galilee, but he travels through Samaria, something the Jews tended to avoid. But Jesus chose this route just so that he could witness to this woman who's drawing water at the well of Jacob in Samaria. John 4, let's read the first 15 verses. Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples. He left Judea and departed again for Galilee, and he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, give me a drink, for his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? And John adds a comment, for Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her. If you knew the gift of God and who it was is that is saying to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. The woman said to him, sir, you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself as did his sons and his livestock. Jesus said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water. We'll stop there. Now first of all, notice, I want you to notice that this meeting was not an accident. Jesus had put this woman on his to-do list for that day. We know that from verse four. It says, he had to pass through Samaria. The old King James says, he must pass through Samaria. It was a must for him because he had this divine appointment with this woman. You see, most Jews, if they were going from Jerusalem to Galilee, they would bypass, Samaria was directly north. That was, as the crow flies, that was the best way to get to Galilee. But since they were Samaritans, and as John says, the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans, they would, from your perspective, they would go from Jerusalem cross the Jordan River and go north through Perea and then cross back over to Galilee. That's the route they would take and it would be much further. And Jesus is, maybe he's in a hurry to get to Galilee, I don't know. But he did have this divine appointment with this woman. He goes directly as the crow flies through Samaria to get to Galilee. in order to meet with this woman. Meeting this woman was just as important as meeting with Nicodemus in chapter three. Now, two things are culturally wrong with the scenario that we've read here in John four. And in fact, the woman raises these objections in verse nine. Notice it again. The Samaritan woman said to him, how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? Number one, culturally wrong. She was a Samaritan. He was a Jew. And again, as John says, the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Now remember the history. Samaria was in olden days, the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But because of their idolatry, God judged them by sending the Assyrians to carry them all away captive into exile into all the other provinces of their empire. However, there were some Jews left there to till the ground and to, for whatever reason, and then the Assyrians would bring exiles from other places they conquered and brought them to this area. Gentiles, therefore, mixed with the Jews and are married, and we have half-breeds. And it gets more and more diluted through the years, through those 400 years plus. And so these were half-breed Jews. Plus, when they came back and they were trying to till the ground, it wasn't being Productive and so they said well, we need to placate the God of this area It was Jehovah and so they sent messengers to this Syria and they send priests that were sent from act Sent out of by exile back to the land to lead them in the worship of Jehovah. We're talking about priests from the Northern Kingdom They knew of Jehovah, but they didn't worship like they're supposed to, they ended up making worship centers in Mount Gerizim, which you'll find later on in this text, and there they worshiped Jehovah, but not really, anyway, you know. So that was another reason why the Jews didn't have interaction with the Samaritans. But then there was the other one. She mentions, verse nine, how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me She doesn't say, from me, a Samaritan, but from me, a woman of Samaria. This was, again, not culturally acceptable for a man and a woman, not a wife and husband, to converse with one another. Here's a rabbinic statement about male-female interaction. Quote, it is forbidden to give a woman any greeting Unquote. But Jesus not only addressed her, he held a conversation with her, showing her the same attention, care, and interest he would show to a man. And what he taught her was deep theological lessons about God and his worship, as well as information about himself as the Messiah. And note that Jesus offered her a gift of living water. Again, verse 14. Whoever drinks of the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. This gift was of living water, a fountain of spiritual life which will immediately and forever relieve the restless craving of the human soul. and replace it with a satisfying life in Jesus. The human heart is always thirsty. It's always craving for something better. And Jesus says, I am that something better. He quenches the thirst of every renewed soul. He is according to Isaiah 12, three, one in whom you will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation. And as this woman drinks of the water of life freely, she's changed. She rejoices in her newfound faith in Jesus Christ and goes and tells others about this Messiah. They too can come and find spiritual thirst finally and fully quenched in Christ. But then there's another episode that I want to draw your attention to, and that's Martha, the other sister of Lazarus. She and Mary had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, that he was near death, asking him to come. But Jesus delayed in his coming. And when he had finally arrived, Lazarus has died. And Martha comes out running to him and says in John 11, 21, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Martha's words to Jesus after her brother's death can be seen as a complaint and even as a mild rebuke, almost scolding him for his tardiness. And so by implication, she is laying some of the responsibility of Lazarus' death on Jesus. But Jesus doesn't correct her, for he knows these words come from a broken heart of grief. Instead, he uses it as an opportunity to teach her important theological truths about himself. And even though at the time she doesn't quite get it, doesn't quite understand it, he says in verses 25 and 26 of John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Now this remarkable reply is a culmination of the preceding chapters. Jesus has been revealed in these chapters