So,
let’s find out about her…
She
is first introduced in Luke 8:2 were Luke was acknowledging the women that were
traveling with Jesus and the disciples. These women were healed of infirmities
and evil spirits, with Mary Magdalene being healed specifically of seven
devils. This is again cited for us in Mark 16:9.
Mary
is among the ‘most famous’ women from the Bible… she is mentioned in all four
gospels and was the first to witness Christ after His resurrection. She is also
probably the most misrepresented woman from the Bible as well.
Without covering all the misconceptions and exaggerations of her life, we are going to focus on what we do
know, and that is that Jesus miraculously healed her of seven demons and she served Jesus
with her life after that.
Her
surname, Magdalene, came from her hometown, Magdala, rather than a family name.
Her town was mentioned in Matthew 15:39. It is a small fishing village on the
NW shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The
exact circumstances surrounding her healing are not recorded for us… when we
meet her she is already serving Jesus.
·
Verses About Mary Magdalene
Matthew 27:56, 61; 28:1
Mark 15:40-47; 16:1-11
Luke 8:2-3; 24:10
John 19:25; 20:1-18
Along
with learning about Mary Magdalene in these verses, we also learn about other
women in Jesus’ life and how they also ministered to Him and the disciples.
These women were a little out of custom for the time… they were to be home
caring for the daily household things and their families. However, these women were
probably childless or had grown children, so could follow and take care of Jesus and the disciples.
In
Mark 15:41 and Luke 8:3, we see that there were some that traveled with Jesus
and used their own finances to help out. Their responsibilities may have
included buying and preparing food, serving, and finding lodging. This
being recorded for us in the Bible shows that Jesus recognized the service of
these women and His respect for them.
Mary
Magdalene and the other women followed Jesus even to the dangerous setting of
the crucifixion – while the disciples scattered, these ladies continued
following with great love and devotion. This dedication to their Savior kept
them at the cross through His death and burial. They remained faithful.
Mary
Magdalene and Mary followed even as he was taken off the cross. They followed
the men to the tomb so they knew where He was so they could return after the Sabbath to
finish properly taking care of Him.
Although
they were grieving over their loss, they were still seeking ways to serve.
Are
we seeking ways to serve/minster?
Ephesians 3:7 (KJV) - Whereof I was made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of
God given unto me
by the effectual working of his power.
1 Peter 4:10-11 (KJV) - As every man hath received the gift,
even so minister the same one to
another,
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;
if any man
minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth:
that God in all
things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom be praise and dominion
for ever and ever. Amen.
Ministering
to others can be difficult, and even more so when we are going through a
difficult time ourselves. Mary Magdalene continued on through her sorrow. The
other ladies along with her prepared the spices and returned to the tomb early Sunday
morning.
We'll look more at her experience at the tomb in part 2...
I hope you glean something from this study on Mary Magdalene, if so, please let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!
Have a great day!
~ Amanda
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