Dr. Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, and his wife, Rebecca, have co-authored JESUS, LOVER OF A WOMAN’S SOUL to bring enlightenment and encouragement regarding Jesus’ high regard for women throughout the ages. This scripture-based text evidences to Christ followers just how “for women” Jesus was and how He displayed his support of them in surprising ways given the age in which He lived here on earth and amidst the prevailing attitude toward women at the time.

Today’s women ask these questions: Does God really care about me? Does He value me as much as He does men? Do I count in God’s eyes? The Lutzers answer these questions of the heart and many more through the pages of this detailed descriptive book of Jesus’ interactions with women through the Bible. They also include telling true stories of women of today who face down the same challenges as their biblical female counterparts. The specific chapter themes include Jesus’ relationship with Mary Magdalene, a divorced woman, a persistent mother, a prostitute, the sick and dying, an adulterous woman, the worried and anxious, and an extravagant woman, and closes out with a neat discourse on Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Legends surrounding their relationship.

In each chapter, the Lutzers will in turn discuss forgiveness, healing, eternal life, deliverance, cleansing, validation, hope and love. All of these cries of the human heart are expressed equally as strong in Jesus’ time as in today’s woman’s heart. The text brings together Jesus with the women who so needed His healing touch (inwardly and outwardly), and this book offers a real education to those who might not be convinced that Jesus elevated women to the equal status of men. Breaking the rules of the day, Jesus ate with women, traveled with women, spoke with women, and allowed women to minister to His personal needs. In short, Jesus made the statement that women are as valuable to His kingdom as any man. If Christian women ever feared that Jesus didn’t care intimately for their needs, this book will heartily set any of those apprehensions to rest for good.

An especially strong pairing in this text is the chapter by chapter meshing between real women of today’s tragic circumstances and a related look at how Jesus handled a similar life issue back in His day. The Lutzers most certainly have a heart for women, and their care and concern are evident on every page. They describe in vivid detail how Jesus keenly met and targeted each woman’s inner need and skillfully drew her out so that she recognized it. Only then did Jesus begin to teach and heal and eventually set each woman free from whatever bounds had entrapped her. This nicely done text will bring comfort, consolation and a fresh perspective to Jesus’ relationships with women.