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blogging, DaVinci Code, faith, hope, insanitybytes22, love, Mary Magdalene, Peter, women
So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”– John 20:2
A couple of things come to mind about Mary Magdalene today. In pop culture she is presented as young, beautiful, often a former prostitute. But we really don’t know these things at all. We know Jesus cast some demons out of her and she became a loyal and much beloved follower. It is however, quite possible that she was an older woman, perhaps one of some wealth and means who helped to finance the disciples.
Mary Magdalene is often portrayed as a young, beautiful, the redeemed harlot, but these things are not even in the bible. They are really only speculation, legend, myth. We don’t even know how old she was. She could have been a widow or a merchant, a teen ager or a much older woman.
Mary is the first one Jesus Christ appears to after He has risen, after she finds the tomb empty. “Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” She does not recognize Jesus Christ until He says her name and then, suspended in that moment of time, Mary Magdalene alone becomes “the church.” She is the only person in the whole world who has born witness to the good news, to the resurrection. She alone carries the whole gospel in her hands. And Jesus says, go and tell my brothers.
We don’t really know how long Mary alone was “the church,” a few hours perhaps, but suspended right there in that moment, she was all there was. That is true of all of us, we are all Mary Magdalene at some random point in time, the only one carrying the Hope of the world inside of ourselves, for a fraction of a moment. There are moments in time where you become the only one someone sees when they are seeking Christ. That’s a huge responsibility.
Peter is my favorite disciple for a number of reasons, but one is that he listens to Mary. He is the one who comes to check out the empty tomb. The disciples are all grieving, not really believing, and Mary must go back to them with the simple news, “I have seen the Lord!”
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to tell people, “I have seen the Lord!” but most of them will just look at you like you’re nuts. Sure you have, uh huh. Why would He even appear to you, of all people? He Himself said He would rise, it is in prophecy, but often seeing is believing. Most of the disciples actually had to see Jesus in the flesh in order to believe. Peter though, he listens. He is willing to at least check it out. How comforting that must have been to Mary, to no longer carry that burden alone.
Pop culture and books like the DaVinci Code often try to create strife between Mary Magdalene and Peter. There are elaborate conspiracy theories woven around the idea that Magdalene may have been Christ’s wife, that Peter hijacked her role, that she was bumped out of the story, edited out of the history of the early church in some kind of power struggle between men and women. I don’t get that impression at all.
Those are all modern interpretations of the story. If you think about it, power struggles within the very early church are pretty unlikely, given the fact that your discipleship was likely to just end in torture and death anyway. John is probably the only one who lived long enough to see the isle of Patmos. People seldom compete for poverty, low status, and the right to be on the wrong side of the authorities.
Women in the early church were actually not oppressed and edited out of the story as the modern world often tries to portray. You can read about Priscilla, Lydia, the woman with the purple cloth, Phoebe, in the bible, and hear Paul’s affection for them all in his many words, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe…..that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints..”
Women may well have been the very ones who carried and delivered Paul’s letters, just as Mary once carried the good news herself.
kimberlyharding said:
Thought this was very interesting.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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Matthew Winters Ministries said:
Women are often discredited in certain Christian circles. Many more played a part in the early church than some want to give credit.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Absolutely. You can really hear that come across when you read the bible, especially in Paul’s words.
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newenglandsun said:
She was tormented by seven demons when we first encounter her. The seven demons represent the seven sins which would make her situation prior to coming to Christ a lot worse than just a prostitute. But she is a story of resurrection and redemption throughout.
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newenglandsun said:
Another development in the Hagiography is that the Ever-Virgin Mary was the first to see the risen Lord. The reason why the New Testament does not state this is to prevent Mary from being consumed by pride.
Other than those flaws, it’s a great post as usual.
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Julie (aka Cookie) said:
you know..she was never said to be a prostitute, but rather just as you say, demons were cast out.
and if He touched my head…who knows how many demons would be cast out….
And now lovely…she was the first to see Him resurrected—-ahhh, that there is hope
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patrickhawthorne01 said:
You know… I never thought of it but you are right. She WAS the 1st member of the Church. She WAS the Church for however long it took to tell others.
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insanitybytes22 said:
It’s fascinating to ponder isn’t it? And so simple, the essence of what it means to be “the church,” I mean.
“I saw the Lord! Now go and tell the others.” That really is the gospel in a nutshell.
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Holistic Wayfarer said:
Appreciate the thoughtful tracking of the stories. And all those references to the women…at such a patriarchal time.
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MJThompson said:
How I hope you never grow tired of my compliments, or worse – become suspicious of my sincerity. But, once again, you’ve succeeded in trolling the depths of the richest insights and very simply invited the less fortunate to share in God’s wisdom through your blog.
Right to the point – Mary is the 1st ‘evangelist’. Extolling on her anonymity (her unknown age, social status, wealth, etc.) propels the underlying reality – that we all, like she, have been given our own Gospel to proclaim. Sharing what WE know about Christ, from OUR unique perspective (our own personal relationship with Him) is THE important moral to the story!
OUR humble conclusion is – NONE of us are anything special, ordinary folk as we are – but what Christ has done for me, in me, and through me, He can and wants to do with YOU! To all the Marys, Priscillas, and ‘ordinary’ women – know that you are so appreceiated “in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints..” Thanks for this, and may God continue to richly bless you!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate them. I need your perspective, too. It gives me something to chew on and ponder. 🙂
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Anna Waldherr said:
Thank you for this encouraging post, Gabrielle. Mary Magdalene has always held an appeal for me. Have a Happy New Year!
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Pastor Randy said:
Once again you go through the shallow veneer of accepted thought and dive deep into the waters of God’s amazing wisdom! Men who discredit women like Mary and all those other women, and you, are a discredit to the testosterone race. Shame on those men! Happy New Year!
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