Luke 8:1-3 Women
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: July 31, 2018 Luke 8:1-3
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
(Understanding the Text) Jesus stayed in one place for more than 20 years. Then, His ministry became one of traveling from town to town. In a later place, Jesus would describe His traveling life as “And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). This life meant that there were only a few familiar faces as Jesus and His disciples traveled from one strange new place to another. What would their reception be at each new town? Where would they stay? What would they eat? Would they have enough money? What new challenge awaited at the next town?
The SDA commentary says that this was part of the second Galilean tour and took place in the fall of A.D. 29. It also says that there were more than 200 cities, villages, and towns in Galilee, so that Jesus would not have visited all of them. It points out the differences between the different tours. On the first tour, Jesus did not have every disciple with Him. He called some of them during this tour. However, the twelve were officially chosen and participated in the second tour. During the third tour, Jesus sent the twelve out by themselves (two by two) while He traveled and taught other disciples. (Later, He would send out the 70.)
The purpose of the travel was to preach that the kingdom of God had arrived and to teach the people to understand it. (I also believe that it was to train the twelve.) The next part of Luke is the Parable of the Sower, which must have been an example of the kind of teaching that Jesus was doing as He traveled. How much did He repeat the same parables and lessons over and over? I have always assumed that Jesus simply said something once and that was it, but there would have been new people in new cities who needed to hear the same lessons as in the last city, so I would think that Jesus gave the same lessons again and again. Maybe, one reason the parables are recorded is because these are the stories that Jesus taught His disciples to tell as they traveled from placed to place later.
Jesus did not travel alone. There were His twelve special disciples and three women and many others. I find it interesting that Luke does not mention Mary by name in the former story of Simeon’s feast, but instead, he calls her a great sinner while here Luke calls her Mary of Magdalene. Luke does not identify her as Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. The SDA commentary says that Mary Magdalene is always listed first in every list of women indicating how devoted she was to Jesus. Was she Peter’s equivalent among the women? Or was she simply always pushing forward to be as close to Jesus as she could and thus, always where the men saw her?
Anyway, it says that these women had been healed either of possession or of illness by Jesus. This might explain how an important woman like the wife of Herod’s household manager started following Jesus from place to place instead of staying safely in her nice home. Owing Jesus their health would also explain why these women opened their purses and donated their time to Jesus and His followers. They wanted to return something to the One who had blessed them physically, as well as spiritually. These women ministered to Jesus. The SDA commentary suggests several areas: providing food, cleaning clothes, repairing clothes, etc., as well as providing money. Maybe, they also acted as go-betweens with other women who wanted to interact with Jesus.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Luke does not mention the twelve men by name here, only the three women. Why? I think maybe Luke lists these particular women because they were sources of information for his writing. Joanna may be how Luke knew what had happened to John the Baptist. Mary Magdalene could have been the source for the story of Simeon’s feast. Susanna is a mystery. I don’t know anything about her, but Luke thought her special enough to mention by name. Guzik’s commentary provides an interesting insight into Jesus’ having women in His group. “Why does Luke specifically mention the women who followed and served Jesus? Because in that day, Rabbis generally refused to teach women and almost always gave them an inferior place – but not Jesus.” These women were Jesus’ disciples also, and He taught them too. We can be assured of this because of His defense of Mary to her sister Martha saying that Mary sitting at His feet and learning had chosen the better part rather than simply serving the men in a traditional role.
(Understanding the Text) Here, Luke informs us of how Jesus financed His traveling band. There were people traveling with Jesus who supported His ministry out of their own means. Some of Jesus’ followers were well off and believed in Him as Messiah enough to provide financial backing for the needs of him and his followers. We know that Judas held the moneybag and was supposed to distribute money to the poor, so these financial backers had to deal with Judas and also they knew that giving money to the poor was part of what happened to their donations. Did Judas go to the richer people in the group and solicit donations? Or did they simply come to him as they felt inspired to by the Spirit?
(Revelation of God) Guzik’s commentary says “We see the real humble nature of Jesus, who was willing to make Himself dependent upon others. He didn’t have to; He could have just created all the money He would ever need. But was godly enough to receive from others. i. Many of us are too proud to receive help from others. But sometimes the ability to humbly receive is a better measure of Jesus in our lives than the ability to give. Giving often puts us in a higher place, but receiving may put us in a lower place.” The SDA commentary points out that Jesus did not perform miracles to help Himself. I never thought about how depending on others for support was a voluntary gesture of humility for Jesus.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is that following Jesus sometimes requires staying in one place for many years and sometimes involves travel without knowing where I’m going or how I’m going to meet the next expense. Whether I am in one place or traveling into the unknown, I need to stay close to Jesus and trust that He will meet my needs. My security is in Jesus alone, not in a place or a person or a job. Some time periods will be very productive and sometimes, it will seem as if everything is decreasing, but through it all, I need to trust that Jesus knows what He’s is doing and where He is leading me. Help me to trust You in all situations. Teach me to be joyful in all circumstances. Always be with me in every situation. I know that You are there intellectually, but give me confidence and assurance in my heart.