Woman, Your Faith is Great Trivia Quiz

Answer: His mother

According to John 2, Jesus, His family, and His disciples were invited to a wedding in the city of Cana. The bride and/or groom were likely related to Jesus, but this is uncertain. It's interesting to note, however, that Cana was close to Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus and of His mother (Mary of Nazareth).

He turned water into wine, which became His first miracle, according to John 2:11.

It might seem strange and even rude that Jesus called His own mother "Woman", but multiple sources state that in the ancient Greek language, calling a woman "Woman" didn't have the negative connotation, but it does in English. In Greek, saying "Woman" was like the equivalent of saying "Ma'am" or "Miss" in English. Jesus addressed many females with this title, including His friend Mary Magdalene, and He meant no disrespect. It is intriguing, nonetheless, why Jesus didn't call His mother, "Mother" here. On the other hand, we can't say that Jesus never called her Mother, because not all of His words are recorded in the Bible.

Answer: The bleeding woman

She is normally referred to as "the woman with the issue of blood", but I think "the bleeding woman" will work here. According to Mark 5, this poor lady suffered for 12 years with some sort of bleeding problem. Although her exact problem isn't known, some readers suspect that she had an abnormal menstrual issue.

The woman, who was Jewish, believed that Jesus was the Messiah and she told herself that if she could touch His garment, she would get healed, which is what happened, according to the text.

Jesus was on His way to heal Jarius's little girl when the woman touched His outfit. Jarius was one of the synagogue's officials, so he would have been considered higher-class than this ceremonially unclean, bleeding woman, but Jesus didn't get angry at her for touching Him. He simply told her,
"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction" (verse 34).

Answer: The Syrophoenician (Canaanite) woman

Matthew 15 calls her a Canaanite, while Mark 7 refers to her as a Syrophoenician. There's no contradiction because Phoenicians were Canaanites. Some translations also call her a Greek, of the Syrophoenician race, but others say a Gentile of the Syrophoenician race. The term Greek doesn't necessarily indicate Greek in the Bible; it can sometimes mean a Gentile of any nation. At the same time, this Canaanite woman possibly spoke the Greek language.

This Gentile woman approached Jesus as He was going through Tyre and Sidon. Despite her not being Jewish, she addressed Jesus with the Messianic title "Son of David". She asked Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Initially, Jesus refused, saying that He had been sent only to Jews/Israel. He was testing her faith. She persisted with her request until Jesus told her what is quoted in Matthew 15:28.

Answer: The repentant sinner

According to Luke 7, a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to his house for a feast. Evidently, this occurred pretty early on in Christ's ministry. An anonymous woman came and anointed His feet with perfume. In addition, she was crying uncontrollably and wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Luke 7:37 describes her as a sinner in or of the city--she was probably a woman of the streets, a prostitute. Just like the prostitute and/or sexual sinner, the city is also unnamed.

Simon was shocked and disgusted that Jesus allowed a sinful, unclean woman to touch Him (verse 39), but Jesus read His mind and told him that even though the woman had many sins, she was forgiven because she showed Jesus so much love (verse 47). She was repentant. Jesus told her that her faith in Him saved her (verse 50).

Jesus basically rebuked Simon and implied that the woman was more hospitable than the Pharisee was. Simon, the host, didn't provide any water or anointing oil for Jesus, but she did (verses 44-46).

Answer: Mary of Bethany

I say that she was probably Mary of Bethany because the writer of Mark 14 left the woman anonymous, but John 12 tells a very similar story in which Mary of Bethany anointed Christ's feet a few days before His crucifixion and burial. Matthew 26 also includes a version identical to Mark 14's. Several scholars therefore believe that Mark, Matthew, and John all tell the same event, with the same woman, but with just slight differences.

According to Matthew and Mark, Jesus was in Bethany and a woman with an alabaster box came and anointed His head with costly perfume. Some disciples complained and said that the money from the perfume should had been used to help the poor. Jesus defended her and then proclaimed what He did in Mark 14:9. John 12 states that while Jesus was in Bethany, Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, who lived in Bethany, came and anointed His feet with expensive perfume. In John 12, Judas Iscariot specifically griped about the price. Jesus defended Mary just like He defended the woman from Matthew and Mark. The major difference between the stories is that Mathew and Mark say that she anointed His head, while John states she anointed His feet. I personally think that Mary of Bethany anointed both His head and His feet, so I don't see it as a contradiction.

