6 Women in the New Testament to Guide Your Walk with Christ

Mary Magdalene is one of the most-mentioned women among Jesus’s earthy disciples. She traveled with him and cared for him as one of his followers and was present at his crucifixion. She was also among the first people Jesus appeared to after his resurrection (Mark 15:40 and John 19:25). Clearly, she was important to Jesus and one of his inner circle.

Luke 8:2 tells us she had once been afflicted with “seven demons.” Delivered from this, she devoted her life to following and caring for Jesus.

We can glean many lessons from Mary Magdalene. One, despite a past rife with demon possession (and/or possibly major mental illness), when she was liberated from those shackles, she became what Paul has termed “a new creation in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17). She spent the rest of her life in utter devotion to the Lord. We, too, can and should do the same.

Second, she devoted herself to Jesus even in the darkest hours. Scripture tells us not only was she present at the cross, witnessing his brutal and tortuous suffering, but she also went to the tomb to care for what she anticipated to be his dead body. This is indeed faithful and devoted service. It can be easy to follow and care for someone when all is well, earning the title “fair-weather friend,” but her devotion extended beyond this. Her friendship and care persisted even to the hardest time of suffering and despair. We must not be “fair-weather” followers of Christ but willing to show devotion even when times are tough.  

Third, she shared the Gospel — the good news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead — even when the other disciples did not believe her. We, too, will likely encounter people who dismiss us, thinking us to be crazy or mistaken when we insist on sharing the truth of Jesus. Still, we must share the news nonetheless, just like Mary Magdalene did.

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Yet another Mary in the Bible can serve as a guide in our walk with Christ. Jesus was close friends with a man named Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. In her interactions with Jesus, the Bible provides us with a strong model of how we might interact with him, too. For instance, in Luke 10:38-42, Jesus was at Martha and Mary’s home. The Bible tells us Martha was scurrying about, busy with hosting the Lord, and she became resentful that her sister Mary was not helping, instead, simply sitting and listening at Jesus’s feet. Martha complained to Jesus, asking him to urge Mary to help her. However, Jesus corrected Martha, telling her that she had her priorities skewed and should instead model Mary’s behavior. As he said, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

From this, we can see that resting in the Lord is always the best course of action. There is nothing we must do — no good works, nothing — beyond repent, believe, and rest in him.

Later, when Lazarus died and Jesus arrived, Maratha went to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. When Jesus asked for her, Mary came and unburdened her feelings, weeping. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” she told him (John 11:32).

Jesus wept in response, his spirit moved (v. 33). Then he went in and performed a miracle, resurrecting Lazarus.

Mary’s honestly with the Lord is another guide for us. She was devastated, and she didn’t hide this. Not only did she weep mournfully, but she said what was on her heart, even if sounded accusatory. Her honesty and her grief are an example for us. We, also, should hold nothing back from the Lord.

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Also known as Prisca, Priscilla was an important woman in the early church. We first learn about her in Acts 18, when the Bible tells us Paul worked in Corinth as a tentmaker with her and her husband, Aquila. Scholars believe Priscilla and Aquila were a husband-and-wife team in ministry. She and her husband are always listed together, and she is typically listed first, possibly because she had a higher social standing than her husband.

She and her husband became good friends of Paul’s and later traveled with him to Ephesus. When Paul left, they established a church in their home. In spite of the ongoing persecution against Christians, they persisted in faith and hospitality. The fact that Priscilla is always mentioned when her husband is mentioned indicates she shared as a co-partner in church leadership. Because of this, we can see that women were indeed included among the leaders of the early church.

We can also see that Paul respected and likely admired Priscilla and her faith. Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned by Paul in Romans, 1 Corinthians and 2 Timothy.

We can also understand that Priscilla was a woman of intelligence. The Bible tells us that Priscilla and Aquila encountered Apollos in Ephesus. He was boldly and accurately teaching about Jesus, but his knowledge was incomplete, so they invited Apollos to their house, where they “explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26). The fact that the husband-and-wife team together taught Apollos further indicates her wisdom, knowledge and ability as a teacher. We, too, can understand that if God equips us with the gift of wisdom, knowledge, and teaching, then we can and should — like Priscilla — use those gifts to further his kingdom, as well.

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Even though Phoebe is mentioned only briefly in Scripture, the placement, description and book itself lends great weight to her faith, and proves her a woman who can help guide our walk in Christ.

Paul notes in Romans 16:1-2, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.”

Women of that time were often considered inferior to men. Yet scholars believe, given how Paul phrased his wording and description of Phoebe, that this epistle was delivered to the Roman Christians by Phoebe. Here, they are urged to accept her as one of their own.

This letter was of great importance. The Roman church was in the heart of the greatest city in the world at that time, and this letter would go on to have influence with hugely influential people. Paul’s trust in Phoebe is a sign of great respect. Also, she is identified as a “deacon.” The original Greek word for this is diakonos, which means servant but also minister, one who renders service and help to others, or possibly even a trusted officer of help and service in the local church.

In spite of her gender, Phoebe’s trustworthiness and her importance to Paul are clear, and they indicate to us today that gender should not be a barrier to the Lord’s work. Also, the fact that she is identified as a “benefactor” of his and of many people indicates that she likely had some wealth that she used to support the early church and its ministers. We, too, should use any wealth we might possess to do the same.

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Tabitha is another woman in the Bible who can help guide our walk with Christ. While her story is brief, it’s impactful. In Acts 9:36-43, we’re told that Tabitha, also called Dorcas, was a well-known female disciple living in Joppa with a strong reputation for doing good works and helping other people, especially the poor. When she got sick and died, the other disciples sent for Peter, urging him to come at once. Peter was the leader of the early church, and he did indeed come. When Peter arrived, people immediately began crying, showing him all the robes and other clothes she had made.

At this, Peter sent them all from the room, prayed, and then commanded the dead woman to get up. She did as commanded, and her miraculous resurrection caused many in the city to believe (v. 42).

From the text, she can infer that Tabitha’s good works, and the love people clearly had for her, must have swayed Peter’s quick action and the miracle God granted that arose from his intense healing prayer.

While we cannot expect to earn a miracle, nor ever think that good works can “save” us (only Jesus does that), we can see how good works and a loving, obedient heart can inspire others to help us in times of our own need. We can also see how adopting a loving servant’s heart can serve the church. Her good works, and Peter’s response to them, prompted a miracle, earning a place in God’s word and a lesson for us all today.

Whether you are a man or a woman, I pray these six women can inspire you to walk in a more faithful, patient, devoted, intelligent manner as you strive to put Jesus first in your life.

Now read 9 Women in the Old Testament to Guide Your Walk with Christ

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