The Feast Day of St Mary Magdalene — 22 July 2018
11-13 But Mary of Magdala stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”
13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”
17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
18 Mary went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.
Today is her Feast Day. Today we pause and celebrate this remarkable woman. What do we know about Mary of Magdala? Well, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction and slander but let’s see what we can learn.
First, let’s address some of the slander. Legend (or church tradition) has linked Mary with the “sinful woman” who anointed Jesus’ feet in Luke 7:36-50. This created (or added to) the long held view that Mary was a prostitute or very promiscuous woman. Others have suggested that she was Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.4 And lastly, some have maintained the view that she was either Jesus’ wife or, at the very least, had a sexual relationship with him.5 But there’s little to no scriptural basis for any of these conclusions.6
Second, what do we know about Mary of Magdala? We know Jesus threw out “seven demons” from her (Luke 8.2; cf. Mark 16.9-11). We know that she was one of the women who traveled with Jesus who “used their considerable means to provide for the company” (Luke 8.3).
We also know that she’s mentioned in all four gospels a dozen times, more than some of “the twelve.” And all four gospels put her among the women at Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.7
However, while the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel includes this story from our Lesson, John’s Gospel is the only one that contains the intimate conversation. And it’s one of the most powerful stories ever recorded.
Leading up to our Lesson today, Mary arrived “early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark.” When she found the tomb had been disturbed — the stone had been moved away from the entrance to the tomb — she ran to tell Peter and John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (vv. 1-2). They all raced back to the tomb and Peter and John went inside the tomb. After examining its contents, Peter and John went back home while Mary stayed behind (vv. 3-10).
It’s there, still early in the morning, when Mary has this sacred encounter.
The definition of an apostle of Jesus is “someone having witnessed the resurrection being commissioned and empowered by the resurrected Lord to proclaim the gospel.” We see that actually happen in our Lesson. Jesus told Mary, “Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God’” (verse 17). John tells us she did just that (verse 18). So, the resurrected Jesus just “commissioned and empowered” his first apostle — Mary of Magdala.
Let that sink in. The first apostle wasn’t Peter or John or James. It wasn’t Matthew or Mark or Paul. Jesus’ first apostle wasn’t even a man. No. Jesus’ first apostle was a woman. A woman who has been slandered and maligned for centuries. It’s almost like John is continuing his re-telling of the ancient story of creation only this time, everything works out right (cf. Genesis 3.1-8; John 20.11-18). That is — if I can say this without causing any hurtful feelings — it’s as though our Lesson “redeems” Eve.8 In the Genesis account, the woman listens to “the serpent” and falls to temptation. She then tells the man and he falls, too. But here, in our Lesson, the woman listens to Christ and believes. She then tells others and they believe, too.
Mary doesn’t succumb to fear or the societal norms of her day because she’s a woman. No. She has seen the risen Christ. He called her by name. She has been renewed. She has been made to be her true self, her child-of-God self (John 1.9-13). And she has been empowered to spread the Good News. So she does just that. She tells others. And they believe and tell others. And those others believe and continue to tell the story.
And the whole world has Mary of Magdala to thank for the spreading of the Gospel.
All-Loving God, whose risen Son first entrusted Mary of Magdala with the good news of his resurrection: grant that we may continue her legacy and serve you and the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. May the Light and Life of the Resurrected Christ shine in us and through us to all. For all glory, honor, and worship belong to You, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
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1. Scripture quotations marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
2. This link takes you to the texts as they appear in The Common English Bible. As I’ve said before, The Message doesn’t contain the Apocrypha but The Common English Bible does. And one of the readings, Judith, comes from the Apocrypha.
3. Or, as she’s sometimes called, Mary Magdalene. I prefer Mary of Magdala for the simple fact that Magdala was where she was from and not her last name. I mean, we don’t call Jesus, “Jesus Nazarene.” We call him Jesus of Nazareth.
4. Meyers, Carol, ed. (2000). “Named Women: Mary 3 (Magdalene)”. Women in Scripture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. p. 122.
5. She’s a central figure in several Gnostic Gospels including The Gospel of Thomas where she seems to always be at odds with Peter. See saying 114.
6. It wasn’t until the late 1960’s that Mary’s identification with Mary of Bethany and the “sinful woman” was removed from the General Roman Calendar.
7. The Synoptic Gospels place her at Jesus’ burial, too.
8. I’m not trying “blame” Eve for the “fall” as many traditions do. The Bible is quite clear that Adam is to blame (see Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15).
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