(Luke 8:1-3)
Joanna is a New Testament woman
who represents thousands of women who through the years have been touched by
the love and healing of the Lord Jesus Christ. She is mentioned only briefly in
the Bible but her legacy is one of encouragement and challenge to each of us.
The Name:
The name, Joanna, means “grace
or gift of God.”
In Luke 8:1-3 she is listed
with several other women who traveled with Jesus and His disciples. She is
mentioned again in Luke 23:55 and 24:10.
“After this, Jesus
traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news
of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some
women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)
from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the
manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were
helping to support them out of their own means.”
Luke 23:55-24:11
55 The women
who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how
his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices
and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
24 On the first day of
the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had
prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away
from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body
of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly
two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the
men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with
you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands
of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they
came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all
the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of
James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles (NIV84).
Our first introduction to Joanna
is in a list of women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases by
Jesus. We do not know exactly what the Lord did in her mind and body, but from
the moment that He touched her, her loyalty and service belonged to Him.
Joanna was married to a man
named Cuza (or Chuza) who held a very important position in the household of
King Herod. He is called the “manager of
Herod’s household” in the NIV. In the NASV and the KJV he is refered to as
a steward of the household. The word “steward” is the Greek word epitropos. This word signifies a person
who has been entrusted with the guardianship or supervision of another person's
belongings.[1] Cuza
obviously was very capable and trustworthy. Some scholars think he may have
been the nobleman mentioned in John 4:46-53 whose son was healed by Jesus
resulting in the salvation of his entire family. If so, we certainly understand
why Joanna was so committed to the man who had healed her child and why
Joanna’s husband permitted her to be part of His ministry.
As the wife of Cuza, Joanna held
a position of some prominence in the hierarchy of the day. However, she is not
mentioned in the Bible because of her royal position. God does not comment on
her fame or her wealth or her prominence. She is honored because she was a
servant, one of a number of women who traveled with Jesus and His disciples,
ministering to their needs and helping to support them out of their own
personal resources.
Reading between the lines, I see
Joanna as a representative of women like you and me. She did not strive for
fame or try to impress with her importance as a member of the royal household.
As far as we know, she did nothing remarkable enough to draw attention to
herself. She was not a public person, not a prophetess or a theologian, or even
a teacher. The remarkable thing about Joanna is that she was not remarkable
from a human point of view at all. Her only claim to fame is that she was a
quiet, faithful servant.
I suspect that Joanna had a meek
and quiet spirit. She was faithful in doing her part day by day to minister to
Jesus and provide for Him financially so that He could devote His time to
ministry. She was faithful in following Him to the cross and remaining with Him
until after His body was buried. She was among the first at the tomb on
resurrection morning and consequently one of the first to announce Jesus’
resurrection.
Later in the book of Acts (Acts
13:1) we find that there were others in Herod’s household who believed,
including Manaon, one of the prophets and teachers who served the church in
Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. I wonder if Joanna had some part in the salvation
of others in Herod’s household.
I am glad for women like Joanna.
Her life reminds me that God values women and He appreciates faithfulness. He
honors those who honor Him by serving behind the scenes in ways that frequently
go unnoticed and unappreciated by others.
Most of us are not called to be
famous or rich. We are not in the public eye, not noticed by the important
people. We are not called to greatness in the eyes of the world. But we are
called to daily faithfulness. You and I, like Joanna, are called to quiet
service for our Lord. Peter says in 1 Peter 3:4-5 that a woman with “. . .a gentle and quiet spirit. . . is of
great worth in God's sight.”
We honor the Lord by refusing to
spend our days trying to impress the “people who count.” We honor the Lord by
choosing to turn away from the things that might advance our own agenda and
devoting our time and energy to the things that will advance His.
Sometime when I meet Joanna in
glory, I hope I get to hear the rest of her story. I would like to know more
about her impact in Herod’s court. I would like to know more about her family
and her husband. I would especially like to know what it was like to travel
with Jesus and the disciples. I would like to hear more about meeting the needs
of Jesus when He walked among us as a man. In the meantime, I pray that my
faithful service and yours will prove to be equally effective in the eternal
plan of God.
Something to think about:
- Joanna
was cured by Jesus of demonic influence or some other affliction. She
responded by serving Him daily for the rest of her life. Of course, all of
her efforts (and all of ours) are inadequate to repay the Lord for His
goodness. However, our response of gratitude pleases Him.
- What
has Jesus done for you?
- How
have you responded?
- Does Joanna’s
example motivate you in any way? Explain.
- What
does the fact that she was one of the first to witness the resurrection of
Jesus and one of the first to announce the good news to others tell you
about God’s view of women like Joanna?
- A
number of other women of the New Testament were honored by God for various
reasons. Why do you think each of the following women is mentioned in
God’s Word? What was notable about
each one?
- Anna
(Luke 2:36-38)
- Dorcas
(Acts 9:36-43)
- Priscilla
(Acts 18:26; Romans 16:3)
- The
daughters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9)
- Eunice
and Lois (2 Tim 1:5; 3:14-15)
[1] (from
Sparkling Gems from the Greek, © 2003 by Rick Renner. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.)
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