Following Jesus

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 Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Luke 24:9–10 NIV

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.

Introduction

My first year of college was a bust.

You see, I was supposed to go to San Diego State University. I had the grades to go and was accepted into college, but I was also really enjoying my senior year of High School. I had Senior Schedule with just enough Senioritis to make for a big lapse in judgment.

You see, I was supposed to take a placement test at the University so that I could be placed in the right level of English classes. But instead, I decided to go on a little senior trip to Vellejo, CA with my friend instead.

So when I got home, I went to the University to take my test and they informed me that there were no more tests. I had missed my window of opportunity and I was forced to go to Harvard on the Hill, which is another name for Junior College.

I remember thinking as I left the University that day thinking, that’s not what I expected to happen.

I wished someone had warned me! Truthfully, I wished I had payed attention. I’m sure someone did tell me, but I certainly wasn’t paying close enough attention.

And sometimes following Jesus can be like that. Especially for those of us who are newer to the faith, so today I want to be your Guidance Counselor as we look at Joanna.

Transition

Joanna isn’t mentioned a lot in the Bible, but she is mentioned just enough to give us incredible insight on what it means to follow Jesus.

Following in Adversity

Luke’s gospel gives us a glimpse into some of the scandal of Jesus. In Biblical times, the men and women were divided in houses of worship. Women would enter the temple and sit in one location, and men would sit in a different location. Here, the Rabbi would teach in a way that would favor the men, and the women were instructed to ask questions to their husbands in quiet. Meaning, when you get home, ask your husbands if you don’t understand. That’s what it meant for women to learn in silence at that time.

Jesus teaches and leads ministry in a way that is completely unlike anyone else. As he is traveling and ministering he brings women with him. This was quite controversial, but nothing with Jesus was conventional.

Joanna is named among the women who followed Jesus and traveled with him in ministry. We learn from the text that Joanna was married to Chuza, and he was the manager of Herod’s household.

Chuza had a good job. Chuza had influence. Chuza had authority. All of that meant that Joanna enjoyed every benefit that came with her husbands position.

And yet, here she is, leaving her comfortable and convenient and she follows Jesus.

Following Jesus will lead you outside of your comfort zone.

I’ve rarely seen anyone who has followed Jesus stay completely within the realm of what is comfortable for them.

Comfortable often involves me and prioritizing my feelings above anything else.

Joanna decided to leave her home for the sake of following Jesus, and this group of 12 that he called to be his disciples. They were living a life of traveling from town to town with little to no arrangements made. This was essentially a transient lifestyle that Jesus was living and Joanna was in for the ride!

Contrast that with another person we find in the Bible known as the rich young ruler.

There is a young man who desires to follow Jesus, and when he’s told you have to leave all of your possessions behind in order to follow me, he was out. Why? Because he wanted to follow Jesus, and have it his way too. Truthfully, Jesus was going to be just another accessory in the stuff that he had accumulated.

But, following Jesus doesn’t work that way.

Jesus calls you into an abundant life, but at the sake of yourself.

Yes, you can experience life in Christ while you hold on to your preferences, and your priorities, and your little life style. But if you want to experience an abundant life, you have got to let go of the steering wheel and trust Jesus with the wheel!

Discipleship and Influence

So here’s what Joanna does, she leaves her home and goes on the road with Jesus. Let me paint a picture of Joanna to you all through her husband. The Bible tells us that she was married to a man named Chuza.

Great name. He had a gym named after him.

Tough crowd. Moving on...

We read that he managed Herod’s household. Herod was the Ruler of Galilee. He was given authority by Rome to rule this part of the world. Chuza managed his home.

This is what that meant… Chuza had a good job. Chuza had influence. Chuza had authority. And, I would insert that Chuza had money.

Joanna, is apparently the trophy wife.

I’m kidding…

We read that Joanna not only makes the decision to follow Jesus, but she financially supports the ministry of Jesus.

Following Jesus doesn’t mean abandoning your influence.

Growing up in a holiness church, I remember that there was something called “The Sentence,” that was common practice in our churches. They would bring someone up to the front before their baptism and have them renounce many things in order to follow Jesus.

I didn’t grow up in a church that did this, but I remember one time speaking at a church and before the baptism I watched this small procession. It really impacted me because not only was this young lady leaving her comfort zone, but they were almost white-washing who she was. They said she had to abandon all her friends but her friends in church.

