📖 Biblical Definition
Joanna was the wife of Chuza, steward of Herod Antipas — that is, the chief financial administrator of the royal household at the very court that beheaded John the Baptist. She was healed by Jesus of "evil spirits and infirmities" (Luke 8:2) and became one of the women who supported Christ’s itinerant ministry "of their substance" (Luke 8:3). Joanna was among the women who came to the tomb on Easter morning with the spices and were told by the angels of the resurrection: "It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles" (Luke 24:10). An aristocratic woman of Herod’s court funded the ministry of the King her king had hated.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
JOANNA, n.
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A scriptural proper name; in the New Testament, a follower of Christ and witness of the resurrection.
📖 Key Scripture
Luke 8:3 — "And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."
Luke 24:10 — "It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles."
Luke 23:55 — "And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid."
Mark 15:41 — "And many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Joanna brought Christ into Herod's palace through her marriage; modern saints carry Him through their workplaces.
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Luke 8:3 is one of the most quietly subversive verses in the Gospels. Joanna, wife of Herod's steward — a household-management official in the palace of the very Herod who had executed John the Baptist — was a financial supporter of Jesus' ministry. The gospel walked into the corridors of Herod's power on her allowance.
Modern saints often imagine evangelism as outside their workplaces. Joanna's example reframes. The Lord places saints inside hostile institutions on purpose. Steward your access. Fund the right things. Be at the empty tomb when the moment comes; the same Joanna who managed her husband's salary for Jesus' ministry was also among the first witnesses of the resurrection.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew/Greek roots below.
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G2489 — Ioanna — Joanna
G5529 — Chouzas — Chuza
Usage
"Joanna brought Christ into Herod's palace; modern saints carry Him through their workplaces."
"The Lord places saints inside hostile institutions on purpose; steward your access."
"The faithful steward of resources is often an early witness of resurrection."