I don’t know whether you’ve ever had the experience of looking at a great painting and being struck by some minor detail in it, perhaps a tiny figure hidden in a corner. There’s something of the fascinating overlooked detail in this little passage in Luke’s gospel:
Jesus was always on the move – the original travelling preacher. His mission was clear: to bring the message of hope, forgiveness and God’s kingdom to everyone.
In a culture that sidelined women, Jesus included them as partners in ministry. These women were not just passive followers, they were active participants.
It tells of a group of women who, having been healed or delivered by Jesus, chose to accompany him and the disciples in his itinerant ministry.
As manager of Herod Antipas’ affairs, Joanna’s husband Chuza would have worked on a daily basis with the man who was Rome’s ruler over Galilee. Given that this was the Herod who had just had John the Baptist executed, I wonder how their conversations went. Did Chuza speak to the monarch of his wife’s healing or exorcism by Jesus? Perhaps. Luke tells us that at Jesus’ trial Herod wanted to see him perform a sign (Luke 23:8-11).
Let me share with you four things that have struck me from this.
First, I see an extraordinary commitment to Christ. To decide to join up with Jesus and a bunch of fishermen going round from village to village, sleeping rough and regularly facing hostility, would have been a remarkable decision for anybody, let alone a woman of high social status. These were, however, women who were grateful to Jesus because he had rescued them either from illness or the demonic. There was gratitude in their attitude. The decision to follow him was certainly not a decision that would have been taken lightly by the women, but it’s fascinating to note that theirs was a commitment that endured. At the cross, where Jesus’ male disciples deserted him, the women stayed and some at least accompanied his body to the tomb. These women made a commitment to Christ and they kept it faithfully until what they must have thought was the very end. There’s a challenge for us!
Second, I see a remarkable courage for Christ. While there might have been the possibility of discomfort and danger in following Jesus, there would have been the certainty of shame and dishonour. Then, as now, no woman wanders into the countryside with a self-styled prophet and a bunch of men without her honour and moral reputation suffering. And for Joanna, in her elevated social group that orbited Herod’s palace, to say, ‘Ladies, I’m going off wandering with the prophet from Galilee,’ must have taken an awful lot of courage. There’s another challenge for us!
Third, I see a vital contribution for Christ. Note the text: ‘These women were helping to support them out of their own means.’ Clearly, they were wealthy women with their own sources of money that they could use as they wished, and they helped keep Jesus’ ministry on the road in the most practical way. These women were not just following Jesus, they were funding his ministry.
Personally, I’m very grateful to those who have helped our ministry in the past – and for those who will do so in the future – and supported Killy and me being ‘on the road’. That’s still another challenge for us!
Finally, I want to mention that there is a glorious compensation by Christ. It’s easy to imagine that these women were simply some of the many unsung heroes of church history and that their costly involvement went unrecognised. But it didn’t! These women end up being vital witnesses of the gospel. They were there at the cross witnessing the death of Christ (Luke 23:49), they were there at the tomb witnessing his burial (Luke 23:55-56) and at least two, Mary Magdalene and Joanna, were there to see the empty tomb and the resurrection (Luke 24:1-11). They had the honoured privilege of being eyewitnesses and played their part in the early church. Indeed, it has been suggested that in Romans 16:7, ‘Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was’, that Junia may be the Latin name used by this Joanna. Perhaps!
I celebrate these women not just because they are women but because they demonstrate some essential qualities of heroic discipleship. They were committed to Christ, courageous for him and contributed to his ministry. In the end, they were compensated gloriously by him. May your service and your reward be similar!
Jesus’ ministry was not a solo mission – it was a team effort. The women in Luke 8:1-3 show us that no one is too broken, too different or too insignificant to be used by God.
Will you join Jesus’ team? Will you bring your story, your gifts and your generosity to support the gospel?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the women who supported your ministry and showed such devotion. Help us to follow their example – transformed by your love, committed to your mission and generous in our support. Use us, whoever we are, wherever we are, for your kingdom. Amen.
