The Twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna, the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. (Luke 8:1b-3)
There is so much in Luke 8…as there seems to be in every chapter of Luke’s gospel…but I found my mind going back to this simple passage at the beginning of Luke 8. Several thoughts hit me regarding this passage:
1. There were many “behind the scenes” followers and supporters of Jesus’ ministry. We all know the twelve disciples (or at least most of them) but these names–Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna–are less familiar to us (except Mary Magdalene who has received a lot of misguided attention recently with the poorly researched and devised DaVinci Code). Nevertheless these women and “many others” who are not named were a vital part of Jesus’ ministry. It is a reminder to me that “name recognition” is not the mark of faithfulness to Jesus. God’s eyes search to and fro throughout the earth looking for those whose hearts are committed to Him and He will be the One who ultimately rewards us….regardless of whether or not people on earth even knew our names.
2. Women had a vital role in Jesus’ ministry. Luke makes a point to identify these women. They were vital to Jesus’ ministry and many of them stood by Jesus at the crucifixion long after the disciples had all run away. Far from being discriminatory to women, Christianity liberated them, recognizing them as co-heirs in God’s kingdom and placing high value on their contribution to ministry.
3. Gratefulness leads to generosity. These women supported Jesus because they had been healed through His ministry. When we realize what Christ has done for us, it should naturally lead to generosity in supporting ministries that point people to Christ.
4. Jesus brings together divergent people. It was quite an entourage following Jesus–tax collectors, zealots, fishermen, formerly demon-possessed women, and the wife of one of Herod’s top officials. Whoa…can you imagine the conversations that started with this group? They certainly disagreed on just about everything…politics, religion, the Romans…yet they stayed together because they agreed on one thing…Jesus was their Savior and Lord.
I am reminded of a quote by G.K. Chesterton, a brilliant Christian and writer in the early 1900’s. Chesteron described God’s kingdom as the place where lions learn to dwell with lambs. To Chesterton, this miracle of the kingdom was not accomplished by turning the lion into a tame little kitten, in other words, making the lion like a lamb. Instead he said, “The real problem is–Can the lion lie down with the lamb and still retain his royal ferocity? That is the problem the Church attempted; that is the miracle she achieved.” It is only in Christ that divergent people of different backgrounds, opinions, and personalities can learn to dwell with one another in peace and work together for God’s glory.
Lord, may You work within the diversity of Sayre Woods to raise up a church that follows You and ministers to others out of grateful generosity.