Junia

Great Women of the Bible

Junia

Romans 16:6-7

Sermon Slide

Good morning and welcome! I am so glad you are here, I am so proud of what we are about to do and I am so blessed to be a part of this place we call First Brownwood! Happy Thanksgiving!

We’ve only got a few minutes before we head down the hall to package and deliver Thanksgiving meals for people across our community so I want to get right to the point.

Today, we are talking about another great woman of the Bible, but not one many of us have heard of. This is a lady that my dad once told me about. Growing up Baptist, we didn’t have females in ministry, but I remember my dad talking about the fact that women were leaders of the churches in the Bible. He told me how Paul addressed his letters to the leaders in the different communities and often they were women. I guess that’s why it wasn’t a problem for me to join the Methodist Church in Beaumont, waiting for Rev. Elizabeth to be preaching the day we joined.

So, the lady we are talking about today is one who stands at the forefront of the fight for women in ministry. Her name is Junia. Turn with me in your Bibles to Romans 16. This is the only place and time she is mentioned in Scripture by name, but some believe she was a part of a lot more than what Paul references here.

Romans 16:6-7 (New Century Version)

Greetings to Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, my relatives, who were in prison with me. They are very important apostles. They were believers in Christ before I was.

[Prayer]

Sermon slide

Who remembers the Guinness Book of World Records? I remember the TV show that came on – I believe it came on after That’s Incredible. People walking across gorges and valleys on a cable. People allowing their nails to grow a little longer so they can be the Guinness record holder.

Jumping a motorcycle across more school busses than anyone else.

Looking back – and it still is happening today – It amazes me how hard people work to have their name mentioned in the book.

But it’s the ones that don’t work at it that truly amaze me. The tallest man on earth… the shortest… the strongest… the oldest…

These people are amazing, not because of what they do, but because of who they are.

And that is the case with Junia.

Who was Junia? Junia is the first woman mentioned by name as an Apostle. Yes, SHE was a woman. It’s interesting that some later copies of the Bible added an “S” to the name to make it masculine, it seems they couldn’t believe that Paul would list a female “apostle.” Women didn’t garner the same respect they do today. They were second class citizens. Rabbi’s would at times pray and thank God that they were not born a Gentile or a Woman. But there was one Rabbi who was different. He accepted women, women were a part of his band. Women were his disciples and supporters. Who was that Rabbi? None other than our Jesus. Jesus respected women and put them in equal roles with men. That’s why it isn’t surprising to find Junia mentioned in Scripture as an Apostle.

I keep using that word. What is the difference between an Apostle and a Disciple. Well, all Apostles are disciples, but not all disciples are apostles. A Disciple is a student. Any of us who consider ourselves followers of Jesus, students of Jesus… any of us that call ourselves Christian (which means little Christs) are a Disciple. And, some disciples are Apostles.

An apostle is one sent to do the work of another.

An apostle is one who goes out and shares the good news.

One definition from the Oxford Dictionary is one who is “a vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular… cause.”

Junia was one who took the message of Jesus out into the masses, she was a missionary, a traveling preacher, and evangelist.

Some even believe that she was one of the 72 missionaries that Jesus sent out. We can read their story in Luke 10. Jesus sent his followers – male and female – out to share his story, to tell his good news. He had equipped them all, regardless of gender, regardless of background, regardless of where they came from… all were equal in the eyes of Jesus.

And you know what, Junia was pretty effective in her ministry. She was effective enough in ministry to be a threat to the adversaries of God – those who would want to stop the story of Jesus. She was so effective that she was imprisoned along with Paul.

Let me ask you,

When were you last a threat to the adversaries of God? In other words, if being a follower of Jesus was a crime, is there enough evidence to convict you?

One final thing about Junia. She was “in Christ” before Paul. The way Paul mentions this, it is as though Paul is telling us that she was one of his mentors. Her ministry impacted Paul’s life and ministry. I know, we don’t hear from her again, and there aren’t any writings that I found that talk about her ministry in the early church. Her ministry may have only impacted a few for a short time but look at what God did through those few! Especially since one of them was Paul.

Conclusion

You may not think what you are about to do is that big a deal.

You may think, “these people would get a meal somewhere else if not from us.”

You may think, “it’s just one meal.”

You may think, “I’m not doing that much.”

But you are.

You are serving as the hands and feet of Christ.

You are reaching out in love and offering the love and mercy of God in this one act. Don’t sell yourself short.

You, we, as this part of the Body of Christ, are living into Matthew 25 – to feed the hungry.

It may be a small thing, but so was having Paul mention you by name in his letter… little did Junia and Paul know, they would be the topic of discussion some 2000 years later.

Today, you may be the hands and feet, you may be the voice, you may be the face that your recipient needs to change their relationship with God and therefore, their life.

You are the image of Christ for those you are about to meet.

Go, be the hands and feet of Christ today… and everyday!

Let us pray.