Wednesday, July 23, 2008 · no responses · comments closed

In honor of Mary Magdalene’s feast day, I reviewed what the Bible actually says about this most controversial of Jesus’ disciples. As I noted, this Mary has enough to recommend her to our consideration without the speculations of prostitution or marriage to Jesus.

Perhaps the most obvious lesson from her life is that God heals and restores. Both Mark and Luke note that Jesus healed Mary of seven demons. Some scholars take this literally, while others suggest that seven is used to symbolize the severity of her physical, non-demonic illness. Whatever your view of demonic activity, Mary had a serious problem and Jesus solved it. Completely.

That strikes me as worth repeating: this woman had a serious problem, and Jesus Christ solved it completely. Unfortunately, too many of us (myself definitely included) give lip service to this idea that God can heal and deliver without actually believing that it happens to regular people like us. We know it in theory but don’t believe it as fact. Perhaps the appropriate response is, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”

I could stop here and have plenty to ponder. I see something else, though. Mary Magdalene is an example of passion and witness. I use the word passion with some hesitation, given her reputation as Jesus’ secret wife/girlfriend/lover. I’m talking about passion as commitment, not passion as feeling.

Mary (among other women) traveled with Jesus and supported His ministry financially. Some translations use contributing rather than contributed to indicate that these women provided on-going support, not a one-time donation; they joined Jesus not long after He chose the twelve, so they were there almost from the beginning. As many (all?) churches and ministries will tell you, it’s easy enough to get some money in the collection plate once; finding consistent, persistent, long-term givers is much more difficult. Mary Magdalene was a giver.

We don’t know if Mary was always with Jesus, but we do know that she made the trip with him to Jerusalem and witnessed the crucifixion, along with the other women. They were the first to go to the tomb after the Sabbath, but John singles out Mary Magdalene, telling us she “came to the tomb early, while it was still dark.” John had reason to know when Mary got there, because he went to the tomb with Peter when she came back to say that Jesus’ body was gone.

The men left, but Mary stayed behind. I see her actions as evidence of a passionate commitment to her Lord and Savior. And this passionate commitment, her persistence in serving, was rewarded: Mary speaks to the angels; Mary speaks to the risen Jesus; Mary is given the privilege of sharing this good news, the miracle of miracles, with the men. Mark indicates that Mary was met with unbelief when she returned full of joy at seeing and touching Jesus. Regardless, Mary spoke up as a witness of what she had seen and heard, and I imagine that their poor response did not shake her.

Christian tradition says that Mary Magdalene moved to Ephesus with Mary, Jesus’ mother, to care for her, and that she was a faithful witness of the gospel. Some traditions say that she also gained access to the Emperor Tiberius and proclaimed the news of the Savior to him. Though we can’t be certain what happened to her beyond the biblical narrative, it’s interesting that the traditions of the early church see this woman as continuing a life of passion and witness.

I’ll close with this from the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace I may be healed from all my infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.