When Jesus walked the earth He was totally self-sufficient as God in the flesh. Yet, He experienced the same disappointments and emotional and physical feelings as we all do. While He could have spoken, and everything He was involved in would have been perfect, He chose not to. While He needed no one, God placed numerous people in positions where they could serve Him and honor Him by their obedience. However, only a few women were mentioned. Joanna is one of those ladies who served Him faithfully, but we only find her mentioned two times in the bible. Yet, those two times say a lot about this woman who allowed God to use her where she was.
Luke 8:1- 3 follows on the heels of Luke chapter 7, in which Jesus healed and saved people from their sins. Now we see Him going to cities and villages to preach the good news about the Kingdom of God. Things were about to change. His 12 apostles and some women were also with Him. In verse 3, we get a glimpse of one of those ladies. Her name is Joanna. She was the wife of Chuza, who was Herod’s steward. This position would have put Chuza in Herod’s home as a household manager. This is the same Herod who tried to have Jesus killed. Now, Herod’s steward’s wife followed and served the one Herod hated. Following Jesus was a risk for Joana and her husband, but it did not stop Joanna. God was using Joanna to show Christ to the Romans, whom she came in contact with daily. These Romans were known as idol worshipers. She had a mission field with many who would never hear the gospel any other way.
Luke 8:1-3 “And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”
The next time we see Joanna, she is at the tomb after the resurrection. She had waited patiently with friends until the Sabbath was over to anoint the body of her Savior. When they arrived at the tomb, the stone was moved. These women were saddened by what they found until the angels appeared and told them Jesus was alive! They left to go tell the 11 disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Luke 24:4-11 “And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulcher, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”
Joanna was not your average Jewish lady. Because of the position of her husband, she would have been exposed to people who did not know about God or the Messiah to come. She was placed by God in a position to be a missionary in her own land. She loved Jesus, as evidenced by her service to Him before the crucifixion and her desire to properly prepare His body after His death. Joanna was an example of “blooming where you are planted.” She did not take the situations that life had dealt her and use them to excuse herself from serving. She did not allow fear or laziness to detain her from going above and beyond what others would call reasonable service. She had one focus, and that was to serve Jesus in any way that was possible. She loved Jesus more than anything, and her actions proved her love.
What about you? Do you use the excuse that you are not supposed to talk about Jesus at work to keep from witnessing for Him? Do you use the excuse of being tired, ignorant of the scriptures, or lack of funds to keep you from serving Christ and others? We all have areas in our lives where we could do better for the King, but we must recognize those and change. It does not matter if man thinks your excuses are valid and therefore you escape some responsibilities. All that matters is what God thinks about us. He sees through our excuses; to Him, they are nothing more than disobedience. God requires all of us to be a witness through our actions and our words. We must be verbal with our faith, and our words must be backed up by our actions. God has placed you in the areas where He wants you to serve. It may be a job, a neighbor, families whose children are friends of your children, or the people you see at a store. Every person you come in contact with is a soul Jesus died for, and He exposes them to you so you can be a witness.
