Joanna

Joanna is mentioned in the Bible only in the Gospel of Luke. She is one of the women in the New Testament who were healed by Jesus of “evil spirits and diseases” (Luke 8:2). After being healed, Joanna travelled with Jesus and His twelve apostles, and financially supported Jesus and His ministry with her own money, as Jesus and the twelve, and others, travelled from town to town through Galilee.

Joanna was the wife of Chuza, manager of the household estate of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. She was a woman of wealth and influence. Along with Mary Magdalene, Susanna, and other women, Joanna provided food and supplies from her own means to Jesus and His followers (Luke 8:1–3).

The Gospel of Luke states that Joanna was devoted to Jesus and His ministry, and that she traveled with Jesus on His final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Joanna was present at Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, and she and other women returned later to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body (Luke 23:55–56). Upon discovering the empty tomb, Joanna and the other women ran to report the news to the apostles (Luke 24:10).

Joanna’s husband, Chuza, was steward (manager of the household) of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, and lived in Tiberias, the capital of Galilee. Biblical scholars believe that Joanna may have been a key source of much of the detailed information that Luke included in his writings about the life of Jesus.

Jesus broke with Jewish tradition and the strict social divisions of His day by welcoming women like Joanna into His inner circle. For her part, Joanna was happy, and even delighted, to remove herself from her aristocratic social position to follow Jesus and His disciples.

After Joanna chose to follow Jesus and his apostles, to learn from His teaching, she made the decision to financially support Jesus’ ministry. In first-century Judaism, her choice was considered scandalous for a woman, especially for a married woman.

Joanna’s life is a testament to the welcoming love of Jesus that overwhelms class prejudices and social barriers. The fact that Joanna was the wife of Herod Antipas is genuinely ironic, in view of the virulent Herodian hatred for Jesus and His teaching.

What little we know about Joanna is written only in the gospel of Luke, yet we are very much aware that Joanna was a loyal and generous follower of Jesus, and that Jesus was precious to her. In return, Joanna was among the very first people to see and share the amazing news of Christ’s resurrection.

Joanna’s life proves that the kingdom of heaven is open to all who give their lives in humble service to Jesus and others. By lifting others, in the name of Jesus, we rise.