Rejected but Chosen
Though unloved by her husband Jacob, this woman became the mother of six tribes of Israel, including Judah.
Who is Leah?
Her husband insulted David, but her wise intervention prevented bloodshed.
Who is Abigail?
Leaders condemned her for wasting perfume on Jesus and not giving it to the poor.
Who was Mary of Bethany? (John 12)
Her rival wife mocked her for being barren, though she deeply longed for children.
Who is Hannah? (1 Samuel 1)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Members within the faith family shamed her instead of supporting her.
Leaders told Jesus not to heal her because it was the Sabbath.
Who is the bent woman healed by Jesus? (Luke 13)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Leaders valued rules over her healing.
After years of being taunted by her rival Peninnah, she promised to dedicate her child fully to God.
Who is Hannah?
> rejected by man but chosen by God. King David and Jesus Christ were in her lineage.
Though accused of madness, she became a prophetess who recognized the infant Messiah in the temple.
Who is Anna?
She was at the tomb early in the morning and mistaken Jesus for the gardener.
Who is Mary Magdalene?( John 20:15)
>Misstook God for someone else
She was overlooked by Jacob, who loved her sister more, though she bore him children.
Who is Leah? (Genesis 29)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Feeling invisible even within family and covenant community.
She was dismissed as a foreigner when she begged Jesus for her daughter’s healing.
Who is the Syrophoenician woman? (Mark 7; Matthew 15)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Her ethnicity and background were barriers in the eyes of others.
This Egyptian slave was forced into bearing a son, then later cast out into the wilderness with him.
Who is Hagar?
When accused by Eli of drunkenness, she explained her bitterness of soul in prayer.
Who is Hannah?
She anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears, but the Pharisee said, “If He were a prophet, He would know what kind of woman this is.”
Who is the sinful woman in Simon’s house? (Luke 7) ➝ Example of church hurt: Leaders defined her only by her past sin.
She was a Samaritan woman avoided because of her past, yet Jesus revealed Himself to her.
Who is the woman at the well? (John 4) ➝ Church hurt parallel: Religious and social barriers kept her excluded.
Religious leaders criticized Jesus for allowing children and women to speak and praise Him in the temple.
Who is Anna the prophetess (and other women praising)? (Luke 2; Matthew 21)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Women’s voices in worship were often silenced or dismissed.
Known as a Moabite, she became an ancestor of King David despite her foreign background.
Who is Ruth?
Though accused of madness, she became a prophetess who recognized the infant Messiah in the temple.
Who is Anna?
Religious leaders brought her to Jesus to be stoned instead of offering compassion.
Who is the woman caught in adultery? (John 8)
➝ Example of church hurt: Leaders weaponized the law instead of showing mercy.
Cast away by Abraham and Sarah, she cried in the wilderness when she thought her son would die.
Who is Hagar? (Genesis 21)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Abandoned and rejected by those chosen to be a blessing.
The disciples tried to send her away when she followed after Jesus crying out.
Who is the Syrophoenician woman?
➝ Church hurt parallel: Even disciples tried to push her out of the faith space.
Though stigmatized as a prostitute, she displayed faith by hiding spies on her roof.
Who is Rahab?
Betrayed by her own half-brother, she tore her royal robe and lived desolate.
Who is Tamar, daughter of David?
Leaders scolded when she touched Jesus’ garment, saying she was “unclean.”
Who is the woman with the issue of blood? (Mark 5)
➝ Example of church hurt: Years of exclusion from worship and community.
She was mocked by her husband Michal for her passionate worship of God.
Who is Michal? (2 Samuel 6)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Being shamed for her expression of worship.
The crowd mocked her after she anointed Jesus, but He told them to leave her alone.
Who is Mary of Bethany? (Matthew 26)
➝ Church hurt parallel: Her worship was invalidated publicly.