Joanna and the Resurrection

Introduction

In literature and in movies, an Easter egg is some little detail that is hidden away. It might be an inside joke, or secret point, or something else that is not immediately obvious on a first reading. The metaphor comes from our custom of hiding Easter eggs for our children. That said, what could be more fitting than finding just such an Easter egg in one of the gospel’s resurrection accounts?

The Text

“And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre . . .” (Luke 23:55–24:12).

Summary of the Text

A group of Galilean women followed those who were burying Jesus, and they noted where his body was placed (Luke 23:55). This means they were watching Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38-40), who had also anointed Christ’s body. The women went back to where they were staying, and prepared burial ointments, and then rested on the sabbath (v. 56). Perhaps they didn’t know that the men had already anointed the body, or perhaps the burial preparation was done in stages. Very early on Sunday, they and a group of other women came to the grave, bringing the prepared spices with them (24:1). The way Sunday is described here by Luke is as “a first-day sabbath.”

When they arrived, they found the stone already rolled away (v. 2). They went into the grave, but the Lord’s body was not there (v. 3). As it happened, they were then standing around perplexed, and two men in shining garments appeared to them (v. 4). The women were afraid and fell down prostrate, and the men asked why they were looking for a living man in a graveyard (v. 5). He is not here but is risen. He told you about this back in Galilee (v. 6). Remember that He said He would be seized by wicked men and crucified, but then He would rise again on the third day (v. 7)? The women then remembered that He had in fact said that (v. 8). Coming back from the graveyard, they recounted everything to the eleven and to everyone else who was there (v. 9). These messengers were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, along with some other women (v. 10). Their words seemed ridiculous, and so they were not believed (v. 11). But their message was enough to make Peter run to go check (v. 12). He found the linen grave clothes but nothing else, and he left, wondering about it all.

Another Textual Piece

In the middle of this passage, Luke has included what we call a chiasm. A chiasm was a literary device by which the writer would highlight something important. They are very common in the Bible, and here is a simple example. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6, ESV).

Now the chiasm in this passage is obvious enough, but what Luke highlighted is . . . curious. The highlighted part, the point being emphasized, is simply the name Joanna. Why that?

They remembered His words,
     Told the apostles
          Mary Magdalen
               Joanna
          Mary the mother of James
     Told the apostles
They did not believe (did not remember)

Joanna’s Background

There is actually good reason to believe that Joanna was one of Luke’s key witnesses. Remember how Luke assembled his account (Luke 1:2)? He makes a point of saying that he relied on eyewitnesses. And Joanna is mentioned only two times in the New Testament, and both times by Luke. What do we know about her? The only other time she is mentioned is in Luke 8.  

Joanna had been healed of some infirmity and/or demons. She was part of the Lord’s entourage and was one of His financial backers. She was one of three named women there—Mary Magdalene, Susanna, and Joanna. She was married to a Gentile (Chuza is a Nabatean name), and Chuza served as epitropos for Herod—like a CFO, or procurator. That word described what Daniel was in Babylon (by Josephus) or what Joseph in Egypt was (by Philo). Joanna therefore was part of the aristocracy, and would have been an insider at Herod’s court . . . and so where did Luke get his information about the death of John the Baptist, for example, or the trial of Jesus before Herod?

Another intriguing possibility is this. Back in the eighties, archeologists discovered the ossuary (bone box) of a woman named Joanna . . . who was named as the granddaughter of Theophilus the high priest (37-41 A.D.). And this Theophilus is likely the man that the gospel of Luke was written for.

Because she is only mentioned twice, we get the impression she was just a bit player. But from the way she is mentioned, that does not appear to be the case. 

No Bit Players

The first lesson is that someone who appears to have been quite important in her time is someone who is overlooked by millions. Our lives are just a mist (Jas. 4:14). 

But the second lesson pulls in the opposite direction.

This toppling and exalting was something that was accomplished by the resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 1:4). God not only exalts those of low degree, He also exalts those of high degree who found their contributions overlooked.

And however important Joanna was as a witness to the resurrection, however much of the budget for the Jesus band that she contributed, however much information she relayed to Luke from Herod’s court, we know this. Joanna was an important figure in the story of . . . Joanna. All of this mattered to her. She was so grateful for the healing and/or exorcism that she gave herself away. Think of it . . . a woman of her station traveling on foot with an itinerant preacher and His followers.

The application is this. The same thing is true for you. God takes care of the grass in the field, and how much more will He care for you (Luke 12:28)? You may not be a key player in the grand story, but you are a key player in at least one story. It is the story in which you do not lose your own soul (Mark 8:36). It is the story where you are given a white stone, and the name on it is known only to God and to you (Rev. 2:17). And in that story, you also live as a witness to the resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:4), whether obscure like Joanna, or well-known like Mary Magdalene. The Lord has risen in either case.