“We Thank All The Women For All The Support!”

“We Thank All The Women For All The Support!”(Lk.8:1-3).
Do you remember this?: “An English professor wrote the words: ‘A woman without her man is nothing’ on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly.
All of the males in the class wrote:
‘A woman, without her man, is nothing.’
All the females in the class wrote:
‘A woman: without her, man is nothing.'”
Luke the evangelist proves that the punctuation of all the males is wrong. Jesus moved from one town and village to the other proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. He was accompanied not only by the Twelve, but “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 Cuza, the Manager of Herod’s household; Sussana; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”
Apart from Joanna whose husband is named, we are not told that the others were married. But without their men, they were something because they supported Jesus in his ministry out of their own means.
Besides, even Joanna who was a married woman was not accompanied by her husband. This means she was travelling with Jesus without her man (husband); but she was doing something useful out of her own means. (Don’t ask me, “How do you know the husband was not travelling with her”)? The hus band was the manager of Herod’s household. He couldn’t have abandoned his duty post to be travelling around with Jesus. If he did, Luke would have made some publicity about it.
Like Luke, we agree with the punctuation of all the females in the class. “A man is nothing without a woman!” God used a woman to bring the Saviour into the world. And he is still using women to bring men into the world and to bring men up! “Even Jesus needed the services of these women who accompanied him in his sojourns.
To crown it all, these women were “helping to support them out of their own means.” These women did not depend on their men in order to give their support.
For too long women’s voices have been stifled by a patriarchal biblical culture and enforced by the home-based patriarchy of the continent. Mama Mercy Amba Oduyoye says the women have borne the incontinence of fathers, husbands, sons and uncles with patience because they have realised that you do not hit somebody on the head if your hand is in his mouth.
Women too were created in the image of God. We cannot underestimate the primordial role the women play in helping to support the work of God out of their own means. We need each other; whoever we are.
We who are pastors know the important role our mothers, wives, daughters etc play in our ministry. As soon as you arrive a new parish the first gifts that you receive are foodstuffs from women. These foodstuffs come out of their own means.
Thank you dear women. Without you we are nothing. Yesterday some youths joined me to go harvest groundnuts. We were ten in number, but we were just two males. In fact, “A woman: without her, man is nothing!”
If the good news of the kingdom must continue to spread, the women must be there to support out of their own means.
Prayer: Lord thank you for our mothers, wives, aunts and daughters who support your work out of their own means. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.