Mary Magdalene: Triplets of Redemption

As we have seen, the three women named Mary whom the Bible highlights as being especially significant in the earthly life, mission, and ministry of Jesus Christ are Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary of Bethany; and Mary Magdalene.  The name “Magdalene” indicates that this Mary came from Magdala, a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus stopped to preach (Matthew 15:39)

Mary, mother of Jesus, was the central figure in Jesus’ family, biologically related to Jesus as His mother. Mary of Bethany, along with her sister Martha and her brother Lazarus, were Jesus’ closest friends. But Mary Magdalene initially had no family or friendship ties to Jesus. Rather, she experienced the miracle of His healing firsthand, for she was the woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2).

So it is with knowing Christ – some are blessed to be born into a Godly family of born-again believers serving Him (2 Timothy 1:5). Being surrounded by the Word, fellow believers, and church from a young age encourages the child to be saved (Proverbs 22:6). Others may not have a Christian heritage, yet God brings saved friends into their life to lead them to the Lord (Proverbs 17:17; 27:17; Mark 5:19). Still others have neither saved family nor friends, yet they realize the depths of their own depravity and that they are sinners needing a Savior (Psalm 30:3; Matthew 9:13).

Regardless of how we come to the Lord, it is an individual decision of faith in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Being associated with a Godly family or Christian friends is no substitute for our own personal salvation, which is why many “good” churchgoers are doomed to hell (John 3:18) unless they repent of their sins, accept Christ and believe in His completed work on the cross (John 19:30) as the only sacrifice that could pay for all our sins (John 1:29).

When we face Christ, we will do so alone, and we cannot claim any rights to Heaven by virtue of our family, our social circle, or our own good works (Ephesians 3:8-9). Only His righteousness, which is credited to our account the moment we trust Him, can wash away our sins by the precious blood He shed for us (Romans 3:25).

So Mary Magdalene represents the sinner who knows she truly has no merit apart from what Christ has done. She and other women were plagued by evil spirits, infirmities and devils before they met Jesus. After Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary, she became one of His closest followers, as did Joanna and Susanna, also mentioned by name among other women healed by Jesus who devoted their resources to His ministry (Luke 8:2-3).  Once we are saved, may we also give Him freely (2 Corinthians 9:7) of our time, talents and treasure!

Mark tells us that Mary Magdalene and the others had followed Jesus, had ministered to Him in Galilee, and had come with Him to Jerusalem (Mark 15:41). But in contrast to all the movies showing Mary Magdalene intimately involved in all the key events of Jesus’ earthly life thereafter, the Bible does not give us any details of her ministry until we see her at the cross.

Mary Magdalene was at His cross, accompanied by Mary the mother of Jesus, and Salome, the mother of Zebedee’s children (His disciples James and John). Mary Magdalene remained with His body at the cross, as Joseph of Arimathea laid it in the tomb, and she even remained by the stone after the tomb was sealed (Matthew 27: 55-61; Mark 15:40,47).

For her faithfulness, Mary Magdalene received a very special three-part reward -– she was among the first to see the empty tomb; she was the first to see the risen Christ; and He gave her the awesome privilege of telling His disciples that He would see them again!  

At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary met with the angel of the Lord who had descended from Heaven, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. He had a face like lightning, clothing white as snow, and a terrifying appearance causing the tomb guards to fall down as if dead (Matthew 28:1-4).

Praise God for the angel’s good news: Jesus was crucified, but was no longer in the tomb, for He had risen! The angel told the women to fear not, but to go quickly, and tell his disciples that He was risen from the dead, that He would go before them into Galilee, and that they would see Him there. So the two Marys left the tomb quickly, ran toward the disciples’ meeting place, and were about to tell them when Jesus Himself appeared to them! And they came to Him, and held him by His feet, and worshipped Him (Matthew 28:5-9).

