Can I Really Believe Jesus Is Who He Says He Is? Series

Jesus’ message was designed for religious outsiders. All throughout today’s message, I’m going to be talking about the gospel. The gospel is Jesus. The gospel is the message of Jesus.

If you’re regularly a part of our church family, I’ve moved from the end of Luke 5, last week, to Luke 8, this week. I’ll leave the center of Luke 8 for next week and come back for Luke 6 and for Luke 7 later in the year. I’ve done this to stay with our theme: Jesus Loves Sinners.

We are probably between year one and year two in Jesus’ public ministry that lasted three years. Jesus essentially tells His followers: Follow Me Carefully.

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (Luke 8:1-3)

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:16-21)

1. The Gospel Climbs

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (Luke 8:1-3)

Jesus went on preaching tours through villages and towns up and down the country. As Jesus went preaching through these towns, the Twelve followed him. Yet, Jesus had other disciples other than the Twelve. Not only did the Twelve follow Jesus, but a second group followed Him - several women.

When I say, The Gospel Climbs, I am pointing to the fact that the gospel doesn’t stay in one stratum. The gospel isn’t just middle class or appealing to men. Instead, the gospel has a wide appeal. We saw this truth as we began this series – when Jesus dared to eat with sinners, religious outsiders (Luke 5:27-32). And here is a stratum of society before us that responds to the Gospel – women. Women play an impressive role in Luke’s narrative. Women are disciples of Jesus as well. This is unheard of in the first century. Women were held often in low-esteem in Jesus’ day. One example is that rabbis would not allow women to be disciples.

What’s it mean to be a woman? Christina Kelly is the editor of young women’s magazines such as Sassy, Jane, and YM. Some years ago she wrote a confessional piece, entitled Why Do We Need Celebrities, with these words:

“Why do we have celebrities? Here’s my theory. To be human is to feel inconsequential. So we worship celebrities and we seek to look like them. … But it’s so dumb. With this stream of perfectly airbrushed, implanted, liposuctioned stars, you would have to be an absolute powerhouse of self-esteem already not to feel totally inferior before them.”

The gospel is counter-cultural. Remember a disciple is defined as someone who follows Jesus. Luke spends a great deal of time introducing us to Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, as well as Mary, Jesus’ mother. We meet the two famous sisters of the gospels, Martha and Mary. We are introduced to the unnamed woman known as the widow’s mite (Luke 21:1-4). We are also introduced to the unnamed woman who battles the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). In time, we will see its women that are the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:10-11) and who report His resurrection to the Twelve disciples (Luke 24:22-24).

So women are at the center of Luke’s narrative. It’s here in Luke’s gospel that women play a significant role. No woman is mentioned as speaking against Jesus. No woman is mentioned as conniving for Jesus to be crucified. Women were last at the grave and first at the resurrection.