Image: Woman from Ancient Nativity Fresco in the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla

This article was originally published on my Substack HERE

When you picture Jesus’ disciples, do you picture women among them? How many do you imagine? When you imagine the last supper with the disciples around the table, do you imagine a group of both genders? If you imagine female disciples traveling with Jesus, what do you imagine them doing?

These are interesting questions, but I wonder if they’re more than than just interesting? What if the way we imagine the ministry of Jesus’ female disciples had profound implications for the way that women follow Jesus and serve today?

In my most recent Bible study on Mary and Martha, I noticed an variation of translations for the word “serving” in Luke 10:40, when Martha is “distracted by much serving.” The word for “serving” is the Greek word diakonia (διακονία), which in this verse, the NIV translates “all the preparations that had to be made,” the ESV translates “much serving,” and the NLT translates “the big dinner she was preparing.” Which do you think is the most accurate?

The word diakonia could mean food preparation or household tasks, but it’s also translated as “ministry,” “provide help,” “the task,” “service,” “works of service,” or “mission” in other instances depending on the translation. Martha could have been distracted by getting a meal prepared, but she could also have been occupied with a variety of others ministries that women did.

I want to look at another occurrence of this Greek word used to describe the work of Jesus’ female disciples, and then think about some of the implications for how we think about women’s ministry in the Bible and today.

We come across this same Greek word in Luke 8:1-3 in the description of the many women who followed Jesus and ministered with him:

“After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” (Luke 8:1-3 NIV)

Here’s how other Bibles translate this same phrase in bold (diakoneō autos ek autos hyparchō in Greek) :

• “ministered unto him of their substance” (KJV)
• “provided for Him from their substance” (NKJV”
• “contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples” (NLT)
• “who provided for them out of their means” (ESV)
• “supporting them from their possessions” (CSB)

The same phrase, “diakoneō autos,” is also found in these verses:

• Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Matthew 27:55 (NIV)
• In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. Mark 15:41 (NIV)

It’s interesting that some translations choose to make the object of the sentence Jesus (“for him”) and others the disciples (“for them”). There are also a variety of verbs used (ministered, provided, supported, contributed, cared for) to translate the same Greek word diakonos/diakoneō. Do you think any of these choices alter the meaning?

Here is an example of the same phrase (“diakoneō autos”) used to describe two men sent by Paul to Macedonia (in three translations):

• So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season. Acts 19:22 (KJV)
• He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. Acts 19:22 (NIV)
• After sending to Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. (CSB)

Bible professors Joan Taylor and Helen Bond point out that diakonia/dianokos is often translated “ministered” when concerning men, and “deaconess,” “served at the table,” “take care of” or “provide food for” when concerning women. We can see that in these examples above!

Part of the issue is the difficulty in finding a good English word to translate a Greek idea. Nijay Gupta, in his book Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church, proposes that a good translation for diakonos would be “ministry provider.” He suggests that this term better captures the idea of people capable of caring and serving others (as Jesus did) through their experience and spiritual gifting.

By the way, the Greek word translated “means” in Luke 8:3 is hyparchō and is also translated “possessions” (Matthew 19:21) and “wealth” (Matthew 25:14). According to New Testament scholar Susan E. Hylen, the idea of wealthy women supporting causes, whether civic or political, that they believed bettered their communities would have been familiar to New Testament readers. Women often acted as patrons and used their money and influence to benefit clients (Finding Phoebe).

Conclusions

I have always pictured the women who followed Jesus to be occupied with “women’s tasks”—making the meals or shopping for food. I also only ever pictures a few of them among a group of mostly men—maybe two or three. I never imaged a large group of women or that they they were engaged with works of ministry like teaching, prayer, and healing, along with the rest of the disciples!

This shouldn’t really surprise us or be controversial. Jesus was modeling a life of ministry and service, and they were just doing what they saw him do!

Here is Joan Taylor and Helen Bond with a summary:

“All indications are that the women had exactly the same relationship with Jesus as the twelve male envoys, that they had also been with Jesus from his earliest ministry and that they would play an equal part in proclaiming the kingdom of God. All that sets them apart is the fact that they provided for/ministered to the group from their own resources.”

The New Testament writers don’t tell us exactly what the female disciples of Jesus did, but maybe that’s because when they speak of “the disciples” doing something, they assume we know that included the women.

What do you think? Do you think these questions matter for how we think about our own ministry as women today? Why or why not?

Sources:

Hylen, Susan E. Finding Phoebe: What New Testament Women Were Really Like (2023).

Gupta, Nijay K. Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (2023).

Taylor, Joan and Helen Bond. Women Remembered: Jesus’ Female Disciples (2022).

---

My Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

*If you’re unsure how to become a paid subscriber, you can read detailed instructions HEREor simply go to my Substack page and click on the box that says, “upgrade to paid.” The paid subscriber tier is $5/month of $50/year.

female disciples jesus speaks to women women in ministry women in the bible women's ministry