There was a certain woman, whom Jesus cured of evil spirits (Luke 8:2). Her name was Mary (called Magdalene), and this was the circumstance in which she first met Jesus. Ever since that day, Mary had been a faithful follower of Jesus.
“Fourteen times Mary Magdalene is mentioned by name, in the Bible. In eight of these passages her name heads the list. In one her name follows the name of the Mother of Jesus and the other Mary. In five it appears alone. These concern the appearance of Christ to her, as narrated by John.” Quoted from All The Women Of The Bible
Scripture references: Matthew 27:56,61; 28:1; Mark 15:40-41,47; 16:1-11; Luke 8:1-3; 23:49; 23:55-24:11; John 19:25; 20:1-18.
Most of us know, that this is a woman whose life has been very misunderstood. It grieves me to hear accusations about her relationship with the Lord. I read a comment yesterday that said, “Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany are one and the same“. That’s crazy. Read the accounts of both of these women, and you will see that they have two very different personalities. For me, to say that they are the same is like saying Peter and John are the same person. Some identify Mary with the unnamed sinful woman of Luke:36-50, because Luke 8:2 follows so closely to the account of the sinful woman. Painters have portrayed her as a sinful woman. There are those who have described her as “seeing things” (that are not there). Poor “Girl of Faith”. I don’t believe she deserves all of that. She is being ridiculed because of rumors and assumptions.
I will tell you, Mary Magdalene has been difficult for me to write about. It is because of the rumors and assumptions. I had a difficult time getting started. I believe that the Holy Spirit wanted me to feel something deep in my heart for this woman and the way she has been portrayed and treated. It’s called compassion. Have you ever looked down upon someone for what they have done, or what has been said they have done? Have you ever held someones past against them? Have you ever spread rumors (gossip) about someone, or listened to gossip? How did this make you feel about the person? Did these questions (convictions) take your focus off of your compassion for Mary Magdalene, and more important ~ her faithfulness to Jesus Christ?
Now that I have my own attention, and hopefully yours, we’ll move on to one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture you will ever read. It is found in the book of John, chapter 20 verses 10-18. It is important to remember that Mary was “Faithful From The Moment She Met Jesus”. She remained, when others abandoned Him because of fear. John’s Gospel says that Mary was alone at the grave of Jesus, other Gospels say that there were other women present. It really doesn’t matter, because it was Mary Magdalene who saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb.
“…the Disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look at the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.” John 20:10-12 NIV
The angels asked Mary why she was crying. She said, “because they have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have taken Him“. Here’s the best part. She turned around and saw a man she thought was a gardener. The man asked her, “why are you crying“? Mary said, “if you will tell me where you put my Lord I will get Him“. We all know that this man was not a gardener. This man was Jesus. At that moment Jesus said her name. He said, “Mary“. Immediately, “Mary recognized Jesus’ voice and she cried out in ‘Aramaic, ‘Rabboni! (which means teacher)”. I think I can take care of one of the terrible rumors about Mary right here. When Jesus called her name, Mary called Jesus ‘Rabboni, nothing more. Jesus was Mary’s teacher and Savior (period).
Mary stood by and watched Jesus be crucified (John 19:25). She followed Jesus to His burial place (Matthew 27:61), and she was the first person to witness Christ’s resurrection (John 20:10-18). I believe that when Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb, she saw Jesus in all the Father’s Glory. His appearance must have radiated an unexplainable form of spirituality and eternity.
Mary’s faithfulness is one of gratitude for the Love of Jesus Christ. If you read the passages of Scripture about this woman, you will find it is not about her. It is about the reason for her faithfulness. It is about an illustration of the permanence of faithfulness. To be faithful is not a momentary act. It is a spiritual discipline to be continued daily, hour by hour, and moment by moment.
Today, as you think about your faith, remember the moment you met Jesus. Focus not on the rumors of this woman named Mary Magdalene. Focus on her continuing faithfulness to her Lord.
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 19th, 2010 at 9:02 am and is filed under Bible Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
