Women in the Bible: Joanna
There isn’t much written about Joanna in the Bible, but there is much that we can extrapolate about this humble servant of Jesus.
In his Gospel, the apostle Luke says, “Soon afterwards, [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who has been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.” (Luke 8: 1–3)
This is, effectively, where Jesus’ mission begins. He has already healed many, physically and spiritually, and spoken to great multitudes of people. They came to hear him and be healed… physically reaching out and touching Jesus in the hope of being cured. It was, however, not those that touched him, who became Jesus’ disciples, but those who were touched by his words. Luke makes note of Jesus’ travelling companions, bringing them together in a single sentence, much like Jesus unified them in one purpose — the twelve that he had chosen, and the women who had chosen to follow him. Unlike the nine lepers who did not come back to Jesus after being healed, these women, including Joanna, realised that their healing was incidental — that the true blessing lay in associating with the blesser: Jesus.
Their association with Jesus was not in the loose sense of the term, though — it was an association of people brought together by a serious purpose. Not only did these women learn from Jesus as he preached to the people, we can assume that they also ministered to the people, probably the women in the crowd, that came to Jesus. The presence of women in the traveling party must have surely opened up the gathering to both sexes, so that the women in the cities and villages they stopped in too would feel comfortable to approach and listen.
We can also imagine that Joanna’s discipleship came at a cost — not just the “resources” that provided for the company’s expenses, as mentioned by Luke, but the social implications of following Jesus. Joanna’s husband, Chuza was the steward of Herod — the same Herod who had been opposed to John the Baptist and had allowed his beheading. Joanna’s association with Jesus could not have been looked upon very favourably by those in the court, but she didn’t allow for politics to stop her from acting as steward herself, to a true king.
Not only did Joanna serve Jesus while he lived, all the way up to his crucifixion (she was present at the foot of the cross with Mary Magdalene and his mother, Mary), she was also among the handful of women who had prepared spices and ointments meant to embalm his body. When they arrived at Jesus’ tomb, however, they found it empty, being visited instead by angels who reminded them of the prophesy of Jesus’ resurrection. They “remembered [Jesus’] words” (which means that he had revealed these plans to them too) and rushed to tell the apostles — effectively making these women the first proclaimers of the news of the risen Christ! Luke mentions the women by name here –“Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.” (Luke 24:10), recognising their role in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
LESSONS TO LEARN:
Joanna’s is a story of true discipleship — a recognition both of the value of what one has found (Jesus!) and the potential of what one has been given (her wealth and position). Joanna instantly recognises, through her healing, that Jesus is the real treasure and so joins his mission, using her resources to support him financially, and we presume, her influence at the court to speak well of him. Like Joanna, we are called to recognise the gift of Jesus in our lives, as well as put to use the gifts and talents we have been given — to draw others to Jesus too!
