In his itinerant preaching, Jesus is followed by the Twelve apostles and some women. A first group of these ones, is composed by Jesus' relatives: Mary, Madonna's sister", mother of James the Younger and Joseph; Mary, Cleofa's wife, Salome, Zebedeo's wife: John and  James' mother.

   The second group comprises the women touched by Jesus' Grace and those miraculously healed by Him. They are: Mary Magdalen, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna and many others(Lk 8,3).

   The women of Galilee follow Jesus, serving him during his itinerant preaching. remaining faithful to him, till his death too. And yet this is a novelty for the behavioural customs of  the religious hebrew life.  Infact "in the ancient Judaism, women wasn't  in the public life. She was often considered like the not hebrews slave and the young boy" (Marco Adinolfi, Gesù e le donne, in Storia di Gesù, vol. 4, ed. Rizzoli, p. 1157). 

   Practically, it's the same situation of the Greek classic world, in which the woman is "bordered in the gynaeceum" (Marco Adinolfi, Gesù e le donne, in Storia di Gesù, vol. 4, ed. Rizzoli, p. 1156).

   In short, specially in the social life of Israel, the woman couldn't  go out  of the house without her veil, by uncovered head,  to spin on the road, talking with other persons, and neither to go out to meet other women. The woman could go out of her house only in some religious feasts, like the Tabernacles feast and the Kippur one. 

   Usually the Palestinian woman could go out of her house, only to draw the water at the fountain, or to plough.

   We remember that "the hebrew man couldn't look at a woman; he couldn't permit to a woman to serve him; he couldn't remain only with a woman in the tavern; he couldn't  set himsef apart  with two women; he couldn't walk behind a woman in the public road; he couldn't  talk with a woman along the way" (Cfr. Marco Adinolfi, Gesù e le donne, in Storia di Gesù, vol. 4, ed. Rizzoli, p. 1156).

   But Jesus behaves in a different way respect to the Hebrew culture and usage. He permits to a handful of women to follow him, to serve him, to provide to own and apostles' sustenance (Lk 8,1-3).    These women "lace a deep spiritual relation, a feelings' syntony for which they will be more docile and faithful to Jesus, than the same apostles.

   Jesus behaves with the women in the same manner he behaves with the men: without impediments, without prejudices, neither conditioning, nor mysoginist behaviour.…

   Jesus' relation with the women, means great respect for them, great delicacy, recognition of the same dignity of the man"(Donato Calabrese, il rosario delle beatitudini, Paoline editoriale libri, p. 15).

   The evangelist Luke mentions an event in which Jesus receives the affectionate hospitality of Martha and Mary, Lazarus' sister, at Bethany. But let us read the Gospel: 

   "Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she went to him and said: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me serve alone? Tell her then to help me".  But the Lord answered her: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away frome her" (Lk 10,40-42).    Jesus doesn't praise Martha, that nevertheless has shown care for him cooking something to eat. He says her that isn't good having her heart full of daily troubles.  Jesus praises Mary, because she  is sitting at his feet and has listened his word.

   This episode is emblematic of a new dimension in which Jesus places the woman. By Jesus the woman becomes again the same as the man, exactly like in the original God's plan:

   "God created the man to his image. He created him, like God's image; He created them like male and female" (Genesis 1,27).