Event 58 — The Women Who Supported Jesus
Three short verses slip in a quietly radical detail: as Jesus preaches town to town, a group of women He had healed travel with Him and pay for the mission out of their own pockets.
The healed become the ones who sustain the mission
Luke pauses his story to tell us who was actually traveling with Jesus on His preaching tours — and it’s more than the Twelve. A group of women came too: women He had freed from evil spirits and diseases. Luke even names them — Mary called Magdalene, out of whom seven demons had gone; Joanna, the wife of a high official in Herod’s court; Susanna; and many others. And these women “were contributing to their support out of their private means.” In a world where women rarely traveled with a rabbi and almost never bankrolled a public teacher, this is quietly revolutionary. The people Jesus had rescued became the people who funded and followed Him. The same gratitude that poured perfume on His feet (Event 57) now opens purses to keep the good news moving from town to town. These are the women who will still be there when the Twelve scatter — standing at the cross and arriving first at the empty tomb.
The text
Underlined words (like private means) link down to their original-language card in Word secrets below.
1Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.
Luke 8:1–3 (NASB95)📖 Read it in context
Read Luke 8:1–3. These same women reappear at the most important moments of all: at the crucifixion and burial, and as the first witnesses of the resurrection — Luke 23:55–24:10, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are named again.
👀 Read it like a detective — observe before you interpret
Three short verses, but packed with detail worth noticing:
- Two groups travel with Jesus: “the twelve” and “some women” — Luke deliberately lists both.
- A list of names: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna — Luke bothers to record them, a sign these women mattered and were known.
- A surprising social mix: a woman freed from seven demons stands beside Joanna, the wife of an official in Herod’s court.
- Cause and effect: they “had been healed” — and now they give. Rescue comes first; support follows.
- The key verb: they were “contributing… out of their private means” — this is the financial engine of the mission, named plainly.
What the original words mean
Four details that make three short verses surprisingly weighty.
Two verbs side by side: to herald like a town crier, and to announce good news (the root of “evangelize”). This is Jesus’ core work — carrying the announcement that God’s kingdom has arrived from village to village. The miracles draw the crowds; the message is the point.
↑ Back to the passage“Seven” pictures complete, total bondage — Mary Magdalene had been utterly enslaved, and utterly set free. (Note: the Bible never calls her a prostitute; that idea came centuries later. Luke says only that she was delivered from demons.) The depth of her rescue helps explain the depth of her devotion.
↑ Back to the passageJoanna’s husband Chuza ran the business affairs of Herod Antipas — the same Herod who imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist. So the gospel had reached right into the royal court. Joanna would have had wealth, status, and access; that she followed and funded a homeless preacher is remarkable.
↑ Back to the passageTheir own possessions and resources. The verb behind “contributing” is diakoneō — to serve or minister, the same root as “deacon.” These women weren’t passive followers; they actively underwrote the mission with their wealth and labor. The kingdom moved forward on their generosity.
↑ Back to the passageWho really traveled with Jesus
Reading the Gospel well — the key question: “What is this episode telling us about Jesus?” In a culture that kept women at the margins of public religious life, Jesus welcomes them as travelling disciples and trusted partners — He dignifies the overlooked. And He receives their support without embarrassment, letting the people He healed become the people who sustain the mission. Luke (who features women all through his Gospel) sets this right after the forgiven woman of Event 57: grateful, rescued people make the most devoted followers — and these particular women will outlast the Twelve, standing at the cross and the empty tomb.
🏺 Women, rabbis, and patronage in the first century
In Jesus’ world, a respected rabbi’s circle of travelling students was male; women were not normally taught the Law directly, and a band of women journeying with a teacher would have raised eyebrows. Against that backdrop, Luke’s little roster is striking on two counts. First, Jesus includes women as genuine followers, not bystanders. Second, He accepts them as patrons. Patronage — wealthy supporters funding a teacher or cause — was how movements stayed afloat, but a patron normally expected honor and control in return. These women give without taking over; they serve. That a deliverance case like Mary and a court insider like Joanna stand shoulder to shoulder, both pouring their resources into the same homeless preacher’s mission, shows how the kingdom reshuffles a society’s usual rankings.
