Luke 8:1-3 (NIV) After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
Until the time came for Him to go to the cross, Jesus’ mission was focused on preaching the good news about the kingdom of God, and living out its implications before the people. This not only raised the levels of excitement among the people, it also created a sense of anticipation,, looking for the arrival of the kingdom in earnest, as well as a real hunger for its appearing.
Jesus’ entourage consisted of not only the Twelve, but also many others who followed Him for various reasons. Among these were many women who had received release from bondage from Jesus, both the spiritual bondage of demon possession and the bondage of physical illness.
Among the three women listed by name, Mary Magdalene is certainly the most well-known. This is partly due to her role in the drama of the resurrection, and partly due to movies and books about the life of Jesus that cast her as a young woman saved from a life of prostitution, and even as a possible love interest of Jesus Himself.
Mary was not a prostitute, nor was she, as some have written, the sinful woman Luke wrote about at the end of chapter seven of his gospel. What Jesus had delivered her from was being possessed by seven demons. She, like the rest, was most likely an older woman who had means enough to help support Jesus and His followers as they traveled.
What drove these many women to follow Jesus was purely gratitude for the healing and deliverance that He had brought to their lives. He had literally given their lives back to them, and they, in turn, returned those reclaimed lives to Him with their time, their talents, and their resources.
Father, I can really relate to these women. Their reason for following Jesus is exactly mine. Jesus saved me from my sins, literally giving me my life back. And, out of gratitude, I gave that redeemed, restored life back to Him, vowing to follow and obey Him all of my life, to serve Him with my time, my talents, and my resources. It has now been more than 30 years, and I have never regretted that commitment, never turned away from it, and I never will. Amen.