Women Who Followed Jesus E-Book

Dandi Daley Mackall

• Herausgeber: Paraclete Press
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

ECPA Easter Bestseller 2024 2025 FINALIST Christian Book Awards "Powerful daily encouragement that will enhance your walk with God." —Jerry B. Jenkins, writer of the Left Behind series and The Chosen novels Step into the untold stories of the women who walked with Jesus—women whose faith, courage, and devotion shaped the early church.  Women Who Followed Jesus is a transformative 40-day devotional that brings fresh insight into the lives of Mary, the Mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Joanna; Susanna; Salome; and others who witnessed Christ's ministry, death, and resurrection. From the author of Three Wise Women comes this Bible-Based Devotional for Spiritual Growth. Each daily reading includes: - A Scripture passage highlighting key moments from the Gospels. - Reflections on struggles and triumphs of biblical women and their personal encounters with Jesus. - Thought-provoking questions to deepen your faith and apply their stories to your life. - Through these pages, you'll see how these women were not just followers but vital witnesses—playing pivotal roles in the story of salvation and the birth of the early church. Their lives serve as powerful reminders of God's purpose for you today. Perfect For: Lenten & Easter devotionals – Walk through the season with faith and reflection. Bible study & small groups – A meaningful guide for discussion and spiritual growth. Women's ministry & personal reflection – Discover your own faith journey through their inspiring stories. "In this beautiful 40-day devotional, Mackall brings us close to the cross, revealing Jesus through the eyes of the women who followed Him. Each day's reading is moving and meaningful. Highly recommended." —Robin Lee Hatcher, Christy Award-winning author If you're longing for a deeper connection with Jesus, Women Who Followed Jesuswill inspire, challenge, and encourage you every step of the way. Begin your journey today! (Find free resources at womenwhofollowedjesusbook.com)

Leseprobe

Women Who Followed Jesus

40 Devotions on the Journey to Easter

DANDIDALEYMACKALL

2024 First Printing

Women Who Followed Jesus: 40 Devotions on the Journey to Easter

Copyright © 2024 by Dandi Daley Mackall

ISBN 978-1-64060-851-1

The Paraclete Press name and logo are trademarks of Paraclete Press.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023942394

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press

Brewster, Massachusetts

www.paracletepress.com

Cover design: Paraclete Design

Printed in India

FOR JESUS:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you,O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14

CONTENTS

Author’s Note

day 1

Mary Magdalene | Despair

day 2

Mary Magdalene | Voices

day 3

Mary Magdalene | Light

day 4

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Sheep

day 5

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Love

day 6

Susanna | Touched

day 7

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Home

day 8

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Rejection

day 9

Mary Magdalene | Condemnation

day 10

Joanna, Wife of Chuza | Healing

day 11

Joanna, Wife of Chuza | Giving

day 12

Samaritan Woman | Living Water

day 13

Samaritan Woman | Testimony

day 14

Mary of Bethany | Hospitality

day 15

Mary of Bethany | Listening

day 16

Mary of Bethany | Waiting

day 17

Martha | Life

day 18

Salome | Ambition

day 19

Salome | Misplaced Boldness

day 20

Joanna, Wife of Chuza | Triumph

day 21

Mary of Bethany | Devotion

THREE RELIGIOUS TRIALS

day 22

Joanna, Wife of Chuza | Betrayed

day 23

Mary Magdalene | Empathy

THREE ROMAN POLITICAL TRIALS

day 24

Mary Magdalene | Injustice

day 25

Mary Magdalene | Sorrow

day 26

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Agony

day 27

Mary Magdalene | Seeking

JESUS’ SEVEN WORDS FROM THE CROSS

day 28

Salome | Forgive

day 29

Susanna | Paradise-Bound

day 30

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Provision

day 31

Mary of Bethany | Forsaken

day 32

Samaritan Woman | Thirst

day 33

Mary of Bethany | Finished

day 34

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Spirit

day 35

Joanna, Wife of Chuza | Torn

day 36

Mary Magdalene | Loyalty

day 37

Mary Magdalene | Resurrection

day 38

Mary Magdalene | Witnesses

day 39

Mary, Mother of Jesus | Peace

day 40

Women Who Followed Jesus | Purpose

Afterword

Scripture Credits

For Further Study

Author Bio

AUTHOR’S NOTE

“… And the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:3–4, 11)

I admit, I don’t always read author letters, but I had to write this one for the sake of the rest of the book (and for my own sake). Would you mind reading it before jumping in? (If you’re still with me, thank you!)

