Mary Magdalene is one of those people that is a lot is said about, but not necessarily a lot is known about.  That’s part of the problem of studying things of ancient history.  They did not write everything down.  Mary and the female followers of Jesus did not have blogs or social media accounts to take us with them.  (Wouldn’t that have been great if they had?  I would be a subscriber to all their offerings if I could.) Therefore, there is a lot of room for details to be made up...
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You know why the story of the woman at the well in John 4 is so good?  It’s because Jesus knew exactly who this woman was before he ever met her.  He knew all the things she had done.  All the husbands (and not husbands) this woman had had.  And he talked to her anyway.  I argue that he passed through Samaria just to speak to this woman.  This might even be more significant than all the other morally questionable people he associated with.  Why?  Because she was not a Jew.
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John 11 tells about Jesus raising a man, Lazarus, from the dead. He was dead, dead. Been in the tomb for four days. Definitely a miracle. Definitely a great story. However, it’s not my favorite part of the story.

Lazarus had two sisters, Martha and Mary. Everyone may know that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but they also know about these two women. See Martha was the one that was distracted and worried about serving Jesus and his friends at her home while Mary sat at Jesus’s feet. And Jesus told her that Mary had chosen the better thing. Being at Jesus’s feet was Mary’s thing.
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It’s exhausting to have people over.  There is so much work to be done.  It’s like once you get started the list just grows and grows.  Kind of like “if you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass a milk” and so forth and so on.  Things like clean the baseboards all of a sudden seem very important to your guests’ comfort and enjoyment while in your home.  And I am likely to get really irritated if someone comes through and disturbs the cleanliness of the room.  How dare they leave their shoes in the den?!?!

 I imagine this is how Martha felt when Jesus and his disciples were coming in.  Jesus knew this family well.  They are mentioned three different times in the gospels.  She is busy making sure everything is just so and her sister should be helping her.  But where is she?  Sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Now, you and I know that is where we all should be.  However, Martha is sure that Jesus is going to back her up and tell Mary to get to work.  He does not.  “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
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Mary was so young and so wise.  She was chosen by God to be….his own mother.  The rest of us do not get to choose that.  (If I was given the choice, I would stick with the mama I have if you are wondering.)  Man does this say a lot about the kind of human Mary was. 

I mean God knows the number of hairs on my head, but I don’t know if he would have chosen me to be his mom. I have really been sitting with the fact that even though Mary knew her son was the Messiah, he was still her little boy. 
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Can you imagine getting to see baby Jesus?  Like for real.  What if you were in the church like you always were and as you came around the corner there stood a young couple with a new baby.  Suddenly something deep inside of you jumped, and you felt filled with joy and light like you were going to burst.  Feeling a strong desire to nurture and protect yet at the same time being comforted that this tiny child was here to bring salvation.
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Perhaps this passage is where the insane standard for a woman having it all comes from.  Seriously, this woman in these verses is phenomenal…but really daunting to try to live up to.  It even starts out by saying, “A wife of noble character who can find?”  Now, don’t get me wrong.  Scripture exists to teach us and draw us into a closer relationship with God.  There are things we should strive to do.  I wish I was all the things this woman is.  But I am not. 

I have to admit that I was frustrated with Proverbs 31:10-31.  It was not really what I had always thought it was before I really dug into it.  I was feeling disappointed that the writer had put this on paper and that God thought it pertinent to humanity to include it in His Word.  I had texted my pastor, Dr Shane Green, and I was about to dive into a google search.  I had read several commentaries and had gotten two schools of thought.  Luckily, Shane’s response dinged before I plunged into the internet.
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Esther is one of only two books in the Bible titled by the female main character.  (Ruth is the other one.)  It also does not really reference God. So why do I think it is important?  First of all, a verse that you have probably heard before is in it.  “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” 4:14  I have referenced it many times in my life.  It means that maybe God put you wherever you are for a very specific reason.  In Esther’s case, to save the Jewish people in the Persian kingdom from execution. 

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During the time of the Judges an Israelite family from Bethlehem went across the Jordan into Moab because of famine. Should they have gone? Who knows? Moab was not a place Israelites should be. The Moabites were a constant problem to the Israelites. I’m sure Elimelech did what he thought was best for his wife and children. His two sons were not the healthiest. They were sickly kids. As it turns out Elimelech dies in Moab. His sons take Moabitesses as wives. And then they die. Now the family consists of a widow (Naomi) and her two widowed daughters-in-law (Ruth and Orpah). Three women left to fend for themselves. This was a nightmare scenario for them. Naomi gives the opportunity to Ruth and Orpah to return to their families. She knows she has no means to support them. What would become of them? She knows the young women can remarry and secure better futures without her. They insist that they will stay with her. There is clearly such a bond there. Even in their short time together they have been through so much.

Eventually, Naomi determines to go back home. She figures she must have some family that will take pity on her. Again, she insists that Ruth and Orpah return to their families. Orpah does decide to go home, but Ruth says the words that we are all familiar with, ”Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God, my God.”
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Deborah is a nominally well-known bible character.  And rightfully so.  She led the Israelites to victory over an army of 900 iron chariots that had been plaguing them for like twenty years.  (By the way, iron chariots at that time would be like a tank.) This was no small feat. 

The opposing army could literally roll right over them and this is pretty much all we know about Deborah.  She is introduced in Judges 4 and 5.  She is a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, and judge.  She settled disputes among her folks sitting under the Palm of Deborah in between Bethel and Ramah in the hill country of Ephraim.  Under her leadership forty years of peace were enjoyed.  This all sounds great. Until you look at the details through the lens of what was normal at the time.
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