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A simple question from a five-year-old—“Why didn’t Jesus have female disciples?”—opened a door we couldn’t close. We follow the text, not the artwork, and uncover a larger circle of disciples that includes women who learned at Jesus’ feet, funded His ministry, and stood fast when fear scattered others. The aim isn’t to add something modern to the Bible; it’s to remove what tradition and illustration have taken away.

We start by clarifying language. Luke 6 shows Jesus calling many disciples and selecting twelve apostles from among them. When He points to His disciples and says “whoever does the will of my Father… is my brother and sister and mother,” He draws a family that includes women as disciples. Luke 8 then names Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna—patrons who provided out of their own resources. In the ancient world, patronage meant influence, networks, and public honor. These women weren’t background help; they were mission-critical partners who likely outranked many men socially. In Bethany, Mary chooses learning and Martha serves; Jesus affirms discipleship as the better portion while dignifying diakonia as real ministry.

From there, we widen the lens at the cross and the tomb. Collating the Gospels reveals a cluster of named women—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, Salome, Joanna, Mary the mother of Jesus, her sister, possibly Mary of Clopas—and “many other” women from Galilee. Even allowing for overlapping names, the group is larger than the standard two or three in most art. They are last at the cross and first at the empty tomb, entrusted with the first proclamation of the resurrection to apostles who struggle to believe. Their courage, patronage, and attentive faith reshape how we picture the movement of Jesus.

We also confront how children’s Bibles and church platforms can normalize women’s invisibility, teaching absence as if it were Scripture. Restoring the women the Gospels name is not cosmetic; it forms how our daughters and sons imagine calling, learning, service, and witness. We close with practical tools—readings, visuals, and resources—to help families, pastors, and teachers show the mixed company that truly followed Jesus. If this conversation challenged your mental picture, share the episode, subscribe for upcoming interviews with leading scholars on Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ female disciples, and leave a review to help more people meet the women the text refuses to forget.

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(TW: Frank discussions of exploitation, sexual abuse, rape, and assault)

The news feels like a gut punch, and yet the patterns are old: powerful people exploit the vulnerable, and too many institutions fall silent. We sit down with sexual health educator and Sex Ed Reclaimed founder Kristen to process the latest Epstein files and the wider sexual abuse crisis in churches and culture. Together we trace how objectification and porn create a pipeline to power-seeking behavior, why “just talk about lust” solutions miss the mark, and what genuine repentance looks like when harm has been done.

We don’t sanitize Scripture to make it easy. Esther wasn’t a pageant winner; she was a trafficked teenager in a predatory system. Bathsheba wasn’t a seductress; she was targeted by a king. When study notes and sermons blame victims, congregations learn to miss abuse in real life. We challenge that lens and point to Jesus, who consistently dignifies women, commissions them as witnesses, and dismantles status games by redefining greatness as service. The way of Jesus is not quiet neutrality—it’s courageous protection of the vulnerable and clear-eyed truth about power.

Expect practical steps, not platitudes. We walk through survivor-first policies, mandatory reporting, boundaries for leaders, and how to build a culture that talks plainly about sex, consent, and digital habits. Kristen opens a window into solicitor education—what actually shifts men who’ve been caught paying for sex—and offers tools parents can use to teach their kids dignity and safety from an early age. If you’ve felt angry, numb, or alone in the weight of these stories, this conversation names the grief and points to a faithful path forward.

If this resonates, share it with someone who needs language for what they’re feeling, subscribe for upcoming episodes on the female disciples during Lent, and leave a review so more people can find these conversations. Your voice matters—how will you use it today?

Find Kristen Miele at https://www.sexedreclaimed.com/ or on social media @sexedreclaimed

Watch for her upcoming book in Fall 2026!

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To join Jessica LM Jenkins' mailing list, or access the full research bibliography for this episode visit www.wewhothirst.com/links .

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The room is cold, the kingdom colder. David can’t keep warm, and the palace drafts Abishag the Shunammite to lie beside him—an ancient remedy that exposes a deeper crisis: a fading king, a fragile succession, and a court willing to spend a woman’s future to buy a few degrees of heat. From that stark image, we follow the threads of 1 Kings 1–2 as Bathsheba steps back into view, not as a pawn but as a strategist and mother who knows how to turn truth into action.

We walk through Adonijah’s armored pageant and the alliances behind his claim, then listen as Nathan cues Bathsheba to confront David with a promise and a duty. Her words are careful and cutting, and they work: Solomon is anointed at Gihon, the royal mule becomes a sign of legitimate rule, and the city’s shout rolls down the valley. Mercy spares Adonijah—on conditions. What happens next reveals how the politics of the harem intersect with the politics of the crown. As Queen Mother, Bathsheba receives Adonijah’s “small” request to marry Abishag, a move loaded with dynastic meaning. She carries it to open court with formal precision, and Solomon hears it for what it is: a renewed bid for the throne. The verdict is swift. The kingdom holds.

Still, one name lingers. Abishag’s story fades into the margins, her life circled by decisions she didn’t make. We wrestle with that silence, the ethics of ancient power, and the way Scripture both records and critiques systems that consume women. Along the way we unpack name meanings, geography, and ancient customs to make the text vivid: why Gihon mattered, why a mule signaled legitimacy, and how the Queen Mother’s seat shaped policy. Above all, we keep sight of the God who keeps sight of those power overlooks—Bathsheba, Abishag, and all who feel shelved in the shadows.

If this exploration deepened your understanding or gave you new empathy for the women at Scripture’s hinge points, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review with the question you’re still pondering. Your reflections help others find the show.

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Follow We Who Thirst on Instagram, Threads, or YouTube!

To join Jessica LM Jenkins' mailing list, or access the full research bibliography for this episode visit www.wewhothirst.com/links .

Thank you for supporting the Women of the Bible in Context podcast, your contributions make this ministry possible!