I want to say right up front that the only real truth we know for sure about these amazing women comes through Bible Scriptures, the verses that begin each day’s reading. Each devotion attempts to tell the story of Jesus from the point of view of women whose lives he changed. With the exception of Jesus’ mother and a couple of the others, we are given little information about the faithful women who traveled with Jesus as disciples, stayed through the Crucifixion, and were the first witnesses of the Resurrection. That tells us a lot of what we need to know about them: their love for Jesus, their faith and loyalty, their bravery, and their sacrifices.

Some of the women are called by name in Luke 8:1–3:

Soon afterward he [Jesus] went on through one town and village after another, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to them out of their own resources.

We’re also given wonderful scenes of the Bethany sisters, Mary and Martha, in Luke 10:38–39:

Now as they went on their way, he [Jesus] entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying.

I couldn’t resist including a couple of women who, apparently, didn’t join the travelers, but were profoundly changed by encounters with Christ.

These women narrate the events we celebrate at Easter. Their reports reveal their own lives as they speak—just as in my previous book, Three Wise Women: 40 Devotions Celebrating Advent with Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna.

I studied background material, various roles of first-century women, historical references about Jerusalem and the Temple, Galilee, Judea, and villages they would have walked through or stayed in, such as Capernaum, Nazareth, and Bethany. I’ve relied on Scripture and cultural details to further characterize each woman (Jewish, Galilean, Roman, Samaritan), as well as the historical and cultural setting of the times, crucifixions, and burials. And I’ve prayed, fearful that readers might take my Scripture-based imaginings as Scripture. This is why I urge you to focus on Scripture and celebrate Easter, while appreciating the faithful women disciples.

Have a great and wondrous Easter!

Dandi Daley Mackall

Day 1

MARY MAGDALENE

Despair

… He [Jesus] got into a boat with His disciples and sailed away. Upon their arrival in Dalmanutha in the district of Magdala, they were met by Pharisees—ready with their questions and tests—seeking some sign from heaven that His teaching was from God.

(Mark 8:10–11, VOICE)

Soon afterward he went on through one town and village after another, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out … and many others….

(Luke 8:1–3)

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.

(Psalm 69:19–20, NIV)

MARY MAGDALENE

Despair

I awake alone in darkness, my bed a rough mixture of dirt, rock, and unkempt grasses. I listen to the sounds of my village, Magdala, and to shouts of fishermen, already coming in from the Sea of Galilee. Starlings circle with a pair of coots, waiting for fishing boats with the night’s catch.

Once when I woke beside the sea, I heard the one they call Jesus. A crowd had formed, and the man spoke from a fishermen’s boat, words I had heard from a wild man called John the Baptist. “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!” I had heard of Jesus, the man some call “Healer.” Others whisper that he is the Messiah, come to free the Jewish nation from Roman domination. I care not for politics, and no man can give me freedom.

I pull myself to sit, and my head swims with the odor of alcohol, fish, and salt, Magdala’s trademarks: fish and preservative industry. A sparrowhawk glides so nearby that if it had been a vulture, I would have been breakfast.

I lean against a fig tree that must have stopped my descent into the sea, for the hill is steep. I bear the scratches and cuts of someone who has tumbled over shrubs and rocks. When I attempt to recall the events of last night, or last day, a wave of nausea rises. Why would I wish to remember anything?

I get to my feet and notice that one sandal is missing. I am a spectator of myself, viewed from afar. Often I feel as if others inhabit my flesh and bones, leaving me with no self-control and little memory. Were I to name the residents of my mind, I would begin with “Accuser,” “Controller,” “Hope Thief,” “Pain,” and “Despair.” Every conscious moment, these strangers rail against me, shaming me, robbing me of all hope, then taking control so I give in to urges.

I scan the terrain as I make my way up the ragged slope, a tower of rocks mocking my ascent. I curse when a sharp rock stabs my un-sandaled foot. By the time I reach the center of Magdala, I burn with a yearning so deep I cannot identify it. Someone—inside or outside my head—laughs when I stumble and fall to my knees.

