Women who Supported Jesus

Luke 8:1-3 (ESV)
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, [2] and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, [3] and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

It is quite amazing. Jesus had a lot of women followers, who even helped fund his ministry. In the gospels he is always showing them a lot of respect. One also notices the same thing with Paul. Paul would not have been able to do half of what he did without the help of women. It is amazing that two thousand years later people will label him a misogynist. And say that Christianity is a tool of oppression. The women of the first century did not think this. Of course their society was in many ways much more oppressive to women than it is now. Yet, there were women of means, who made good money doing various things. Paul uses women throughout his ministry in many different ways. Today, Paul at least, if not Jesus also, is looked down upon as being oppressive merely because he did not allow women to be pastors. I think he wanted to spare them the headache. But really, it is amazing, it has been the Christianization of the west that has led to such egalitarianism, but Christianity, if it is undermined by that egalitarianism, will lose its influence in culture, and with it will go the egalitarianism. Women will be the ones to suffer. So we might think a bit about this, there is a lot on the line, not just doctrine but the values the west holds dear, when we start tinkering with the pastoral office.