Notable women in our faith

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Isaac being the critical link. Remember he was the young man his father, Abraham, was about to sacrifice on the mount where present day Jerusalem stands. The angel of the Lord stayed the hand of Abraham and preserved the young man’s life. God did this horrific test to determine if Abraham truly would not let anything come between their relationship, not even his one and only son. Sounds like the passion of Christ, doesn’t it?

In order for Isaac to be the link between Abraham and Jacob, he had to have a wife. When Isaac was in his forties, or thereabouts, Abraham thought a wife should be sought from back home. So, Abraham dispatched his chief servant back to Mesopotamia to secure a wife for Isaac. Through prayers and the providence of God, the chief servant found Rebekiah.

Rebekiah returned to be the wife of Isaac. And then the passage of Scripture ends (Chapter 25, Genesis) with one of the most poignant statements: “...and thus Isaac was comforted after the death of his mother.” It doesn’t say Rebekiah replaced Sarah, but that she was a comfort to him after his mother died.

That’s where I am heading today: how our women, our wives, comfort us men folks. No one — that is, no one — can comfort me like my wife. Although she is much the smaller, she can comfort me in times of grief, stormy weather, and everyday life.

As we near Holy Week, we can’t forget the women of the cross, much less the women preceding the cross. We can’t forget those women who were the first proclaimers of the Gospel after the tomb was found empty.

Christianity, through its history, has been a male-dominated faith. No doubt. But you must check the record and see the crucial role of women.

Mary, of course, was the premier of women in the faith. Some in our faith view her as an intercessor for us while others of us view her as the model disciple. Regardless, she will always hold the realm of being the mother of our Lord, his flesh and blood.

Why is it that this Holy Week we will remember that the female followers of Jesus hang tough while the men scatter to the wind and end up denying their association with Jesus?

Think about it this week, the week that changed the world.

John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center, 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215. 770-719-0303.