Tuesday 22 July 2025
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out... (v. 2)
Background
You must forgive me if today’s Word in Time feels a tad familiar. I’ve written previously about Mary Magdalene and while popular films, TV shows and books continue to make casual references to Mary being a prostitute, I will continue to insist on telling her story as it appears in the Bible. Mary, commissioned by Jesus to be the first to share the good news of the resurrection, simply deserves better.
The unflattering myths that have attached themselves to Mary Magdalene stem, in part, from how she is often confused with the woman who appears in all four gospels who anoints Jesus’ feet or head and who is described by Luke as a ‘sinner’ (7:37) and by John as Jesus’ friend, Mary of Bethany (12:3). Over the centuries, Mary of Bethany, Mary Magdalene, and Luke’s anonymous ‘sinful woman’ have somehow become conflated, and many have taken the leap from ‘sinful’ to ‘prostitute'.
So what does the Bible actually tell us about Mary, called Magdalene?
It tells us, in today’s passage, that Jesus healed Mary, setting her free from seven demons (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). It tells us, also in today’s passage, that Mary, in her gratitude, supported Jesus financially in his ministry (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 8:2-3). (The fact that she was able to do so, and that she appears to have been known by her place of origin, rather than her husband’s name, suggests she was unusually a wealthy woman of independent means.)
The Bible also tells us that she followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem (Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41). It tells us that she, along with other women, was brave enough to look on as Jesus was crucified and buried, when many of his male disciples had fled (Matthew 27:55-56, 61; Mark 15:40, 47; John 19:25). It tells us that she went to the tomb early in the morning on the first Easter Day and, according to John’s Gospel, was the first person to see the risen Christ and to be commissioned with the task of sharing the good news – she was the first evangelist in fact (John 20:1-18).
To Ponder:
- Today’s Methodist Way of Life station is ‘challenge.’ I’d like to ‘challenge’ you to read through all the Bible passages referenced above, and to digest Mary’s story as we have it in the gospels. What surprises or interests you?
- What would you like to ask Mary Magdalene, if you could? How do you think she might respond?
Bible notes author: The Revd Naomi Oates
Naomi is a Methodist minister, currently serving in four churches across five communities in the North Kent Circuit. When not being rugby-tackled by her two young children, she enjoys cycling, baking and reading Golden Age detective fiction (although not all at the same time).