In the Book of Luke, 8:1-3, we read:
“And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with Him. And certain women . . . and Joanna, the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward . . . and many others, which administered to him of their substance.”
Who was Joanna, and how did the wife of Herod’s steward come to be a follower and supporter of Jesus Christ? This is the question posed and fictionally answered in Mary Rourke’s novel, “Two Women of Galilee.”
Using a deep understanding of the land in the time of Christ, Rourke weaves for us a tale of Joanna, long sick of consumption. When she hears of Jesus and his miracles, she’s curious and intrigued, but when she sees him face to face, finds herself too embarrassed to approach him and ask for healing. When the thought enters her mind that she should visit his mother, she follows up on that feeling, and discovers that Mary is her cousin, long separated by the different religious paths their fathers chose to take. Because of this relationship, Joanna is present at many of the events that involved both Mary and Christ, and we see them through Joanna’s eyes.
When Jesus commands her to be healed, she spends hours in bed, coughing up dark mucous. She can feel the sickness leaving her body a little at a time, but her husband asks Jesus to come again, and he does, simply removing the sickness entirely. I wonder why the novelist chose to portray the healing in that way – why not have her either cough until she was better, or have him completely heal her the first time? I didn’t get that reasoned out, but it did make for a compelling scene.
When Herod Antipas notices that Joanna has been healed, he asks her to become a spy for him, to report on Christ’s movements and to find information to be used against him. In her position as the steward’s wife, Joanna is bound to obedience, but as she learns more about the ways of Christ, she realizes she can’t betray him, and uses her money to support him instead.
I love accounts told of the times of Christ, and found this one particularly interesting because it speaks so much of the politics involved, of the schmoozing that takes place on such a level, how greed and corruption had overtaken the government, and how lust for power can turn people. It was touching to see Joanna’s determination to change her life and to follow the Savior, and how she admired Mary and wanted to be like her in every way.
While this book is largely fictional, it does follow the Biblical accounts of Christ’s three years of ministry. I enjoyed it, found myself moved, touched and entertained, and I recommend it thoroughly.
(This book was published in 2006 by MIRA Books.)
Related Blogs:
Bible Stories: The New Testament
Gospel Doctrine: Christ’s Eternal Mission