Women Leading the Way to Christ

Kimberly Wold

“Kaphar” painting and poem by Candy Hunt.

“Kaphar”

Atoning power of love, and grace, and peace enfoldeth me;

Then, turns and lifts my burdened soul away from my

Gethsemane.

In gentle waves of quiet strength, it covereth me,

Then, helps me reach beyond myself, so I can succor thee.

In the Sunday morning session of General Conference in October 2015, President Russell M. Nelson, then the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, spoke of needing “women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ.” And then said, “We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve.” I have worked on having that understanding of the doctrine—and working to chip away at traditions and aspects of our culture that don’t match the doctrine. But it’s only been in the last few years that I have thought about what it means to have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve. Throughout the scriptures, starting with Mother Eve, we see women who have an understanding of the doctrine of Jesus Christ and have the courage and vision to point us toward Christ.

The life of Jesus Christ is bookended by women, starting with Mary, the beloved mother of Jesus, and her cousin, Elisabeth. His life is filled with women who are His disciples, learning, and ministering to Him. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Mary, Martha, and others. His life ends with women staying with him through his horrific crucifixion. Women care for His broken body and then serve as the first witnesses of His resurrection. Women are at the center of Jesus’s life. Prior to His birth, women have pointed the way to Him. A few decades ago, President Oaks said it was Eve, “who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality. Her act, whatever its nature, was formally a transgression but eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life,” thus Eve courageously opened the path to Jesus Christ.

For several years, I have studied women in the scriptures and early Christianity. Not all women led traditional lives. Think of the woman at the well from Samaria—the text tells us she had been married five times and the man she was living with was not her husband. Yet the longest recorded conversation Jesus had one-to-one is with a woman—this Samaritan woman. (John 4:4-26). After her stunning conversation with Christ, she went into town to point the way to Jesus—saying, “is not this the Christ?” This woman became a powerful witness of Jesus Christ. Wherever He went, Christ improved the conditions for women, conventional or not, bringing them into the center of His life. I will focus on two of my favorites, Deborah the Prophetess from the Old Testament and Abish from the Book of Mormon.

The Old Testament has become one of my favorite to study because, first, we learn the nature of Jehovah, our Savior Jesus Christ. Second, we learn about covenants, covenantal language, and covenantal relationships, and third, no book of scripture records the actions of women as much as the Old Testament does. One of my favorite examples of female disciples in the Old Testament is the recorded actions of Deborah the prophetess (Judges 4 and 5). Deborah is a judge in Israel, a military leader, and a prophetess. We read that the children of Israel came to her for judgment- this is about 1200 years or so before Christ was born. For twenty years Israel has been under the thumb of the Canaanites — and it’s time to break free. The Israelites will stage a rebellion against the Canaanites—heavily armed professional military men.

The Israelites will not have sophisticated weapons—they are more like an untrained coalition. Barak is Israel’s military captain, but Deborah is their leader. Deborah tells Barak to get prepared to go to war. Barak replies: “If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go” (Judges 4:8). Barak is not saying this because he is weak—he is humble and he knows he needs Deborah—he is confident in her abilities as a prophetess and military leader. “And she said, I will surely go with thee…” (Judges 4:9). Her actions give Barak the confidence he needs to do the job to free Israel. Deborah is a prophetess and knows what the Lord wants her to do.

“And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera: is not the Lord gone out before thee?”(Judges 4:14). Again, she is acting as a prophetess, this time on the actual day of battle. The Canaanites are defeated, and the children of Israel are delivered because of a woman who is confident in her ability to receive revelation and to lead every step of the way, thereby inspiring another military leader to victory and to the Lord.

Some of you are familiar with the story of Abish in the Book of Mormon (Alma 19:13-29). As background, Ammon, son of king Mosiah, is teaching king Lamoni about Jesus Christ (Alma 18:20 - Alma 19:30). King Lamoni becomes overcome with the Spirit and collapses “as if he were dead.” After two days his wife, the queen, tells Ammon the situation—she believes her husband is not dead. He assures the queen her husband is not dead, and she has great faith in the words of Ammon and believes him. The king arises the following day, as prophesied by Ammon, and testifies of Christ and His redemption of all. Again, the king collapses this time with joy, as does the queen and Ammon. All because they are filled with the Spirit of God. Then the servants become fearful and also collapse. The last person standing is the servant Abish, a woman converted unto the Lord. Abish discerns truth and is thrilled with these events, believing the people will at last be converted. So she runs throughout the village gathering the people to see what has happened. Contention quickly occurs as the people don’t quite see the truth of the situation. But Abish sees the truth and she takes the queen by the hand and immediately the queen arises and testifies of Christ, the queen then takes her husband by the hand and he arises testifying of Christ.

Abish was not directed by any person to do what she did. Because she discerned truth from error, she jumped in and got to it. Despite the contention that occurred, she moved this experience forward with a simple gesture— taking the queen by the hand to raise her up. Abish became instrumental in this redeeming, spiritual experience.

These women were “exemplary disciples and important witnesses” of Jesus Christ. Their actions pointed to the Savior, their Savior, our Savior. No doubt your actions also point to the Savior. Although we may have our testimony of Jesus Christ, it is not always easy to show up when we are tired, cranky, unprepared, or out of sorts. It can be exhausting to show up for your family, friends, church callings, and community . . . but, you seem to do it anyway. You offer help and you don’t wait for an assignment—you jump in and help. Although none of us is a finished product—perfection is an eternal process and won’t be achieved in this lifetime. We keep trying to improve even while continually making mistakes. We serve, pray, fast, even when we don’t feel our spiritual best. We start over again and again. It is expected that we will cycle through all sorts of challenges, wounds, and weaknesses, but always with the ability to turn toward Christ.

Like Deborah the prophetess, you inspire others with your presence, you listen, and give others the confidence to do hard things. Like Abish, you know the difference between truth and error and can see things as they really are and how a simple gesture can change the outcome of a tricky situation. I have considered how the women in my community minister to others—all without assignment. No doubt you see the same action in your world.

Here are a few actions I have observed: Caring for the widowed, single mothers, and newborn babies—even when you don’t know the people involved. Sitting with those who are struggling with depression, low self-esteem, or anxiety. Providing meals for families, rides to doctor appointments, meals for funerals, cleaning homes, helping pack houses, and unpacking houses.Teaching how to start a food storage project and how to have a thriving garden in the desert. Helping sisters learn and understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ, encouraging others to read their scriptures, inviting others to come with you to church or the temple, helping those struggling with their place in the church or struggles with the church.

I have watched my friends teach English as a second language or how to manage money. You help in a crisis and you help when there is no crisis. You help a friend make a difficult decision, solve a complex problem, or deal with marital issues. You offer to pick up items from Costco or Trader Joe’s. Countless texts of praise, thanks, or encouragement are sent daily. You help someone get through college. You pay for someone to serve a mission. You make food to honor our local graduating high school seniors. You love those who are difficult to love.

You are sisters in modern-day scriptures. You represent Eve with her courage and vision, like Deborah you instill confidence, and like Abish you discern truth. You are examples of turning toward Christ and bringing others with you. Your brilliant actions represent our Savior. You are true disciples of Christ.

Works Cited

Burton, Linda K. “Certain Women.” April 2017 General Conference.

Hunt, Candy. “Kaphar” painting and poem.

Nelson, Russell M. “A Plea To My Sisters.” October 2015 General Conference.

Oaks, Dallin H. “The Great Plan of Happiness.” October 1993.