as the life giver in many ways. Physically, he imparts life to a dying boy. He imparts new life to limbs that are paralyzed. Spiritually, he offers a spirit-enriched life to Nicodemus in John 3, and he gives that eternal life to the Samaritan woman in John 4. In John 10, he calls himself the good shepherd who gives his sheep life, and that more abundantly. In other words, eternal life. And now we have the words of to Martha. He shows that this life that he gives is indestructible, resurrected life. And he gives this to his sheep here and now. They have a resurrected eternal life. Resurrection life triumphs over death. It's not confined to a distant future, which Martha thought he was talking about. He said, yes, I know that in the last day that we'll rise. She thinks that's what he's talking about. And yes, that's part of it. But that's not what he's getting at. He's getting at what I offer you. You can have now. You have this resurrected future eternal life now. You don't have to wait for it then. You have it now. Yes, there's going to be a moment of physical dissolution, as he says in verse 25, though he dies. But that will not be true death. That is the elimination of divine presence and divine love. For the believer, their present reality is the eternal life of God received through faith in Christ now. So you can see that as Jesus took whatever opportunity to teach men like Nicodemus and his disciples, he did also for women like Mary, Martha, and the Samaritan woman. Learning about Christ is for everyone, no matter their gender. Sitting at the feet of Jesus, that's where we need to be. all of us learning more and more about him. And then next, let's consider his treatment. And by that, I mean his view of women, his view of women. Number one, he did not view women as objects of lust. In Roman culture, women were often treated as a sex objects. In Jewish culture, women were segregated from social interaction with men because of the temptation of sexual attraction. So for example, the two sexes were segregated in the synagogue worship. But females interacted with Jesus and his disciples often. And I noticed when we were watching the Chosen series at the theater a couple months ago, I caught it twice in that series, in series four, twice the Pharisees were appalled when they found out that women were in Jesus' entourage. They couldn't believe it. That just wasn't done. You don't mix the two sexes. And here's another rabbinic statement on the subject. One should not talk with a woman on the street, not even with his own wife, and certainly not with somebody else's wife. But Jesus allowed it and promoted it. In their culture, no social contact was to be made between males and females outside of marriage and supervised courtship. But Jesus mixed them together. And the mixing of the genders prompted no sexual tensions whatsoever because he had exhorted his disciples in Matthew 5 to treat them as fellow workers, as fellow believers, not as objects of lust and desire. Matthew 5, 28, anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. You see, instead of separation to avoid temptation, Jesus taught his disciples to have a righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees. They must discipline their thoughts rather than avoid women who desire to serve him. In other words, lust does not have to be fed. It can be controlled. And that's what Jesus taught his disciples and drilled into them so that women could also minister with and to them. So they were able to, males and females were able to associate together, to work in harmony toward a common goal. Women were treated respectfully and Christian women were viewed especially as fellow workers. Many women participated openly in Jesus' life and ministry. Luke eight, verses one through three, soon afterward, He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The 12 were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chusa, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their means. The specific ministry of these women was not preaching the gospel, but providing financial and material sources for those who were preaching the gospel, so that Jesus could continue in his ministry unhindered. You see, not all ministries that are valuable are public and official ministries. Providing food and support for others is crucial, even if it's done behind the scenes. Many Christian women have quietly and humbly worked this way and found great joy and blessing in doing so. It's an important ministry and I thank God for the women we have in our church who get in there and get it done and provide this ministry to us. This is a ministry that should never be downgraded. It's a grand labor of love in Christ's service. And these women truly loved the Lord Jesus. They followed him faithfully. In fact, except for John, it was only the female followers of Jesus that were with him in his greatest hour of need at the cross. Christian women in the early church followed their example and were engaged in serving Christ in their local communities. Paul had his personal needs met by a husband-wife team In Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla, his wife. In Romans 16, two women, Tryphena and Tryphosa, were faithful workers in the church at Rome. Lydia in the Church of Philippi supported Paul and his companions, according to Acts 16, 15. And Paul, when he writes the book of Philippians in chapter four, mentions two other women, Euodia and Sunteke, who had been his fellow workers in the past. And so you can be sure that these Christian women of that era also obeyed Christ's commands, including the Great Commission, just like the men did. All believers, men and women, are to go and teach what Christ commanded. Women and men are involved in gospel ministry. Now, to hold the office of pastor, elder, you have to be male. It's one of the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 too. And in chapter two, in verse 12, Paul says, women should not teach or have authority over men in the church. But there are many people who need the Lord who will never darken the door of a church, but who will listen to their neighbor. And so a lady's gospel ministry starts in their homes, ministering to the spiritual needs of her own children. And it can spread to the children's friends and then their parents. And as you get older, According to Titus 2, verses 3 through 5, mature Christian women have also the responsibility of instructing younger women in godly living. And then there's also very significant