This type of teaching is not what we find in the Bible at all. Most times Jesus would have an encounter with someone, and then tell them, “Invite your friends over, let’s hang out. I want to meet them.”

OK, he didn’t use those words, but that’s what would happen. That’s why the Pharisees were so upset with Jesus becuase they said he was hanging around with sinners.

Joanna’s influence in our story was her financial means. She leveraged that for the Kingdom.

You have your own gifts, talents, abilities, experiences, and more, that I believe can be leveraged for the Kingdom of God. You have friends, family, coworkers, and class mates, who you have influence with.

God redeems you, and your story, and now you get to be a part of what God can do in the life of others.

This is what makes a simple, small invitation so special.

Listen, you and I have no power to change anyone. God saves people, we don’t. Our part is to influence. Our part is to demonstrate the love of Christ. Our part is to be consistent. Our part is to share our story.

This is also what makes Easter a great opportunity for you to invite your circle to church. People are just much more receptive to an Easter invitation. Even here in California.

How many of you have already invited someone? Ok, so now I want you to invite someone and bring them to church on Easter.

I love how Joanna leveraged her influence to serve the Kingdom of God.

If you’ve taken Growth Track with us we talk about serving on the Dream Team. And if you’ve been a part of Growth Track you’ve heard me say that this isn’t it. The Dream Team is not the finish line, but it’s a starting point to get you using your gifts to serve others, and then I’d love to see you go on to do other things to serve the church and serve the Kingdom of God. The Dream Team is a door in, but now that you’re in you’ll see things that you can do to Make a Difference.

I believe Joanna came, saw the ministry of Jesus, and decided that she could make a difference by leveraging her wealth to support Jesus.

And before you think of this as a hand out, what was Jesus doing?

Well let’s see, chains were being broken, deaf ears were being opened, blind eyes were being opened, the sick were being healed, demons were being cast out… This is what leveraging influence in the Kingdom of God looks like. We bring our influence and we get a front row seat to what Jesus is doing here in our city!

Following Jesus to a Grave

After this introduction to Joanna, we don’t hear from her again until we get to the end of the gospels. Jesus had been crucified and buried. The Bible says that on the Sunday morning a group of women came to the tomb.

I wish I could tell you Peter was in that group. I wish I could tell you that James and John were there. Thomas was no where to be found. Matthew was probably still sleeping.

But there was a group of women… and in that group was Joanna.

The woman who left her comfortable home, the woman who gave so generously to the ministry of Jesus, is now one of the very first to come to the tomb of Jesus. This meant that she was near when Jesus was tried. She was near when Jesus was hung on the cross. She was near when they put him in the tomb. And here she is now, near when then women came to treat the body of Jesus.

Following Jesus Asks Us to Trust Beyond What We Can See

Can you imagine the heart break that the disciples were feeling now this third day after Jesus’ crucifixion? What they saw was different than what they were used to seeing from Jesus. And yet, here they are, making their way to a tomb because they were committed to following Jesus.

Let me bust this incorrect bubble about following Jesus...

You will not always feel Him. You will not always hear Him. You will still have moments when you feel like He’s not near.

This is a part of the Christian experience.

There are mountain like moments when we feel him! There is a flow of supernatural blessings, divine encounters, and everything makes sense. But then there are moments when you are wondering, “God, where are you? How come I don’t feel you? How come the flow is gone?”

Listen to me… lean in...

These are the moments that are designed for your growth.

You pray, anyways.

You serve, anyways.

You read your bible, anyways.

You don’t retreat, but you press ahead.

You continue to do the things you used to do when you first encountered Him.

This is the discipline of being a follower of Jesus.

He’s not hiding becuase he’s changed the way he feels about you, he’s hiding because he is trying to teach you how to search for him.

Conclusion

And sadly, my fear is that we have raised a generation that is so used to getting what they want that they have lost the ability to seek. You know that there’s a difference between looking and seeking, right? If I’m looking for my car keys, I’m going to look in the places that I know where to find them. But if I am now seeking for my car keys it is becuase I can’t find them where they should be. So I am flipping over cushions, I’m moving couches, I’m turning my house upside down looking for them. That’s what it is to seek.

And Jesus said, “seek and you will find.”

Lighthouse, don’t lose your ability to seek. Don’t let your love for God grow stale. Don’t let your experience of following Jesus be limited to only what you are comfortable doing. Throw some caution to the wind and do the things that God is calling you to do! Lose yourself in the pursuit of finding him! Rise to the occasion of being a Jesus follower, and you will experience an abundant life.