📜 The faithful witnesses — from Galilee to the empty tomb
Watch what Luke does with these names. Mary Magdalene and Joanna appear here in chapter 8, quietly supporting the work in Galilee — and then they appear again at the climax of the whole Gospel. While most of the Twelve flee at the arrest, the women “who had followed Him from Galilee” stand by the cross, watch where He is buried, prepare spices, and come to the tomb at dawn — where they become the very first witnesses of the resurrection (Luke 23:49–24:10). In a culture that did not even count a woman’s testimony as reliable, God entrusted the most important news in history to these faithful women first. Their quiet support in Galilee was the seed of a courage that outlasted everyone else’s.
The Interpretive Journey
Good study doesn’t stop at “what it meant back then” or jump straight to “what it means to me.” It travels the distance carefully — from the original audience, across the differences, to the timeless principle, and only then home to us.
What it meant to the first hearers
What did the text mean to the biblical audience?To Luke’s first readers, a list of named women traveling with a rabbi and funding his work was genuinely surprising. Women were largely kept out of public religious leadership; patrons usually expected honor and influence in return. So this roster quietly announced that Jesus’ movement valued the people the culture overlooked — including a woman delivered from seven demons and a woman from Herod’s court — and that grateful, rescued people had become its backbone.
Measure the differences between them and us
What separates the biblical situation from ours?Our assumptions about women’s roles, money, and travel differ sharply from the first century, so we can easily miss how bold this was — or, on the other side, read “demons” and ancient patronage through modern eyes. We also have to resist turning Mary Magdalene into the legend she became (a reformed prostitute), which the text simply doesn’t say. Reading the verses in their own world keeps the real surprise in view: dignity and partnership offered to the marginalized.
The timeless theological principle
What truth crosses over from then to now?Jesus dignifies and includes those the world pushes to the margins, and the people He rescues become the people who sustain His mission — pouring out their gratitude in devoted service and generous giving.
How it fits the rest of Scripture
Does this principle hold across the whole Bible?It fits the wider witness. “There is neither male nor female… you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28); Paul commends a long list of women coworkers and a patron named Phoebe (Romans 16:1–2); and freely-received grace always overflows in generosity (2 Corinthians 8–9). The pattern is constant: rescued people become joyful givers.
How we live it out today
How should we apply it now?Two takeaways. First, let gratitude become support: the natural response to being rescued by Jesus is to pour your resources — money, time, gifts — into His mission, as these women did. Second, honor the unseen supporters; much of God’s work runs on quiet, faithful people who never get the spotlight, and the kingdom counts them as essential. Concretely: thank a behind-the-scenes servant in your church this week, and prayerfully decide one way to give “out of your own means” to the spread of the good news.
Consult the biblical map
| Passage | Connection |
|---|---|
| Luke 24:1–10 | Mary Magdalene and Joanna again — first witnesses of the resurrection. |
| Galatians 3:28 | “Neither male nor female… all one in Christ” — the dignity seen here, stated plainly. |
| Romans 16:1–7 | Paul honors Phoebe the patron and many women coworkers in the gospel. |
| 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 | The cheerful giver — grace received overflowing into generosity. |
Resources to explore
Play the video here, then dig into the text with study tools and trusted reference works.
🎬 Watch & listen
- Video: BibleProject — Luke 1–9Overview with study notes and downloads.
- Podcast: An Overview of LukeHow Luke lifts up the overlooked.
📖 Study tools (free)
- STEP Bible — Luke 8:1–3Free interlinear, Greek words, and concordance (Tyndale House).
- NET Bible — Luke 8 with translators’ notesSee the translation decisions behind each verse.
- Luke 8:3 interlinear + Strong’s“Contributing… out of their private means” in the Greek.
📚 Reference shelf
- Craig Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary: New TestamentBackground on women, patronage, and Herod’s court.
- Green, McKnight & Marshall, eds., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (IVP)Articles on “women” and “discipleship.”
- Kenneth Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern EyesWomen in the world of the Gospels.
Discussion questions
- In their world, a band of women travelling with and funding a rabbi was startling. Why do you think Luke makes a point of naming them?
- The people Jesus had healed became the people who supported Him. How have you seen gratitude turn into generosity in your own life or church?
- Mary the deliverance case and Joanna the court insider served side by side. What does that say about how the kingdom rearranges social rankings?
- Walk the Interpretive Journey: what is the timeless principle, and how is your situation different from the first hearers’?
- Only after all that does the question reach us: much of God’s work runs on quiet, faithful supporters. Who are the “Joannas and Susannas” around you — and how can you honor or join them?