ministry for women and men, of course, and that's prayer. The women joined the men in Acts 12 in praying for Peter's release from prison, and they were present in the 120 when the Spirit descended at Pentecost. Without prayer, God's kingdom work on earth will be difficult to advance. But God's saints, male and female, can speed it along according to Paul in 1 Thessalonians 3, 1 and 2. Pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored as happened among you and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. Do you pray for your pastors? I hope you do. I know many of you have said you do, and I'm thankful. Pastor Rick also. Do you pray for others also who have enriched your lives? I know some of you have been greatly enriched by the ministry of John MacArthur, John Piper, Don Carson, Sinclair Ferguson. Do you pray for these guys that the gospel will speed ahead of them and that they will be kept from evil men? That's how you continue on with gospel ministry through prayer. You can also pray for our missionaries, both the men and the women. Pray for Kevin, but also pray for Marjorie and pray for Jonathan and Lorena. They have ministries in the gospel reaching the lost as Lorena has Bible studies with women and Marjorie is also. Pray for them and then do more than pray, write letters of encouragement to them. Oh man, that will really help them in their ministry and you will have a part in that. Every Christian woman today should follow the example of these early Christians and like them advance the cause of Christ and righteousness wherever you can. You can do that through personal witnessing, You can do that by ministering to the sick, to the elderly. You can do that by counseling women with whatever, like Jan's doing, counseling them against abortion. You can do it by aiding the poor, teaching and ministering to children in the church, visiting newcomers in the church, extending hospitality to the lonely. And the most significant ministry you can have is your role as wife and mother. My mom had a great godly influence on me. And I've thanked her for that, I call her every night, and from time to time I thank her for that. It's just, I had nothing to do with that, that was all your dad. No, my mom had a righteous influence on our lives. As did Hannah on Samuel's life. And Susanna Wesley, on Charles and John's life. Stay-at-home wives and mothers should never be viewed as insignificant. As Peter writes again in what we read this morning, 1 Peter 3, 4, their life lived faithfully with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit will have a lasting effect on their husbands and their children. All of that ministry builds up the body of Christ so that the church can accomplish its work in the world. But then there's a final indication of the dignity that Jesus gave to women and that's that he allowed them to be the first witnesses of the resurrection. Now remember I said in Jewish culture women couldn't testify at court proceedings because their witness was regarded as Unreliable? Well, Jesus sovereignly, the triune God sovereignly determines that women are gonna be the first ones to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Again, it goes to prove that this was an inspired work of the Holy Spirit, because if men were just writing this, they wouldn't have included that. Jewish men would not have included that. Josephus, just to give you the feeling of the day regarding women in this regard, he says, let not the testimony of women be admitted on account of the levity of their sex. But here they were given the important role of being the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All four gospels, declare their, tell us of their early arrival at the tomb. And when they saw it empty and heard the news that he was risen, they faithfully told the news to the disciples, and probably many more in the months that followed. And the important point is that Christ used women in this strategic juncture in human history. They were the first ones to proclaim the gospel. What is the gospel according to 1 Corinthians 15, one through three? That Christ died, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day. They were the first to proclaim the gospel. What a privilege. Jesus demonstrated only the highest regard for women. He recognized their intrinsic equality with men, as he quotes Matthew, I can't remember, but he quotes Genesis 127, in the beginning, God created male and female. They are both made in the image of God, they are equal before God. And then he continually showed their worth and dignity as persons. He valued their friendship, he valued their prayers, their service, their financial support, their witness, their testimony. He honored women, he taught women, he ministered to them in thoughtful ways. I can't remember, anyway. And then women responded to his ministry. You see, Christianity is not just a man's world. Paul makes this clear in Galatians 3, verses 26 through 28. In Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. There's no difference in ministry to Christ between the sexes. It just requires a willingness to say yes when Jesus says, follow me. Are you willing to do that? Ladies, I hope you don't use your gender as an excuse to say, well, the men will do that. If there's something you can do, I hope that you instead be like Mary and Martha of Judea and like Joanna and the Susanna of Galilee. and just pursue ministry for Christ. If you do, you're gonna find the same rich fulfillment serving Christ as they did. We all, men and women, have a responsibility to Christ, our Redeemer, to serve him with all that we have. Let's bow for prayer. Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the word, the examples that you've given us in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and we should follow his example to walk with him wherever he leads, but also we have these examples that we've been given, the women who who faithfully followed Christ and gave their all, what they could, and used their gifts, different from men, but they used their gifts in service and ministry for Christ and help our ladies to continue to do that as they have shown themselves to be faithful in the past. And Lord, help us as men to follow the example of Christ, to treat women with dignity, with kindness, with tenderness, to treat them as Jesus did, to view them as Jesus did, so that we might work together in the service of ministry for Jesus Christ and for righteousness sake. And this we pray in Jesus' name, amen.