all of whom used to accompany Jesus when he was in Galilee, and give him support – besides many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
How did Jesus from Galilee
know to go to Jordan John
but by those quiet promptings
a mother’s friend’s whisper
about second birthings
needed in each new yearstrange ancestresses send genes
packed with antennae
to pick up soft signals
here now there again
mothers old mothers new
lead support follow
Often times it takes time to let new information filter through systems. In this case, the system is patriarchy and we are finally finding out that the disciples and the Twelve overemphasized males. This has had an impact to this day.
We are again revisiting the word diakoneō(deacon, minister, serve. And, again, this word is translated into English in its weaker form of support rather than minister. Even as women are acknowledged, they are reduced in importance.
The same diminishment happens with the word ἀκολουθέω(akoloutheō, accompany, join as a disciple). This is not just trailing along, but significant accompanying. There is here a feel of escorting or being the patron of an artist.
Sabin2148follows up her comment about the equality between Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary with:
It is striking that Mark does not single [Jesus’ mother] out; he treats these women as a generic group. Yet Mark suggests that this generic group of women, in their “following” and “ministering” and, above all, in their watchful “seeing,” act in the ways to which Jesus has called all his disciples.
A perspective not often noted regarding the valuing of women in the church is held within these two verses (40–41). Myers202states it well, “In others words, from beginning to end these women, unlike the men, understood the vocation of discipleship as servanthood.”
This understanding is set over against Peter’s refusal to allow servanthood to contain suffering and death as well as rising (8:32–37). It also contrasts with James and John looking for positions of power (10:35–45). All of the Twelve miss this when they complain about others healing without their imprimatur (9:38–40). Likewise, they are distracted by money when Jesus is anointed by a woman (14:4–9).