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, emphasizes Mary Magdalene’s role in his narrative of these events (John 20:1-18). She came to the tomb early, on the first day of the week, while it was still dark. This illustrates that Jesus is most likely to meet with us if we seek Him first (Matthew 6:33), giving Him top priority, even while the darkness of yesterday’s despair still lingers (Psalm 30:5).

When she saw the stone rolled away, she ran to Peter and John, and witnessed to them of what she believed to have happened: someone had taken their Lord’s body, for He was no longer in the tomb, and she did not know where He was. Whether or not they believed her, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves (John 20:2-10), for her testimony had prompted their action. Even if we cannot directly lead someone to the Lord, our sincerity should stir them at least to consider what we have said.

In despair as she stood outside the tomb, Mary wept, stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre. But she was not alone! Two angels in white, one at the head and one at the feet of where Jesus had been laid to rest, asked her why she was weeping, and then Jesus Himself, standing behind her in the garden, asked her the same question (John 20:11-13).

At first she did not recognize Him, and said that if He had taken Jesus away, would He please tell her where the body was, and she would claim it. It makes me wonder how often Jesus speaks to us through another person, and yet we fail to recognize His voice! But when He called her name, she knew Him to be her Lord, Teacher and Master!

Jesus instructed Mary not to touch Him, for He had not yet ascended to His Father, but to return to the disciples and to tell them that He was ascending to His Father and their Father, and to His God and their God! (John 20:14-18) How amazing that Jesus confirmed here that His followers are worshippers of the One Triune God (Colossians 2:6-10), His Father’s children, and joint-heirs with Christ! (Romans 8:17)

What an awesome blessing, privilege and responsibility for Mary Magdalene to be the first to see the risen Christ, to hear His voice, and to receive His commandment to tell others the Good News! Once we have our first encounter with the risen Christ by trusting Him as our Lord, Master and Savior, may we follow Mary Magdalene’s example of faith, obedience, and faithfulness!  

© 2016 Laurie Collett

Triplets of Fulfillment: Mary’s Ministry After Christ Arose

A lost sinner must reach the depths of despair over his own wickedness before he can experience the relief, peace and joy that come from being born again, from trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Once we are saved, God may allow us to pass through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), knowing that He will elevate us to heavenly places thereafter (Ephesians 1:3, 2:6), and the victory in Him (1 Corinthians 15:57) will be all the more sweet.

So it was with Mary, mother of Jesus. The most dismal prophecy had been fulfilled: the sword that pierced her Son’s side had pierced her own soul also (Luke 2:35). She watched, grieved and prayed as her Son was betrayed, tortured, and put to death. Having a child die is said to be the worst life event one could ever suffer, and the circumstances of Jesus’ death and Mary’switnessing it were unimaginably cruel.

Yet God did not abandon Mary in this ordeal. Jesus had appointed His beloved disciple John to be as a son to her (John 19:25-27), and now God sent her an advocate to help her with the burial arrangements, as He had already called her husband Joseph home.

This man, Joseph of Arimathaea (Mark 15:42-47), had three admirable character traits: he was honorable; a counselor, meaning that he had influence and could effectively assist Mary; and he was a man of faith, waiting for the kingdom of God, believing in the Messiah Who would rule eternally on the throne of David (Luke 1:32).

Joseph of Arimathaea came to Pilate’s mansion, went in boldly to see him, and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate responded by being shocked that Jesus was already dead, by confirming that with the centurion, and by then giving the body to Joseph.

Joseph claimed custody of the body of Jesus, bought fine linen for the burial, and took His body down from the cross, which in itself was no doubt a great relief to Mary and the other women. He wrapped the body in the linen, laid the body in a tomb never used before, most likely his own family tomb, carved out of a rock cave, and rolled a stone across the door of the tomb, sealing it.

Mary, mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene were thus granted the peace of seeing the body of Jesus respectfully laid to rest, rather than being thrown on a pile of human remains, as would be the custom for criminals who were crucified. The Gospel of Mark tells us of three who were present to witness the burial and sealed tomb: Joseph, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, mother of Jesus.