An elderly woman limps toward me, then pauses to rub her malformed leg. Her faded blue tunic may have fit her when Herod was a child. For a moment, I think she is coming to my aid, recognizing me as a fellow outcast, and I wonder if the so-called Healer could fix her leg.

• • •

The old woman shuffles to me, her eyes reflecting a deathlike flatness, devoid of compassion—I am well familiar with this look. She spits on the ground, near my bare foot. “God should strike you down! You are a disgrace to every righteous woman in Israel.”

“Do you know of such a woman in Israel? Surely, there is none before me.” I stand, bruised hands on battered hips.

The righteous woman, sputtering hate, storms off like a frightened fly released from the spider’s web.

PONDERING …

1.) What is scorn? Have you ever felt scorned or the victim of gossip? Have you ever, even in your heart, scorned another person or group of people?

2.) Is there anything that makes you feel hopeless—even a small worry—about yourself, a loved one, or the world? Paul wrote to the Romans:

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:5)

. How can God’s love help you hope this Easter season?

3.) Is there a difference between hopelessness and despair? Have you ever tried to “snap out of it,” to pull yourself out of despair? Which attempts helped, and which didn’t?

4.) What help could you offer to someone you suspect may be hopeless or despairing? What could you say to that person? What would keep you from acting on your good intentions?

Dear God,Help me place my hope in you and keep it there every hour of every day.

Day 2

MARY MAGDALENE

Voices

The voice of theLordis powerful.

(Psalm 29:4)

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

(John 10:14, NIV)

The voice of theLordcauses the oaks to whirl and strips the forest bare, and in his temple all say, “Glory!”

(Psalm 29:9)

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

(Ephesians 2:4–5, NIV)

MARY MAGDALENE

Voices

My footsteps—slap, shush, slap, shush—slow as I pass Magdala’s main tavern.

“Magdalene! Come on in!” This voice, loaded with a jolliness borne of strong drink, belongs to a man whose “fun” turns into violence as fast as one drink turns into ten.

I determine to keep walking, but self-control lies beyond my reach. The voices in my head whisper, one swearing that a single drink can lighten the pain and guilt of life.

I enter the dark tavern, where unskilled music and lantern shadows welcome me back. One drink from a cup placed in my hand, and I am swaying across the dirty floor until I bump into a band of men. They smell of the sea, and neither they nor the few women with them look as though they are friends of strong drink. I recognize several of these fishermen of Galilee.

It is not until I look to the one who appears to be their leader that I recognize this man as he who spoke from the fishermen’s boat. I cannot look away from his steady gaze, though nothing in his demeanor suggests he desires what other men seek.

“You are Mary of Magdala,” he says, with the same commanding tone as by the sea.

Someone slurring words shouts, “He’s the one who made wine at the wedding in Cana with nothing but water. Likely a friend of yours, Magdalene.” The room fills with nervous laughter, then grows quiet. The voices in my head shout harsh words that turn to growls.

I want to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah, but a stranger in me will not let words pass my lips. I press my palms against my head to stop the roaring. A slice of darkness shoves me toward the door, and I obey, running through the women, stumbling outside, where black clouds cover the sky and sink into my head.

“Magdalene?” Jesus has followed me. “Mary of Magdala.” His words are a soft breeze that feels like arms around my soul. “I know you,” he says.

“NO!” The voice comes from me but does not sound like me. “Leave us!” Again, the words are not mine; for as much as I fear being disappointed once again, I want to believe there can be salvation, a freedom for someone like me.

Strangers inside of me are gearing up for war … and making me their shield.

PONDERING …

1.) Is there a situation in your life where your self-control isn’t working? How can you let Jesus control it—and you—instead? What would that look like?

2.) You may not admit to hearing “voices” in your head, but do stray thoughts ever take over your mind with thoughts you know aren’t from God? Ponder and pray about what you might do to get rid of them.

3.) The apostle Paul confessed in his letter to the Romans:

For I know that the good does not dwell within me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the ability

(Romans 7:18). Do you ever go through this kind of struggle?

4.) Later in his letter to the Romans, Paul writes that the answer to our inadequacy to do the good we want to do is “Jesus Christ our Lord.” How is Jesus the answer to inner struggles? Ponder Mary of Magdala’s struggle.

Dear God,Thank you for freeing me from the power of sin.Help me hear your voice.