When Jesus went to every city and town around Galilee to tell people God’s words and to teach them, many women went with Him and His disciples.
The women followed Him to hear more of His words and see the good He did for others, because they were so grateful for what He had done for them. Each one of them had been healed of some disease, or freed of evil spirits.
Three of these women are named: first Mary Magdalene, who may have had the most to be grateful for, since Jesus had freed her of seven evil spirits. We may not understand these, but they were common in that land, where for many years the people had turned from God, and worshipped idols. The wicked spirits never did good, but distressed or hurt the person, so the condition of this woman would have been dreadful, and her heart was filled with gratitude to Jesus.
The next woman named is Joanna; her trouble is not told, but she was another one that Jesus had cured, and she was truly grateful. Her husband was a steward, or treasurer for Herod, the ruler of Galilee; that would be called a good position, yet Joanna thought more of hearing the Lord’s words and followed Him with the others. She must have walked over hilly, dusty roads.
The last woman named here was Susanna; no special thing was written of her, but she was another so grateful for the Lord’s goodness to her, that she also followed Him, and we may be sure these women all spoke to others of the good Jesus had done for them.
Giving to the Lord Jesus
There is something else told of these women: they “ministered unto Him of their substance.” That means they willingly gave to Jesus of what they had, not because they were told to, or asked, but of their own wish; they served Him with food or with money or clothing, happy to do all for Him.
When Jesus made His last visit to Jerusalem, many women of Galilee were in the company with Him, still serving Him in ways they could. Mary Magdalene is named as one of them, and no doubt Joanna was also, as both are named as being at His tomb, where they found He had risen. They had deepest joy then, and later Jesus Himself spoke to them (Matthew 27:55-5655And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. (Matthew 27:55‑56); Luke 23:5555And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. (Luke 23:55); Luke 24:1010It 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. (Luke 24:10); Matthew 28:99And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. (Matthew 28:9)).
These women did not weary of hearing the words of Jesus, or of working for Him. Others must have been helped by their trust, and the Lord Himself was honored. The women were not sent to preach the glad tidings, as the apostles were, yet this shows they helped with needed things, and it was written that women now, even the younger ones, will know that the Lord is pleased with whatever is done from love to Him, because of the great good He has already done.
Further Meditation
1. How did these women give to the Lord Jesus?
2. It’s hard for us to work hard when others aren’t watching, but most of what these three women did would have been “behind the scenes.” What gave them the motivation to work and give willingly? How can the same motivation be at work in our own lives?
3. You may find real blessing for your soul in listening to Bible Teaching while you work. You might find Women in Scripture, Perseverance, and Various Themes by C. H. Brown to be quite helpful. It is a very inexpensive collection of teaching on an MP3 Audio CD which includes a message on women in the Scriptures among its 49 Bible messages.