Mary Magdalene was the first person Jesus appeared to after he was resurrected according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John. In his latest book, Unshakeable Hope, Max Lucado discusses that resurrection morning and writes,
“Jesus was the undisputed King of the universe. Ten thousand angels stood in rapt attention to serve. And what was His first act? To whom did He go? To Mary, the weeping, heartbroken woman who once had seven demons.”
We can’t be exactly sure of Jesus’ reasoning for appearing to Mary first, but this moment is just one of a collection in Mary’s testimony – a testimony which gives us a glimpse of the type of man Jesus was when ministering on Earth.
Mark and Luke both write how Mary Magdalene was the woman that Jesus cast seven demons from (Mark 16:9 & Luke 8:2 ). Essentially, her past was colourful, to say the least. Just imagine the kind of life experiences she had to attract so much evil or how she presented both physically and behaviourally to Jesus and His disciples. Jesus had human emotions and was made from flesh and blood, but his connection to divine authority gives him higher power over the evil spirits of this world. This part of Mary’s testimony illustrates that Jesus is a key figure in the spiritual battle waging on our Earth.
Jesus’ act of healing Mary from demonic possession shows the depth of his mercy and grace. Due to being a woman Mary was already an undervalued member of society and the sin in her life caused her to be an outcast. Jesus showed his true nature by not caring about her social standing. He walked this earth to help us understand that salvation is a gift for anybody willing to accept it. It doesn’t matter who they are or how deep into sin they have sunk. The love Jesus showed for Mary is a testament to the love that he has for all those feeling forsaken in their community.
Following her release from demonic bondage, Mary Magdalene became the most well known of Jesus’ female followers. The fact that Jesus had women disciples also says a lot about His character, considering he was ministering to an insanely patriarchal society and generally Rabbis had only male disciples. Jesus wasn’t afraid to go against the norm. He wasn’t afraid to demonstrate the equal value He places on all human beings. His divine love and teachings are for anybody to access, no matter your societal circumstances.
Mary Magdalene experienced the entirety of the Resurrection weekend. She was at the foot of the cross and witnessed her Master’s crucifixion (John 19:25). Matthew and Mark both recount her witnessing Jesus’ burial on Friday afternoon, prior to Sabbath (Matthew 27:61 & Mark 15:47). And then on Sunday morning, she is the first person to see Jesus resurrected, although to be fair Matthew’s account includes “the other Mary” being at the scene as well (Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:9 & John 20:11-18 [NLT]).
Mary didn’t recognise Jesus until he called her name. She immediately replied with “Rabboni”, which means teacher in Hebrew. Despite circulating theories, we can’t be completely sure why Jesus chose to see her first. Maybe Jesus saw the devotion Mary had in her heart for Him. As her “Rabboni”, perhaps Jesus knew she had a deep understanding of Him and His mission. A crucial component of Jesus’ ministry was teaching and Mary followed Him eagerly learning. He was the man that saved her from a life of horror. She would have felt the depth of His grace and forgiveness on an intimate level. She then had the wisdom to know the infinite amount of teachings Jesus had to impart. He was her “Rabboni” once again on that glorious Sunday morning.
Mary Magdalene’s story – as recorded by the bible – is a testament to who Jesus is. He showed love when casting out the evil terror that consumed her. She then devoted her life to getting to know Him and His ministry. Jesus will always come to our rescue. He will always give us the compassion He gave Mary. So let us follow Him and learn His ways with the kind of faithfulness that Mary Magdalene had.
WRITER: Jasmin Hunter, attends Livingston SDA Church (WA).