Women were listed in the lineage of Jesus Christ. This was considered to be the highest honor that could be bestowed upon an Israelite. Another example of the importance placed on women in the Bible.

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How Others See It: Beverly LaHaye
"Genesis 1:27 says that God 'created' man, but Genesis 2:22 tells us that God 'fashioned' the woman. This word comes from the Hebrew root word meaning 'to build' or 'to design.' God had a special blueprint and design for woman, so he fashioned her into what he wanted her to be. Could it possibly be that God took extra care in making woman, so she could be a fairer sex and a feminine beauty? She was designed to complement the man, not to replace him."

Deborah Newman
"Most women accept the subtle messages the world tells us about what we need to be as women—young, sexy, rich, powerful. Others of us try to measure ourselves by certain roles we see outlined in the Bible—submissive, gentle, hospitable. But there is so much more God wants us to experience as women."

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Ave Maria—A Child Is Born

John 19:26–27: When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

With the birth of Jesus, a new era dawned for women. For two thousand years Mary has been honored and even worshiped.

But she wasn't the only woman whom Jesus treated with respect. Throughout the New Testament he is shown visiting women in their homes, forgiving their sins, caring for the widows, and healing women of their ailments.

His final act on the cross was seeing to the care of his mother. He asked one of his disciples, John "the beloved," to take his mother into his home and treat her as if she were his own.

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How Others See It: Henry E. Dosker
"The birth of Christ lifted motherhood to the highest possible plane and idealized it for all time.... What woman is today, what she is in particular in her motherhood, she owes wholly to the position in which the Scriptures have placed her."

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Where Have All the Mothers Gone?

Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

The pressures on mothers have never been greater. Seventy-five percent of us are employed or looking for work, and the percentage is higher for mothers with children age twelve and older. This means most of us are trying to do a good job at work, be a first-class mom, keep a house clean, cook, shop, run errands, maybe do some gardening, and, if we're married, be an excellent wife. When someone gets sick, we're the nurse. When someone needs a ride, we're the chauffeur. When someone needs just about anything, we're it. We're the fixers, the lovers, the counselors, the bill payers. Let's face it, there aren't enough of us to go around. I don't know how many times I've driven to work in the morning with tears running down my face, feeling like a failure at everything.