Mary Magdalene - Diligent Service (Part One)

Mary Magdalene has a legacy of diligent service. She was a faithful servant to Christ and the disciples as they traveled, as Jesus went to the cross, and as he was carried to the tomb. Her great devotion was rewarded with her being the first to witness the resurrected Lord.

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