July 12-16, 2010

Took His twelve disciples with Him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples. Luke 8:1b-3

For many of you, we are traversing some pretty familiar roads this week. Few are unfamiliar with Jesus’ journey through the Galilee and the miracles He accomplished. Everyone who is on this trek with me has seen the twelve disciples walking with Jesus, whether it has been close up or at a distance, but have you met the women who were a part of His traveling entourage? We’ve often heard of Mary Magdalene, but are we aware that she was as much a part of Jesus’ everyday life as the chosen twelve? Mary was not one of the sent ones who were endowed with the power to heal and cast out demons. She had not been a disciple of John before following the Master. She never argued with the other disciples as to her worth to sit on Jesus’ right or left hand in His kingdom. She was a humble, grateful woman who knew Jesus had rescued her from a life of despair and couldn’t find enough ways to express her gratitude. What was Mary’s role in this roving ministry? She served! She cooked meals, washed clothes, helped with the chores in the houses where they stayed. You can be sure she was waiting for Jesus when He returned from a busy day; waiting at the door to wash His weary feet and then make time to sit at those feet and listen to His words. It didn’t matter whether He was teaching a lesson or sharing the events of the day, for sure, Mary wanted to hear every word.

Joanna was a women of considerable wealth. Her husband worked directly for Herod as a steward. Because of the Greek word “epitropos” that is used here, it is believed that Chuza, Joanna’s husband, was in charge of Herod’s children. We find this word used in Gal 4:1-3

4:1-2:

Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians (“epitropos“ ) and managers until the date set by the father.

This word is often used for tutors, but at other times it encompasses those who are in control of finances as well. Whether Chuza was the educator of Herod’s children or one of the financial manager of Herod’s great wealth is uncertain. What is certain is that he was no peon of little importance in Herod’s household! What is also certain is that his wife had an encounter with Jesus. Was she healed of a disease or malady of some kind? It would appear so. It says that these women were either healed of disease or they had demons cast out of them. Obviously, the change in Joanna’s life was so dramatic that she felt the same overwhelming gratitude as Mary. And what is even more amazing was that her husband allowed her to travel with Jesus as well. Not only did she travel with him, she helped finance their travels. No wonder Jesus talked about being faithful with unrighteous mammon!

And what do we know of Susanna? Other than her name and the fact that she had financial means to help support the ministry and that she traveled with Jesus, we know nothing. She had to be a woman of some reputation for her to be named by name. There were others who didn’t even get honorable mention, but they were a part of the traveling caravan. A woman of ill repute, a woman of nobility, a woman of reputation, and women who were basically nobodies all drawn together and living harmoniously together because of their love and gratitude for one Man - Jesus!!! These women were such a tight knit group that they were faithful to Christ, not only in His life, but also in His death. While the disciple were off hiding after Jesus dies, we are told:

Luke 23:55-56 NASB

Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.

What were these women doing? The same thing they had always done - they were serving the One they loved.

It is interesting how many women we encounter on our journey this week. Wednesday is the only day we don’t find a woman on our journey. It may be fun to make a list of the variety of females and situations we encounter. Perhaps you may want to add to our list each day, either on the blog site or on the Facebook entry. As we do, one thing becomes abundantly clear, Jesus loved women and they were an important part of His life and ministry. May their lives as women teach us the true meaning of serving Christ.