Luke 8:3 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.
We tend to forget that there were on-going
costs involved with Christ’s ministry. After all, when He traveled around the Galilean
region with an entourage of at least a dozen others, someone had to foot the
bill for their lodging, food, and clothing. A three year itinerant ministry
would cost a lot in sandals and sandwiches, even if you could every now and
then feed a multitude of five thousand people.
From Luke’s Gospel, we get an idea
of those who supported Christ financially – they were women who had been healed
miraculously. They were grateful for Christ’s compassion and His holiness which
completely restored them to their personal domestic lives. Whatever they had suffered
from, Jesus cured them. Whatever pain, isolation, depression, or sickness they had
had in the past, Christ healed them.
Their gratitude was expressed in financial
terms. Whatever they had to give from their own means, they gave cheerfully and
willingly to support Jesus. His ministry meant everything to them, so they
wanted to help Him financially. Whenever we think about the effective support
that was given to Christ’s work, we tend to think in terms of the number of
disciples; however, without the quantity of money that was given for His
ministry, even Jesus would not have been able to complete His work across the Galilean
region.
Perhaps the main lesson that we all
can learn from this passage is one of cheerful stewardship. After all, Christ
still depends upon how gratefully we give to the work of His church, in order
to continue His ministry in our world today.
Questions for personal reflection
Why do I give
money to the church? How do my contributions help to fulfill Christ’s ministry
in my community and around the world?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, without financial
support Your Church, in local communities and throughout the world, could never
function or flourish, or even fulfill the Great Commission. Your ministry on Earth
still needs our resources and money to effectively accomplish Your work around
the globe. Help us to reflect upon what and how we give of our means to You. In
Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
