Joanna is described as the wife of Chuza, who managed the household of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee. This suggests that she belonged to a relatively affluent and influential family. She is listed as one of the women, along with Susanna, Mary Magdalene, and others, who “had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities”.
One thing worth review is the translations leading to the interpretation "household manager." While Joanna's husband, Chuza, was said to have served as Herod’s “household manager,” this translation is quite interpretive. The Greek text describes Chuza as Herod’s epitropos, which is the same word Philo used when he described Joseph’s role as the vizier of Pharoah’s kingdom. Josephus used this word to describe the procuratorships of Pilate, Felix, and Festus under Caesar. In other words, a king’s epitropos shouldn’t be thought of as a household manager but instead should be seen as a prime minister who manages all the affairs of state. So if Chuza served as the epitropos of Herod Antipas, he likely would have been seen in his day as the most powerful man in the region of Galilee, apart from Herod himself. Therefore, it would seem that the Jesus movement had infiltrated the highest echelons of society.
Importantly, Luke highlights Joanna’s role in his narration of the events related to Jesus’ resurrection. As the women went to the tomb that morning, they found the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus missing. While they were standing there, two angels who told the woemn that Christ had risen, and reminded them that he had told them that things would happen as they had.
“Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them." (Luke 24:4-11).
Luke is the only Evangelist who mentions Joanna, and toward the end of his Gospel we discover that she was not only a woman of incredibly high social status who ended up following Jesus, but also that she continued to follow him—all the way to Golgotha. After she observed his crucifixion (Luke 23:49), Luke specifically mentions her by name as one of the key witnesses who discovered the empty tomb (Luke 24:10).
According to Luke, Joanna wasn’t just a follower of Jesus, but was also one who supported him financially (Luke 8:3). Since she was the wife of Herod’s prime minister, some scholars have suggested that she may have been one of Luke’s sources of information for statements uttered by Herod. Matthew 14:1–2 tells us what Herod Antipas thought about Jesus when he heard of his miracles. We're told that Herod initially thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. The gospel next launches into a flashback description of Herod having John the Baptist beheaded. Interestingly, when Herod speculated that Jesus might be John the Baptist come back to life, he said it to his servants.
If Herod had told his views about Jesus to his servants, it’s possible that this information could have made its way to the early Christians, particularly if members of Herod’s court were followers of Jesus.
Whether Joanna had been set free from a demon or healed of some mental or physical disability, we do not know. However, Joanna remained wholly devoted to Jesus until the end, traveling with Him on His final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. She witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and burial and returned with other women who had prepared spices and burial ointments to anoint Jesus’ body (Luke 23:55–56).
Joanna is mentioned only in the Gospel of Luke. Chuza's position as Herod's minister makes it likely that Joanna herself must have lived in Tiberias, the capital of Galilee. Scholars believe Joanna may have been a key source of much of the detailed information Luke included in his writings about the life of Jesus.
The welcoming of women into His inner circle, Jesus broke with Jewish tradition and its strict social divisions. Joanna had to leave her aristocratic position in order to follow Jesus. After her conversion, she traveled with Jesus, served Him, learned from Him, and supported him financially. At the time, this conduct would have been scandalous for women, and especially a married woman. Joanna’s life demonstrates how the gospel demolishes class barriers and social prejudices.
Although little is written about "Joanna, the wife of Chuza," we know that she had the privilege of being one of the first people to share the good news of Christ’s resurrection. She was a loyal follower of Christ and proved that the kingdom of heaven is accessible to all who will give their lives to Jesus.
