And also some women… Luke 8:1-3
Imagine a portion of Scriptures that scholars ignored for a century. There’s a passage in Luke 8 that no scholar wrote about in 100 years of commentaries and articles (Ben Witherington III). It’s about Jesus, women and money.
Luke 8:1-3 tells us that women are buying Jesus’ bread:
Soon afterward, Jesus [began] going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and [also] some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.
Here is my condensed paraphrase of those verses:
Soon afterward, Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and also some women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.
It’s a huge understatement to say that these verses don’t get discussed as often as the parable of the sower which follows. I’ve never heard these verses preached. I’ll repeat, since these verses have been so long neglected:
Women are providing the bread that Jesus and the disciples are eating.
I’m writing a book about Luke 11:5-8 where the man goes to his friend at midnight, asking for three loaves of bread. My working title is Bold. This blog is an excerpt. The story Jesus tells is about three friends, all men. Jesus is telling this midnight asker story to his disciples, including Mary, Joanna and Susanna. I wonder what they thought.
Mikael Parsons says, “These women are depicted as fulfilling the role of disciples through their services.” In other words, they are shown to be doing what disciples do. It’s simpler to say that these women are disciples!
Active friend vs. Passive supporters
I don’t like this passive translation of diakoneõ as “contributing to their support” in verse 3. The same word is often translated as minister or administer, including in 2 Cor 8:19 a passage with which I’m deeply familiar.
These women were not mere passive supporters. They were early and important Jesus followers. Writing about the word diakoneõ in the Believer’s Church Bible Commentary, Mary Schertz says (italics mine),
Our understanding of these women’ ministries should not be limited to their financial contributions to the enterprise… the word has such broad connotation in Luke-Acts that it would be a mistake to think too narrowly here. These were powerful women who had received generously and also gave generously of their financial and leadership gifts. p. 174
Given this account of these generous women precedes the parable of the sower, I wonder: Are the women in Luke 8:1-3 the ones providing the seeds?
This text matters to me, as a follower of Jesus, a woman, a fundraiser, a donor.
If you’ve read this far, do you know any other writers dealing with women and money in the New Testament? Please reply to this email (or use the contact form on my website) and let me know, it would be helpful to me. Thank you!