Copyright © 2026 Women of the ELCA. Reprint permission is granted for use in Women of the ELCA units, clusters/conferences and synodical women’s organizations provided each post is reproduced in its entirety. If you enjoy this resource, Donate Now.
Women have been providing and empowering since the beginning, even within the church. I reflect on the mujeres (women) in my own life who worked and provided for their families, alongside the mujeres in the Bible who did the same for theirs.
All four Gospels show that Jesus accepted women as traveling disciples. In fact, he is arguably one of the few leaders of his day who did so. Luke 8:1-3 describes women disciples like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susann and “many others” who not only traveled with Jesus but supported him financially out of their own resources.
Joanna is understood as the wife of the steward of Herod of Antipas, a woman who apparently traveled on her own or with friends (including Jesus) without fear of reprisal. Her husband worked for the oppressive tetrarch who beheaded John the Baptist.
Perhaps the fact that Joanna would leave her home and put her husband’s career at risk to follow Jesus shows how attractive his ministry must have been to women. Jesus not only empowered women but brought about a more just society by throwing societal norms out the window, and many aspects of the early church reflect this reality.
This message is excerpted from “Stitch by stitch, step by step” by Kat Armas in the July/August 2022 Gather magazine.