Ministering To Jesus

"There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the less, and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem." Mark 15;40

Here was a group of devastated women watching their beloved Rabbi being brutally murdered. Dying the death of a vile criminal. Helpless ~ they could only watch from afar.

These are women who had eagerly and lovingly ministered to Jesus. It is what women do. They are God designed to nurture. To care. To serve. It does not say how they ministered.

Jesus owned no earthly property. He had no place to call His own for shelter. He did not even have a pillow on which to lay His head at night. 

What He did have was love from these women. Perhaps they brought fresh water from the well to the Rabbi Jesus. Maybe they cooked food, or offered their homes as a place of rest and much needed sleep. Maybe they had carefully tended gardens, where He could find refreshment away from the press of the throngs that always seemed to surround Him. Perhaps they just sat near and drank in His words of life.

The Bible does not say much about the details - it simply says “ministered.”

What a beautiful picture this gives of service. It is still true for all of us who are true daughters of God.
When we care - when we fulfill our calling “as unto the Lord,” we are women who minister to Jesus.

Our callings vary greatly. For some it is caring for a husband and a row of small children. Changing diapers, washing stacks of dirty dishes and endless piles of soiled clothing. Settling squabbles, wiping noses, answering questions. It is ministering to Jesus.

For others it might be guiding teens through turbulent teen years, serving on sewing or food committees. Perhaps you are called to care for aging parents, or helping busy young Moms with canning and freezing the garden’s bounty. It is ministering to Jesus. 

Perhaps you have found your niche in the classroom, a teacher to living souls. Or maybe you toil long hours and the warm sun in the produce patch, or your family’s place of business. It is ministering to Jesus. 

Then there are those whose bodies are bent and careworn. Unable to do much physically. And yet they minister to Jesus through prayer. Who can tell of the miracles wrought through the power of prayer and lifting other’s to the throne of grace?

You see, we no longer have to stand helpless observing from afar. He invites us near. He longs for us to be close. Heart to heart. Near to Him. Where daily, as we go about our duties, we commune with Him. We rejoice in His presence. We worship Him. We are keenly aware of His constant care.

We offer ourselves. All of who we are. Our time. Our talents and gifts. Our strength. Our love. To be used by Him as He sees best. Surrendered to Him, loved by Him, we find joy and fulfillment - ministering to Him.