Film Friday The musical film of Alice Walker’s book tells the story of a group of young, black women in the early 20th century in rural Georgia in the American south. They live terribly oppressed lives with men who are fiercely in control. They are ill-treated and mis-used and yet in spite of this they find hope in caring for each other and they still manage to share times of joy and faith. The women in the gospels in the time of Jesus were seen as second-class citizens, having less rights than the men, and were often held down in their society. Yet Jesus does not treat them this way. He tells stories in which women are the heroes – for example the persistent widow in Luke 18, and a woman searching faithfully for a lost coin in Luke 15. He befriended women, treated them the same as his male disciples, and took them on his ministry missions.
And whenever he spent time with women Jesus treated them with respect and kindness. For example the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4, who had been rejected by five husbands, and a woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8. Then there was the group of women who faithfully stayed with him at the end, courageously following him all the way to his death on a Roman cross, and it was this group of faithful friends who went to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning to discover his resurrection. It’s interesting to note here that many of the male disciples didn’t believe the story of the resurrection when Mary first told them in Mark 16 v 11, it was only when Peter had met Jesus later, that they say they believed it, in Luke 24 v 34. Women were not seen as reliable witnesses, and yet Jesus commissioned them to pass on the good news. He trusted them and knew they would trust him. No one is a second-class citizen to Jesus, no one is to be seen as less in his kingdom of justice and hope. He treats us all with respect and kindness, lifting up the broken and caring deeply for the oppressed and marginalised.
If you've appreciated this, why not...
Donate to support Dave's work Subscribe on YouTube Follow on X Like on Facebook Contact Dave Subscribe