Schreiner: Women also play a surprisingly prominent role in John’s Gospel.

Women also play a surprisingly prominent role in John’s Gospel. In John 2:1–11 a fascinating interaction takes place between Jesus and his mother. When she tried to persuade Jesus to intervene and to provide wine for a wedding feast, he made it clear that he followed the mandate of his Father instead of his mother. Still, she was confident that Jesus would do something to help and instructed the servants to do whatever he requested. The encounter with the Samaritan woman demonstrated Jesus’ compassion and love for a woman who was an outcast (John 4:4–42). Jesus reveals that women and Samaritans are not outside his saving purposes, even if the disciples were scandalized that Jesus conversed with a woman. She became the means by which the rest of the Samaritans in the village heard the good news about Jesus. Near the end of his ministry, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus’ encounter with Lazarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary, is sketched in by John in some detail (John 11:1–44). Both of these women function as model disciples; Martha recognized Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. John also includes the account of Mary anointing Jesus before his death (John 12:1–8). The women who were faithful to Jesus, standing near the cross, are named (John 19:25). John also includes the account in which John took Mary as his mother (John 19:26–27). John also focuses on the role of Mary Magdalene in his resurrection account (John 20:1–2), and Jesus appeared first to Mary (John 20:11–18), who recounted the good news to others.

Schreiner, T. R. (2008). New Testament theology: magnifying God in Christ (pp. 771–772). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

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