It's ironic how (it seems like) these days, Christ's mother and Mary Magdalene are the women remembered the most for their roles in the gospel narrative. Some people, especially Roman Catholics, actually suggest that Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were the same person, but this is debatable.

Most Orthodox Christians and Protestants believe that Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were two distinct people. It is important to remember that Jesus proclaimed that the woman would be memorialized for preparing His body for His death, not for actually standing next to His cross and witnessing His resurrection. (Mary Magdalene did the latter.)

Answer: The Samaritan woman

John 4 states that Jesus left Judea to go to Galilee, but He "had to pass through Samaria" (John 4:4, New American Standard Bible). According to MiddleTown BibleChurch.org, Samaria was the capitol of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the Old Testament days of the kings, while Jerusalem was the capitol of the Southern Kingdom, also called Judah. Due to the Northern Kingdom's sins, the LORD allowed Samaria to fall into Assyrian captivity (2 Kings 17). Some Jews intermarried with Assyrians, which led to the half-Gentile race of the Samaritans.

Jews had no dealings with Samaritans (John 4:9), not only because they were half-Gentile, but also because they had their own worship, which the Jews considered false. Even today, the religion of Samaritanism is similar to Judaism, but it has its distinctions. The main issue, apparently, was that the Jews believed the correct mountain to worship the Father on was Mount Zion, while the Samaritans believed the correct mountain for worship was Mount Gerizim. This is why Jesus said to her what He did.

According to Christianity, there is neither male nor female; Jew nor Gentile, because all are equal (Galatians 3:28). At His time, however, it was very unusual that Jesus, a Jewish man, talked to a Samaritan, and a Samaritan *woman* at that.

Answer: The adulterous woman

John 8 states that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, planning to teach in the temple. The Pharisees brought an adulterous woman and set her in the middle of the court; she was made a spectacle in front of all the people. The Pharisees told Jesus that they caught her in the very act of adultery and asked Jesus whether she should be stoned or not. Many commentaries have pointed out the misogynistic action of the Pharisees. While what the woman did was surely sinful, where was the man who committed adultery with her? If they found her in the act like they claimed, then certainly they should have known where the sinful man was, but they didn't bring him out to make a spectacle of him! Leviticus 20:10, the law which they claimed to uphold, said that *both* the adulterer and the adulteress should be stoned, but those men only seemed interested in condemning the woman.

They were also trying to trap Jesus (John 8:6). Israel at this time was under Roman rule, so apparently, even if the Jewish law said to stone people, the Jews couldn't legally do it without getting Romans involved. If He said to stone her, then He would have gotten in trouble with the Roman government. On the other hand, if He told them to not stone her, they would have accused Him of not upholding God's law. Instead of giving in to their trap, Jesus wrote on the ground and told them to let the one without any sin throw the first stone. The Pharisees knew they weren't without any sin, so they left.

In the end, Jesus didn't throw a stone at her. He, in fact, couldn't, based on both God's real law and Roman rule, because God's law said that there needed to be at least two witnesses to perform the death penalty (Deuteronomy 19:50). It is important to note that He didn't approve of her adultery. He commanded her to go and sin no more. This story provides an interesting mix of grace and law. Even though the woman ultimately received grace, Jesus was still following the law by NOT killing her.

Popular culture and traditions have often portrayed Mary Magdalene as the adulterous woman, but honestly, this isn't very likely. Scripturally, Mary Magdalene was a demon-possessed woman, whom Jesus *healed* (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9).

Answer: The handicapped woman

Luke 13 states that Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, when He saw a handicapped or disabled woman. She couldn't stand up straight and had suffered for 18 years.

Luke 13:12-13, New American Standard Bible
"When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your sickness.'
And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God."

The Jewish official was angry with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath and he told the people that they could get healing on any other day. Jesus rebuked him and said the words quoted in verse 16. According to Barnes' commentary on BibleHub.com, the official should have been happy and thankful that this *Jewish* lady was delivered from her sickness. A son or daughter of Abraham is one who is Jewish. Sarah was Abraham's wife and the matriarch of the Jews.

