The Gospel according to Luke generally is recognized for its positive presentation of women in the ministry of Jesus. The proposed presentation will begin with a brief description of Luke’s characterization of women in general, highlighting passages unique to his Gospel. Within this context, the role of the women in the first resurrection scene (24:1-12) will be explored. When they discovered the empty tomb, the women from Galilee were serving as his surrogate family, intending to provide care for Jesus’ body. When first told about the resurrection, the women remembered the words of Jesus. In contrast, when first told about the resurrection, the apostles did not remember Jesus’ words and did not believe the women. Luke 24:8 is significant in this scene. The remainder of the presentation will answer the question: What does Luke 24:8 communicate about female disciples in the context of Luke’s Gospel?
Women from Galilee who span the social spectrum first appear explicitly as a group in Luke’s narrative in 8:1-3, just before the parable of the soils. They are described as a part of Jesus’ surrogate family in 8:21 (understanding αδελφοι to refer to males and females) with an emphasis on hearing and doing that clearly connects them to the parable of the soils. Then, they seem to disappear from the story and do disappear from the narrative, resurfacing as witnesses at the cross. They are specifically mentioned again at 23:49. They are witnesses of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and burial, beginning a witness motif that continues through Acts.
If they are absent from most of the narrative, how did the women from Galilee remember Jesus’ words? The answer is that they were present, if not explicitly mentioned in the narrative. An examination of Jesus’ passion and resurrection predictions identifies Luke 9:22 as the specific words from the narrative that the women remembered, meaning that the “disciples” of 9:18 included these women. The description of their financial support in 8:1-3, before the significant pivot in the outline of the Gospel at 9:51, together with 24:8 and their role as witnesses, implies that the women were present all along.
The presentation will conclude that Luke 24:8 contains an echo of the parable of the soils with the women’s memory of Jesus’ words while acting as surrogate family. Instead of assuming that only men were present for Jesus’ teaching, interpreters should assume that the women from Galilee were present among the disciples during the travel to Jerusalem portion of Luke beginning at 9:51. The women from Galilee were loyal to Jesus, listened to and remembered Jesus’ words, and acted like family. Luke’s characterization of the women emphasizes the vital role of women in the Jesus movement before the resurrection and in the transition to the early church.