After celebrating Easter this month, it seems only right to focus on Mary Magdalene, the first person to speak to Jesus after His resurrection! I pray you enjoy my April offering for my series, Women Of The Bible.
Women Of The Bible- Mary Magdalene
Luke 8:1-3
“Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.”
John 19:25
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Matthew 27:54-56
“So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.”
Mark 15:46-47
“Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.”
John 20:1-18
“Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.”
Women of the Bible, a multitude to name!Women Of The Bible- Mary Magdalene
Luke 8:1-3
“Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.”
John 19:25
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Matthew 27:54-56
“So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.”
Mark 15:46-47
“Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.”
John 20:1-18
“Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.”
Let’s look at Christ’s disciple called Mary Magdalene.
A much debated lady, at times misunderstood
Yet one thing undeniable, her life was changed for good!
Possessed by seven demons with no escape to see,
Until she met her Saviour and His power set her free!
A woman with more gratitude is very rarely found
For once she met with Jesus her whole life was turned around!
Devoted to His ministry and loyal to the end,
She served her Great Redeemer, her Messiah and her Friend.
Yes Mary’s dedication revealed a faithful heart.
Her love remained through darkest times and didn’t fall apart.
Her ardour didn’t melt away when all was at a loss
For Mary faced the dreadful sight of Christ upon the Cross.
She would not leave her Healer’s side, He’d won her soul’s affection.
No wonder she would witness first, the Saviour’s Resurrection!
Forgetting all her sorrow as her heart lit like a fire,
She recognised within her name, the voice of her Messiah!
This woman with a troubled past, Christ sent out on a mission.
Whatever road we’ve walked, oh may we join this Great Commission!
Let our ears be open and attentive to His call,
May we serve Him fervently, steadfast through it all.
Let our hearts be loyal to our Saviour, sacrificed.
Just like Mary Magdalene, the follower of Christ!
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.””
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Points For Reflection And Insight
I was fascinated to discover in my research of Mary Magdalene that she only appears in twelve verses in the Bible! Talk about making a big impact in a short space of time! She’s one of the best known characters from Scripture and also one of the most widely debated.
Mary Magdalene appears in all four of the Gospel accounts. We know that she went from living a life which was oppressed by the presence of seven demons to participating in Jesus’ ministry, going on to witness the greatest miracle of all time, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Magdalene” wasn’t Mary’s surname of course but rather a reference to where she came from, likely the town of Magdala which was a small fishing village close to Nazareth, on the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee. People were often known for the place they came from in those days. For example, Jesus of Nazareth, Simon of Cyrene and Mary of Bethany are some other names we see in the Bible, presented in this way. Mary would have been known as “Mary of Magdala” which over time became “Mary Magdalene.”
There have certainly been a few misunderstandings relating to Mary Magdalene through Western history, ranging from the idea that she was a prostitute to someone who became the wife of Jesus. There’s no Scriptural evidence for either of these ideas however. The Bible doesn’t imply anywhere that Mary was a prostitute and she certainly didn’t become the wife of Christ.
We know that Jesus remained single for the entirety of His ministry before ascending into Heaven after His resurrection. The suggestion that God would become sexually involved with part of His own Creation is unbiblical and contrary to what the Scriptures tell us about the life of Christ.
There’s so much we don’t know about the life of Mary Magdalene but there are certain things we do know from looking at what the Bible clearly states. We know that Jesus cast out seven demons from her, she became a disciple of Christ and she was there at His Crucifixion as well as the empty tomb. She was the first person Jesus appeared to after His resurrection and it was Mary Magdalene who told the disciples about this miraculous event.
Something we can see clearly in Mary Magdalene is her devotion to Jesus. Her love and faithfulness to Him are very evident through each mention of her in all four Gospels. We don’t know how long Mary had been afflicted by the presence of seven demons before meeting Jesus but we certainly know her life would have been very painful and miserable indeed. It’s no wonder she had such gratitude for this divine, healing touch from her Lord.
Her encounter with Christ transformed her completely and she remained loyal to Him throughout His ministry and after His ascension. She’s certainly an inspirational lady when it comes to sticking close to the Lord and staying true to the One who brought healing and salvation into her life!
Mary’s relationship with Jesus is a truly beautiful one to picture. I love reading about her encounter with Him outside the empty tomb, after His resurrection. It’s here we really learn a lot about Mary’s deep love for her Lord. Although she probably didn’t recognise the two angels in the tomb as angels, we still see how their heavenly presence wasn’t a huge concern for Mary. Her sole concern was the absence of her Lord.
We see in these verses that Mary is so lost in grief and sorrow, wondering where Jesus is that she didn’t realise He wasn’t far away at all. In fact, He was right beside her. Have you ever had a moment like this in your life? Have you ever been so lost in sadness that you’ve wondered where Jesus is, only to discover He’s been right beside you the whole time? I know I have.
It’s fascinating to read about how Jesus didn’t immediately reveal His identity to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb. It’s been theorised that this wasn’t to play a trick on her but perhaps to break through her unbelief and forgetfulness of His promise of resurrection.
One of my favourite moments in Scripture to visualise is when Jesus says the name of Mary. There was something about His tone and the way He said her name that made Mary instantly recognise the voice of her belovéd Messiah. I’ve heard it said that never was a one-word utterance charged with more emotion than this. Charles Spurgeon even said of this moment, “Jesus can preach a perfect sermon in just one word.”
I find it amazing to think that Jesus didn’t reveal His identity by telling Mary who He was, instead He told her who she was! Her eyes failed her but her ears didn’t. Many times, Mary would have heard her name spoken by the voice of another person but only One could say it in such a way that it made her spirit lurch and her heart fill with joy. Her precious Saviour, Jesus.
It’s such a loving moment in the Bible and a reminder to us all that Jesus calls us by name too. In what ways have you heard the voice of the Lord calling to you recently? How do you respond when you hear Jesus call your name?
The very fact that Jesus had female followers shows how revolutionary His ministry was for the time. His attitude towards women was vastly different from the men of that day as the women in the culture were not regarded highly at all. The law courts wouldn’t even recognise the testimony of a woman but Jesus did.
Not only did Jesus welcome women into His ministry but He chose a woman to be the first to testify of His resurrection. The resurrection has been attacked and criticised countless times over the years but this, among many other things shows the historic truth of the account.
If someone had fabricated this story, they certainly wouldn’t have made a woman the first witness to the resurrection. Women were commonly viewed as unreliable witnesses but not so with Jesus. It was a female testimony that He sought first to share the good news of His resurrection. The testimony of His treasured daughter, Mary Magdalene. It’s such a beautiful picture of how highly Jesus values both women and men and can use each of our lives for His glory.
As I mentioned in the poem, we know Mary Magdalene had a troubled past but it certainly didn’t disqualify her from being called by Jesus, changed forever and used for the furtherance of His Kingdom. Her fortitude and devotion are truly inspirational to me and she serves as a clear reminder that Christ calls and commissions us all to come to Him, serve Him and go to others to share the soul-saving news of redemption.
Whatever road we’ve journeyed in life, no matter how messy or dark our past is, may we be transformed by the power of our Saviour! I pray Mary’s example can inspire us to stay close to the One who healed us, devote ourselves to Him and go forth with confidence to share the revolutionary love of our Messiah. Like Mary Magdalene, may we too be known as a faithful follower of Christ.
