Unsung Heroines-Joanna, Wife Of Herod’s Steward

Introduction: Joanna is only mentioned in two verses of Scripture. What she did for Jesus and the disciples truly shows she was an unsung heroine.

Text: Luke 8:3, KJV: 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Thoughts: Joanna’s husband was Chuza, the steward or household manager for Herod himself! We’re not told anything more about Chuza, such as his hometown, parents, or even what Herod commanded or trusted Chuza to do for him. There is no evidence for this but Herod may have even tasked Chuza to make the arrangements for Herod’s “birthday bash” mentioned in Matthew 14:1-12, and Mark 6:14-29.

Joanna, then, seems to have married a man of means in Chuza, but that didn’t stop her from supporting Jesus and His disciples. How she was able to supply the Lord and the disciples with what she gave them is a mystery, but support them she did, and those gifts of whatever size surely gave the Lord some financial relief. Think about what people had to purchase in those days: food (John 4, the disciples went to a Samaritan city to buy food); clothing (did any of them know how to sew or weave anything into something they could wear?); and of course taxes. Joanna’s gifts, and those from others, provided the help the Lord and His men needed.

That’s not all Joanna did, by the way. Fast forward a couple of years and see what’s next:

Text: Luke 24:10-11, KJV: 10 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. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

Thoughts: After Jesus was crucified, and His body was buried, Luke records some women returned to Jerusalem, preparing spices and ointments for Christ’s body (the last few verses of Luke 23). Not only was this brave in and of itself (who knows what dangers they might face walking outside Jerusalem, with no escort, showing respect to a crucified criminal—that’s what so many thought of Jesus), this shows the love they had for the Lord. When Joanna became a believer is never stated but this act of love spoke volumes then and now.

But they received the surprise of their lives (Joanna and the others) because the tomb was empty! They had come to anoint the body, but there was no body! Joanna and the others saw and heard the two angels (“men in shining garments”, Luke 24:4) telling them “He isn’t here!”

And she, plus the others, had the privilege of being the first witnesses of the Empty Tomb! Even though the others didn’t believe her, she knew what she had seen and heard, and nothing was going to take that away from her.

Not now. Not ever.

We know nothing more of Joanna after this, except for these deeds of love. You and I may have the opportunity to do much, or give much, to the Lord and His work. Others may have only a little. The important thing is to do what you can, as the Lord leads. You may not be recognized down here, but even greater will be the reward given by Jesus Himself someday!

Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).