We have recently been studying about some of the women of the bible who had strong faith. I would like to continue that theme this morning by talking about Mary Magdalene; another woman who had exceptionally strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
She was called Mary Magdalene because she was from a town called Magdala and that town’s citizens were called Magdalenes. Her name is mentioned 12 times in the Gospels – more than any other woman and more than most of the men.
In these women of strong faith, we also see women who were very involved in the works of God. I find it rather odd that today, many churches still believe that women should only be able to teach children, other women, or do the cooking at our Pot Luck lunches. But in the ministry of Jesus Christ, we see a much different perspective about women serving God.
There were many women involved in Jesus’ ministry, and they supported His ministry in various ways. And they were always there near to Jesus and the disciples.
MARK 15:40-41 -
“40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee, these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.”
And so, by simply reading Scriptures, we know that women, including Mary Magdalen, were very important to Jesus and to His ministry. And I do not see anywhere in Scripture that these women were relegated to only being able to teach children or other women.
What does this show us today? It shows that everybody, no matter who they are, can be very important to Jesus’ ministry, too. Yes, men and women are different; made by God to be different, but when it comes to serving God through the Lord Jesus, men and women are all called to stand strong and serve in every way they are able.
JOEL 2:28 –
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
GALATIANS 3:28 –
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The point I am making here is we should strive to see things, not as man tends to see them, but as God sees them. And we should do that so we can better serve Him as He wishes us to do so. There is nothing of chance in God’s realm; it is all pre-ordained by Him to happen. If that is so, then who did He choose to be the first people to see that the tomb had been opened? It was not the men, but the women.
JOHN 20:1 –
"Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb."
Who was it that the LORD appointed to be the first one to see Jesus after He arose? It was Mary Magdalene.
MARK 16:9 –
“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.”
I think we can safely say that women were, and still are, very important to the ministry, and not just in the ways some still believe them to be. Keeping that in mind, what do we really know about this woman called Mary Magdalene?
In verse 9, which I just read, it tells us that she had seven demonic spirits in her that Jesus drove out of her. Wow! Can you just imagine the wonderful freedom she felt when that burden was lifted? She had been living a life of absolute misery and then she was free! No wonder she then chose to dedicate herself to following Jesus!
To be indwelt by seven evil spirits, she would have been emotionally, mentally and maybe even physically, battered and bruised. She was living a life under that dark cloud that was not really worth living. The number 7 is the biblical number meaning ‘completeness’. So, by having 7 demons in her, we know she was completely controlled by those demons and she was completely miserable - that is, until Jesus set her free!
JOHN 8:36 gives us a Godly promise of what we can expect in Jesus Christ.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
We are familiar with how the Apostle Paul had his life changed when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, but we sometimes forget that other people also had their lives drastically transformed by Him, too.
IN LUKE 8, beginning in verse 1, we read where Jesus travelled the country side talking to people, and with him were several women.
LUKE 8:2-3 tells us about some of these women.
“2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”
These women were not just ‘some women’ who followed Jesus. These women were accomplished women. Joanna, for instance, was the manager of the king’s household. She was an executive! And we find many Christian women in the New Testament who were business owners, land owners, etc. And as Jesus was dying upon the cross, we find that there were many women followers there.
MARK 15:40-41, talks about some of the women who were there.
“40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.”
I also find it odd that at Jesus’ crucifixion, there is only one male disciple mentioned – and he was John. It seems the other men may have been hiding in fear that they, too, might have been crucified.
The men and women who followed Jesus did so because they were called by God into a ministry that helped Christ. And today, we find that God is still calling both men and women into the same ministry. It has been said that we are all called to do the exact same thing; only in different ways.
That time in history was a very bad and dark time. In many ways, the rule of law was replaced by the rule of hate; the rule of compassion replaced with the rule of persecution. The crucifixion of our Lord shows just how bad a time it really was.
Those men and women who followed Jesus to Jerusalem in hopes of sharing the Passover Feast with Him. What started out to be a joyous occasion quickly turned very bad. We read where Jesus was arrested after the supper and was sentenced to die upon the cross. I cannot begin to imagine the grief, fear, and uncertainty these men and women felt.
Mary Magdalene had gone from being a very sinful woman who had multiple demons in her, to meeting Jesus, to being saved. From that point on, her devotion to God never failed or waivered. She helped Jesus as He spread the Good News. She was with Him as he helped and healed people. She was with Him when he was arrested. And now, she was with Him as he died upon the cross. Soon, she would be with Him as she helped anoint His body for burial.
Today, many Christians love Jesus, too, but I think very few of them would be as devoted to Him or as willing to follow Him in His earthly ministry, especially if it meant they would stand the chance of being severely persecuted themselves.
Normally, they would anoint the body immediately after death, but they had to wait until the Sabbath was over. And when they did go to the tomb, they expected Jesus to still be there. On their way to the tomb, the women wondered who would help them roll the heavy stone away from the opening. But when they got there, and to their great surprise, the stone was already moved! And they saw a man in white was sitting on it!
MATTHEW 28:2 tells us who moved the stone and who that man was.
“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat upon it.”
The guards were so afraid of the angel, they fell to the ground as dead men. THEY FAINTED!
Mary Magdalene stood by the tomb’s opening and she was crying. She had not only lost her friend, she had lost her Savior. To her, right then there was no more hope! And the grief she felt was more than she could bear so she broke down in heavy tears, just as we would have done.
JOHN 20:14, tells of a man standing beside her. She did not recognize Him, but that man was Jesus Christ, the risen Savior and Son of God Almighty! He asked why she was crying, and through her tears and difficulty catching her breath between sobs, she said, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have taken him to.”
In MATTHEW 28:6, we read what the man lovingly said to her:
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”
As these words were being spoken, life on earth changed. What had been a hope, now became a proof. A proof of eternal life that each one of us can also have, but only through a solid belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God.
JOHN 20:16 tells us what he said next.
“Jesus saith unto her, ‘Mary’. She turned, and said unto him, ‘Rabboni’ which means, Master.
All He had to do was just mention her name and as the sheep comes when they hear their master’s voice, she instantly came to Him. She heard her Savior! Can you imagine the joy she felt at that moment? Yes, I am sure she had questions, but her joy over-shadowed any questions she had.
She fell to his feet and clung to him, but He told her what He had already told his disciples. And that is recorded in the following verse.
JOHN 16:7 –
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Holy Spirit will not come to you; but if I go, I will be able to send him to you.”
And in JOHN 20:17, Jesus told her -
“Don't cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go find my brothers and tell them.”
Do you remember when I said that even today, many churches feel as if women shouldn’t take active roles in God’s church? When Jesus told Mary to go and tell the others, He made her the first preacher of the new Gospel. Her message was short, but it held all the wonder of God. That message was simply, “JESUS IS ALIVE!”
ACTS 2:17-18 speaks of what He will do in the Last Days.
“17 In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even to all my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
And so, God rewards all of his faithful by letting us (both men and women alike) work for Him in a variety of ways. He does not forbid any of us to serve Him based upon what gender we are. And this women named Rahab is a testimony of the strength of faith that enables both male and female to work unhindered for the glory of the LORD!
Let us pray.
