Lk 8:1-3
Female disciples: The passage illustrates the author’s concern with women throughout his Gospel. More than any other evangelist, Luke portrays women as co-guarantors with the Twelve of the Christ-event.
In the opening chapters of the Gospel, Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna are presented. Later, Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain. He visits the home of Martha and Mary and tells a parable about a woman who lost a coin. These are but a few of Luke’s many references to the ministry of women throughout the Gospel. In the Acts of the Apostles there are more references.
Two of the women mentioned in the passage are mentioned again in the resurrection narrative: Mary Magdalene and Joanna (24:10). These women and others accompany Jesus to Jerusalem, where they witness his death. They become sharers of the good news.
This elevation of women to such a role is unique to Luke. The general first-century attitude to women was that they were to be avoided; they were considered inferior to men. However, Luke shows how Jesus raised women to a place of dignity and gave them a share in the ministry of the Twelve. They have an important role to play in the history of salvation.