This was yet another example of Jesus going against the flow of His time. He interrupted the service to minister to not even a man, but a woman!

Answer: Mary Magdalene

It's funny, because popular culture has portrayed Mary Magdalene as unnamed women in the Gospels, such as the adulterous woman (John 8) and the repentant sinner (Luke 7). Then there are those who believe that Mary Magdalene is synonymous with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha (Luke 10; John 11). But those are conjectures. While I don't wish to wish to offend anybody's beliefs, I think Mary Magdalene needs to be remembered for what she Scripturally was, the devout follower of Jesus who stood with His mother and His aunt (John 19) and then because of her love for Him, became the first witness of the resurrection (John 20).

I always found it interesting that of all the recorded interactions between Jesus and women, it was Mary Magdalene who wasn't allowed to touch Him--or keep touching Him. Jesus didn't rebuke the bleeding woman or the repentant sinner for touching Him. He celebrated the woman of Bethany for touching His holy head. The context of John 20:17 is important. Notice how the New American Standard says "Stop clinging". Commentaries point out that in the original Greek, the word translated in the King James as "Touch me not" actually implies a continued action. So Jesus didn't prevent Mary Magdalene from touching Him at all--she was already clinging and He told her to stop. It's not that Mary Magdalene, as a woman and not a man like Thomas, was going to defile Him; perish the thought! What Jesus basically meant was something like, "Enough already, Mary. I can't stay here physically with you and the disciples forever".

Below is some information about Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany and why I personally consider them to be two different friends of Jesus.

1) Most of the time, the Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) don't simply call Mary Magdalene by her first name "Mary". They call her, well, "Mary Magdalene". This title seems to indicate that her hometown was Magdala, a city near the Sea of Galilee. The Gospel writers never call Mary of Bethany "Magdalene". They call her simply "Mary" and label her the sister of Martha and Lazarus. This Mary lived in Bethany, a city near Jerusalem. Magdala and Bethany are completely different towns.
2) Mary Magdalene was one of many women who traveled with Jesus after He healed them from demons or sicknesses (Luke 8). Mary Magdalene was possessed with seven demons until Jesus delivered her. No Scripture indicates that Mary of Bethany was demon-possessed. Mary Magdalene is associated with women such as Joanna, Susanna, Salome, and Mary, the mother of James. Mary of Bethany is associated with her sister Martha and her brother Lazarus. No Scripture suggests that Mary of Bethany traveled with Jesus. She seems to always be in Bethany.
3) Mary of Bethany somehow knew that Jesus was going to die, which is why she anointed Him for burial prior to His death (John 12). Mary of Bethany witnessed Jesus rising her brother from death (John 11), so she might not have been surprised that Jesus Himself resurrected. It's hard to say whether Mary Magdalene knew Jesus was going to die, but she acted shocked that He resurrected (John 20).

With all that said, here are common reasons why some people suggest they are the same woman:

1) Both loved the Savior and were evidently friends of His.
2) Mary of Bethany anointed Christ for His death and burial, while Mary Magdalene, along with Mary, the mother of James, Salome, and other women brought spices to Christ's tomb, intending to anoint Him (Mark 16) but then realized His body was gone.
3) Mary Magdalene was one of the women who financially contributed to His ministry (Luke 8). Since Mary of Bethany bought very expensive perfume, some suspect that both women were financially well-off, or rather, that they were the same wealthy woman.

Answer: Mary Magdalene

According to John 20, a grieving Mary Magdalene came to Jesus's tomb early Sunday morning. When she noticed that His body was missing, she was deeply saddened and began to think that someone stole Him. Even when He appeared to her, she originally thought He was the gardener. For whatever reasons, she and most of the disciples didn't grasp that He needed to rise from the grave (John 20:9), even though Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection on more than one occasion.

Some people (myself included) see similarities between Mary Magdalene and the Shulammite:

Song of Solomon 3:2, New American Standard Bible
"I must arise now and go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him but did not find him."

As the Son of God, Jesus didn't need a romantic relationship or a wife. She wasn't His wife. But who are we to know how she, a mere human female, felt about Him? We don't.