How does Matthew 27:55 connect with Proverbs 31:30 on women's faithfulness? Matthew 27:55 — A Snapshot of Female Devotion “And many women were there, watching from a distance.” “They had followed Jesus from Galilee and ministered to Him.” • They stayed when most disciples scattered—loyal in Jesus’ darkest hour. • Their service (“ministered”) was practical, ongoing, and costly. • Distance did not diminish commitment; presence mattered more than proximity. Proverbs 31:30 — The Heart Behind the Loyalty “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” • True worth is rooted in reverence for the LORD, not outward appeal. • Fear of God produces steady, self-forgetting service—exactly what the women at Calvary displayed. Connecting the Dots • Inner Fear → Outer Faithfulness – Proverbs 31:30 names the source (reverence). – Matthew 27:55 shows the fruit (steadfast presence). • Praise Now and Forever – Proverbs promises public commendation. – The Gospel record fulfills it: their names are memorialized (vv. 56). • Counter-Cultural Courage – First-century women rarely appeared in public legal records. – Scripture elevates them, exemplifying Proverbs 31 honor. Echoes Elsewhere in Scripture • Luke 8:3: “Some women… were helping to support them out of their own means.” – Financial faithfulness parallels their physical presence at the cross. • Ruth 1:16: “Where you go I will go… your God will be my God.” – A prior model of covenant loyalty, echoed by the Galilean women. • 1 Peter 3:5-6: “Holy women… hoped in God.” – Peter links hope in God with fearless obedience, mirroring Proverbs 31:30. Living Out the Lesson Today • Cultivate the fear of the LORD; visible faithfulness flows from unseen devotion. • Serve consistently—even when unnoticed, uncelebrated, or “at a distance.” • Honor women whose quiet loyalty strengthens the church; Scripture does. • Measure worth by spiritual character, not fleeting externals. |
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