After the Sabbath, during which it was unlawful to anoint a body, had passed, three women returned to the tomb: Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of Jesus, and Salome, bringing sweet spices (Mark 16:1-8). They came very early, at daybreak on the first day of the week, illustrating the fact that if you seek God first thing, He will never disappoint you. They asked themselves who would roll the heavy stone away from the tomb, actually voicing their need to God as we should do in prayer. And then they looked to see God’s answer, for He had already rolled away the stone!

As they prayed, watched and waited, God answered their prayer exceedingly abundantly (Ephesians 3:20) beyond what they could ever imagine! A young man, robed in white, sitting within the tomb on the right side, gave them amazing news, yet they were terrified.

Who was this young man? Scripture does not tell us directly, but it may have been one of the two, presumably angels, described in Luke 24 as men in shining garments. Or it may have been Jesus Himself, His brilliant white garb reminiscent of His appearance at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2), and His sitting on the right side symbolically representing His position at the right hand of God the Father (Psalm 110:1,5, Mark 12:36, 14:62).

What was his good news? That Jesus, Who had been crucified, was risen, and was no longer on the burial place! He gave the women three instructions: go, tell the disciples and Peter that He would meet them in Galilee, and see Him there. But still overcome by fear, the women fled from the tomb, trembled in amazement, and were too afraid to tell anyone.

According to the similar account in Luke (23: 55-56; 24:1-11), the women came with Jesus from Galilee, followed Him to the cross, and observed His body laid to rest in the tomb. They then returned to Jerusalem, prepared the spices and ointments for His burial, and rested on the Sabbath so as not to break the law of Moses.

At dawn on Sunday, they came to the tomb, brought the spices, and entered the tomb. They found that Jesus was not there, feared when they saw the two angels, and bowed down on their faces before them. The angels reminded the women that Jesus had said that He would be handed over to His captors, be crucified, and rise again on the third day.

Then the women remembered what Jesus had said, returned to the disciples, and told them the Good News! If we keep the Word of Christ in our heart, soul and mind, (Psalm 119) we will eagerly tell all (Matthew 10:27; John 4:28-29) the miracle He has done by saving us!

At first it seemed that Mary’s witness, and that of her companions, was ineffective, because the disciples thought their words were just “idle tales,” and they did not believe their story. Thankfully, God commands us only to tell others of Him, and He does not hold us responsible for their reaction, for only the Holy Spirit can change the hearts.

Often our witness seems to fall on deaf ears, yet the miracle of conversion takes place much later. In this case, the disciples ultimately did believe what Mary and the others had told them. Peter soon went to the tomb to see for himself (Luke 24:12). The disciples on the road to Emmaus recounted how the women had come to them, told them of what they had seen, and astonished them with the implications (Luke 24:22-23).

But Mary did not rest on her laurels and stop being the handmaiden of the Lord now that she knew Christ had risen!  No doubt she cherished the last words He spoke (Acts 1: 8) before ascending into Heaven  – that the Holy Spirit would empower His followers to be witnesses in our local sphere of influence (Jerusalem and Judea), to cross prejudice barriers in our witness (Samaria), and to witness to the far corners of the earth, as begun by the first missionaries and now made easier through the power of the Internet.

Upon returning to Jerusalem, the disciples continued His mission in unity, with prayer and supplication, joined in their ministry by Mary, mother of Jesus; the other women, and Jesus’ siblings (Acts 1: 14). What a joy it must have for Mary to see her other children, who had initially rejected Jesus as Savior (Matthew 13:57), now born again! What a blessing to know that her faithfulness to Our Lord, her witness, and her prayers had all been part of the seed sown in their lives!

What fulfillment to know that she continued her Son’s work long after He had ascended into Heaven, no doubt until He brought her home! May we all follow her Godly example!

© 2016 Laurie Collett