Daily Word: Luke 8:1-3 – The Women Who Followed and Served | Friday, Sept 18

Luke 8:1-3 (Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time)
First Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

“Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.” (Luke 8:1-3)

This is one of the shortest and most overlooked passages in the Gospel. It is not a miracle story. It is not a parable. It is not a dramatic confrontation. It is a list of names — the Twelve, and then a group of women: Mary called Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others.

And yet this quiet passage contains a revolutionary truth. It reveals the shape of Jesus' public ministry, the role of women in the Gospel, and the meaning of service in the Kingdom of God.

The Mission of the Twelve: Diodeuō and Euangelizō (v. 1)

Luke writes that Jesus “journeyed from one town and village to another.”

The Greek verb is diodeuō — to travel through, to pass along the way, to traverse. It describes a continuous, purposeful movement. Jesus is not waiting for people to come to Him; He is going to them. The Kingdom is on the move.

The Greek verb for “preaching and proclaiming” is euangelizō — to announce good news, to bring the Gospel. This is the heart of Jesus' mission. He does not merely teach; He proclaims. He does not merely heal; He announces the Kingdom.

The Twelve accompany Him. They are not yet sent out on their own (that will come in Luke 9). They are still learning, still watching, still being formed. Discipleship begins with accompaniment before it becomes apostolate.

The Women Who Were Healed: Therapeuō and Aphistēmi (v. 2)

Luke names the women with remarkable specificity. This is significant. In the ancient world, women were rarely named in public documents. Luke names them because they are essential to the narrative.

He says they had been “cured of evil spirits and infirmities.”

The Greek verb for “cured” is therapeuō — to heal, to serve, to care for. It is the same verb used for Jesus' healing ministry throughout the Gospel. These women were not merely followers; they were recipients of His mercy.

Mary, called Magdalene — from whom seven demons had gone out. The number seven signifies completeness, fullness, a total liberation. Mary was not merely healed of a minor ailment; she was delivered from an entire kingdom of darkness. Her gratitude would become the fuel of her discipleship. She would follow Jesus all the way to the Cross, stand beneath it with His Mother, and be the first witness of the Resurrection (John 20:11-18).

Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza — this is remarkable. Chuza was an official in the court of Herod Antipas, the very Herod who would later mock Jesus and send Him back to Pilate. Joanna was part of the Herodian household. She had access to power, wealth, and influence. And she left it all to follow a wandering preacher from Galilee. Her presence in the group was a quiet act of courage.

Susanna — mentioned only here in the entire New Testament. We know nothing about her. She is the unnamed disciple, the one who serves without a title, without a story, without recognition. She represents every soul who serves Christ faithfully in obscurity, known only to God.

The Service of the Women: Diakoneō and Hyparchonta (v. 3)

Luke concludes: “And many others who provided for them out of their resources.”

The Greek verb for “provided for” is diakoneō — to serve, to minister, to wait upon. It is the root of the word deacon. It is the same verb Jesus uses when He says, “I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27). It is the same verb used to describe the angels who ministered to Jesus in the desert (Mark 1:13).

These women were deacons before the diaconate was formally established. They were not merely recipients of Jesus' ministry; they were participants in it. They financed the mission. They prepared meals. They arranged lodging. They washed clothes. They carried the mundane, unglamorous, essential work that made the proclamation of the Kingdom possible.

The Greek word for “resources” is hyparchonta — possessions, property, material goods. It is the same word used for the rich young man's possessions (Matthew 19:21). These women had resources, and they gave them. They did not cling to their wealth; they poured it out for the Gospel.

This is the great truth of today's Gospel: the Kingdom advances through service. Not just through preaching, but through the quiet, faithful, sacrificial work of those who sustain the preachers. The women did not preach, but without them, the preaching would not have happened.

The Connection to the First Reading: The Resurrection Witnesses

The First Reading (1 Corinthians 15:12-20) is St. Paul's great defense of the Resurrection:

“If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? … If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.”

Paul then declares: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

The Greek word for “first fruits” is aparchē — the first portion of the harvest, offered to God as a sign that the entire harvest belongs to Him. Christ's resurrection is the first fruit; our resurrection is the harvest.

Who was the first witness of this resurrection? Not Peter. Not John. Not the Twelve. Mary Magdalene — the woman healed of seven demons, the woman who followed Jesus from Galilee, the woman who served Him from her own resources.

The First Reading declares the Resurrection. The Gospel shows us who first believed it. The women who served Jesus during His ministry were the same women who stood at the Cross. And the woman healed of seven demons — Mary Magdalene — was the first to see the Risen Lord and the first to announce the good news to the apostles. She is the Apostle to the Apostles.

The connection is breathtaking: the ones who served the most in the darkness were the first to be entrusted with the news of the Light.

What This Means for Your Friday

Today, the Gospel honors the hidden ministry of women — and the hidden ministry of every servant.

• Do you serve without recognition? The women in this passage are mostly unnamed. Susanna appears only here, and nowhere else in Scripture. And yet she is eternally remembered. God does not forget the hidden servants.

• Do you use your resources for the Kingdom? These women had possessions — houses, money, connections. They did not hoard them. They used them to advance the Gospel. What resources has God placed in your hands? How are you using them?

• Are you a witness to the Resurrection? The women who served Jesus in Galilee were the same women who saw the empty tomb. Service prepares us for revelation. If you want to see the Risen Lord, serve Him faithfully in the hidden places.

• Do you honor the women of the Church? Luke names them. The Church remembers them. Mary Magdalene is the "Apostle to the Apostles." Joanna left Herod's household. Susanna is forever inscribed in Scripture. Women are not an afterthought in the Gospel. They are essential. Honor them. Learn from them.

A Short Prayer

Lord Jesus, You allowed women to follow You, to serve You, and to fund Your mission. You honored them by naming them in the Gospel and by entrusting the first news of the Resurrection to Mary Magdalene. Thank You for the hidden servants of the Kingdom — the mothers, the caregivers, the quiet givers, the ones who sustain the mission without public acclaim.

Give me the humility of Susanna — to serve without recognition. Give me the courage of Joanna — to leave behind privilege and prestige. Give me the love of Mary Magdalene — to follow You all the way to the Cross and to be the first to announce Your Resurrection.

And give me the grace to use everything I have — my time, my resources, my strength — for the advance of Your Kingdom. For Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. And because He lives, we shall live also. Amen.

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