Who Was Joanna, One of the Women Who Followed Jesus?
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In the stunning, Gospel-based novel Joanna: A Story of Love & Betrayal by Gene Everett Weatherley (2017), Joanna is depicted as a woman who by circumstance and desire joins Jesus’ closest followers in His last year on earth. In the Gospels, Joanna is listed as one of the women who accompany Jesus in his traveling ministry. The women in the group perform much of the cooking and packing chores as they journey through Galilee to Jerusalem. The women interact with Jesus and the 12 male disciples and are amazed by Christ as they watch him heal the souls and bodies of people in the crowds that surround them. It is a busy, rich, and exciting time in Joanna’s life, a time that changes her spirit.
Who Was Joanna in the Bible?
Joanna was the wife of a wealthy Roman official, Cuza, who managed King Herod Antipas’ palace. Before joining Jesus’ ministry, Joanna lived lavishly in a lovely home in Sepphoris, a cosmopolitan city of middle-class people. The historical novel Joanna depicts her as frustrated with marriage and motherhood because of Cuza’s overbearing personality. When Jesus heals their son’s high fever and saves the boy’s life, Joanna is drawn to join Jesus’ ministry. Jesus speaks to Joanna when her son is healed, inviting her back to Copernicus, Jesus’ home base at the time. She sees leaving her home and following Jesus as a way to show Cuza she has had enough of his insensitive treatment of her. She joins the other women and disciples in working with Jesus and plans to stay only a few weeks. Joanna believes Cuza will quickly realize the error of his ways, change his behavior, and bring her back to their home, in the novel rendition of the story.
Joanna sacrificed money, a life of ease, and family relations to follow Jesus. As a wealthy, fairly independent woman, Joanna supported Jesus and the disciples financially, since they did not work regular jobs during their time with Jesus. As it says in the Bible, These women were helping to support them out of their own means (Luke 8:3).
In the novel, Joanna trades her fine silk robes for a rough cloth robe tied with a belt. She is dismayed at the rustic conditions of Copernicus and the smell of fish in the air at its location next to the Sea of Galilee. The novel illustrates the big adjustment Joanna made to live simply on the fly with Jesus’ troop of followers. It also portrays her grieving for the company of her husband and son, left behind in Sepphoris. Joanna dealt with her own personal struggles as she faithfully followed Jesus. Her internal conflict is detailed in the novel Joanna. Although the novel may not be true in every aspect of Joanna’s life, as we’re given few details about her in Scripture, we can imagine she gave up a lot to follow Jesus, and she considered it worth it.
What Does the Bible Say about Her?
Luke 8:1-3 lists Joanna as one of the group of people working with Jesus to spread the good news. The twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)…Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. Joanna may have been one of the women cured of an illness or “evil spirit,” now diagnosed as a mental illness. The miracle of her healing may have prompted her to sympathize with Jesus’ cause to spread His message to all people. The women, along with the men. traveled with Jesus from town to village. They recognized him as the Messiah God promised through the prophets. The women watched him heal the sick, cast out demons, teach the crowds of people, and challenge the Pharisees.
Joanna, whose name means “the Lord has shown favor,” is also on the list of women who visited Christ’s empty tomb three days after his crucifixion. Luke 24: 9-11 says, When they (the women) came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Jesus’ body was gone, angels had spoken to the women that first Easter morning, and it was the women to whom Jesus first chose to reveal His resurrection.
The Crosswalk.com article "Why Joanna Teaches Us About the Importance of -Supporting Missionaries” says, “Once again, Joanna was there—on the scene—this time as a witness to the risen Savior! She was one of the women to discover the empty tomb, to experience initial despair, to bow in terror at the “two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning,” and then, to remember Jesus’ words that he would be crucified but would rise again on the third day.
Oh, the tsunami of emotions Joanna and the other women experienced in a matter of moments—sorrow, uncertainty, fear, terror, hope, and ultimately, soul-bursting joy…She immediately shared her excitement and wonder with the apostles.”
How Was Joanna Involved in Jesus' Ministry?
As described in the introduction, Joanna served as a support person to Jesus and the disciples. She was involved in the day-to-day operation of finding lodging, acquiring and preparing food, settling personality conflicts, planning strategy, and listening to Jesus’ teachings.
As Jesus’ message spread, Roman authorities heightened their opposition to His ministry. Note that the Roman leader in the time of Jesus’ adulthood was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, who had ordered the slaughter of all sons under age two in the city of Bethlehem when Jesus’ birth was made public. Herod the Great perceived that the Christ child was a threat to Roman authority. Herod Antipas, like his father, did not like the announcement of a Savior coming to earth, which was preached by John the Baptist, so Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded. Jesus’ ministry goes undercover after his cousin and herald John the Baptist was killed.
Roman soldiers were getting more and more aggressive in attempting to stop Jesus’ message of salvation from spreading over the Roman Empire. Joanna had a close connection to Roman government officials through her husband’s position as Herod’s palace manager, and she may have worked to foible Herod Antipas’ plans to stop Jesus’ message of salvation. Joanna would have been fearful of Herod, but she persevered in protecting Jesus from Herod’s power to stop Him. Her faith in Jesus ministry’ overcame her fear of Herod, as stated in the Crosswalk.com article about Joanna and the importance of supporting missionaries.
7 Important Lessons to Learn from Joanna
1. Joanna lived by Jesus’ message to serve Him: For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it (Mark 8:35). She temporarily sacrificed her family life, personal safety, and material comforts to work with Jesus. We can donate a part of our life to Christian ministry.
2. We can expect to gain amazing understanding as a result of studying Scripture and giving our life’s work to Jesus, as Joanna did.
3. We can be healed when we work within Christ’s ministry. Joanna and other women in Jesus’ group of followers were healed physically and mentally (Luke 8:1).
4. There is a risk of experiencing great loss as well as great victory when we join Christ’s ministry. The women most likely felt enormous grief at Christ’s death and great joy at his resurrection.
5. Traditional, “women’s” work is important. Jesus would not have been able to spread his word across Galilee, Samaria, and Judea if women hadn’t taken care of the basic needs of a roof over their heads and food to nourish their bodies. Women kept Jesus’ mission moving.
6. Women provide an alternate perspective in a ministry, solving conflicts and finding solutions to problems. Imagine the discussions between the women and the disciples.
7. We take a risk when we change our lives and following Jesus’ call. There may be an enormous harvest in acting on faith with our entire lives. Joanna took that risk.
Joanna’s story reveals that Jesus values the contributions of women within the Christian community. He values every person, male or female, equally. We all can serve God in our own unique way.
Further Reading
*Weatherly, Gene Everett. Joanna: A Story of Love & Betrayal. Paperback. Elk Lake Publishing, Vermont; October 2, 2017. Available on Amazon.com.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/MangoStarStudio
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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