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Joanna, A woman healed by Christ honors Him
Luke 8:1-3; 22:55; 24:10
(Third in a Series)
She was a devoted disciple of the One to whom she owed so much. Joanna, along with Mary Magdalene and Susanna, were among the "certain women who had been healed of evil spirits
and infirmities." We are not told whether Joanna had been demon-possessed or suffered from some mental or physical disability , but this woman of the upper class was restored to normal
health by Christ and she gave her life to Him. She then traveled with Christ and the Twelve to arrange for their hospitable reception.
Along the way, she ministered to Jesus out
of her "substance," meaning material possessions, such as money and property. Knowing that Jesus and the disciples accompanying Him had very little to support themselves, Joanna
gave liberally, an early example of the grace of giving. Having freely received His healing touch, she freely gave of herself and of her means for His welfare. We can imagine what joy filled
the heart of Joanna as she recalled how she had ministered to the Lord who had done so much for her by meeting his material needs.
That joy overflowed into her home life. Her
husband was Chuza, a manager of Herod's household. Tradition has it that Chuza lost his position in Herod's palace because of his wife's Christianity and her courageous testimony among
Herod's servants. Often, through divine grace, Christians find themselves in the most unlikely places for confessing Christ, sometimes the places most in need of Him.
Joanna also
knew the pain of following Christ, but she continued her ministry in spite of it. She was among the women at the cross, watching her beloved Lord dying in agony and shame. She was among the
number of consecrated women who had followed Him from Galilee and who after His brutal death, prepared spices and ointments for His body. Having ministered to Him while He was alive, she
continued meeting His needs out of her substance as His body lay still and cold in death. Too many save their flowers for the grave. Joanna gave hers to Jesus when He was alive and could
appreciate them, as well as later at the tomb in honor of Him. Her "last respects" were the outward token of the inner reverence in which she held the Saviour.
Her
sorrow soon turned to joy. Joanna was among the sorrow-stricken women who early on that first Lord's Day, gathered at the sepulcher to linger in the presence of the dead. But to their
amazement, the tomb was empty.
The living Lord was no longer among the dead. Recalling all He had said of His sufferings, death and resurrection, Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James became the first to run with the news of his resurrection. For awhile their words seemed as idle tales to the apostles until Peter saw for himself the grave clothes but no dead Master wearing them. He then believed the women's declaration that the Lord was alive.
Joanna, in generous, compassionate, cheerful service to her Lord, was among the uncertain travelers headed to Jerusalem with Jesus. She was also among the women who were at the
cross, first at the empty tomb, and first to proclaim that the Lord whom they had so dearly loved was risen indeed. How much the cause of Christ owes to its consecrated Joannas!
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