The Story of Mary Magdalene

Did you know that Mary Magdalene is mentioned over 12 times in scripture? That may sound like a small number but in reality it is more times than some of the disciples and apostles. There is so much to learn from our sister Mary Magdalene, because by the looks of it she was certainly favored. I mean, in Mark 16:9 we even learn that Mary was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection. Based on what I have learned about Mary Magdalene's story of coming to Christ; she is what I would call a Saved Seed! Let us take a dive into scripture, to learn more:

PRAYER BREAK:

Before we get into our word, I just want to pray with anyone who may be reading this. Prayer is my way of feeling close to the Lord, and a way that I am able to call unto Him to keep Him at the center of my Bible studies. It can be challenging to dissect and understand all the different messages in the Bible. But, I find that when I pray, the Holy Spirit truly makes it easier for me to understand what the Lord is trying to teach, and tell me. As we dive into the word, I would like to say this prayer...

Our Father in Heaven,

Thank you for all that you do. I want to take this time to thank you for bringing us together, through your works and wonders. Thank you Lord for fellowship, for bringing people into our path that can provide insights, interpretation, ideas, wisdom, knowledge, conviction, and all else. Thank you Lord for being a compassionate God, for being willing to love us as we learn and come to you. Thank you for stories that help us to learn, that offer us a blueprint, and a template. Thank you for giving us direction, instruction, and for allowing us to be able to learn from others that came before us. Thank you for loving and reaching us, even when we are far from deserving. Thank you for your Word, and for the Holy Spirit, that help us to be reached, and to stay connected to you. For Lord you didn't have to provide us with anything, but to strengthen our faith, you have given us everything, and so much more. You have given us signs, testimonies, stories, your word, undying and unconditional love, compassion, grace, the Holy Spirit, and so much more than we deserve. Thank you Lord for seeing us, even in our brokenness, for seeing even a little bit of good, that you restore and reveal. Thank you for choosing us, for giving us chance, after chance, Lord we are far from deserving, yet you love us still, Thank you. Lord, I pray that as we learn about Mary Magdalene, we can strive to put ourselves in her position, I pray that through the exploration of her story we can be inspired, and draw ourselves closer to you. For Lord, you saw Mary Magdalene when nearly everyone else would have chosen to be blind to her. Lord, I pray that in that same way, though we are far from deserving you can find even just a sliver of favor in us, so we can grow to have faith like Mary.

Thank you Lord for your goodness,

I pray for forgiveness for our sins, and for the strength and will to do better,

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen.

Luke 8

In the book of Luke in chapter 8 verse 1-3 reads "After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 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.

Now when I read this I found it very interesting that though the story discusses and acknowledges that there was more than one woman who was cured, Mary Magdalene ended up being discussed further in scripture. It's beautiful the way that the Lord saw her through- and no shade to the other girlies, because they too were offering support, and I am sure they had their purpose. But it's like sometimes in groups, you may feel belittled, or like you're just a small irrelevant piece of a bigger story. Yet, the Lord found favor in her, he saw her from within the group, and He can do that for you too. Sometimes we knock ourselves and start to question whether or not we are even that "special." This can lead us to feel unseen, invaluable, and mediocre but the Lord is like nah, I see you. The way that the Lord recognized Mary Magdalene, and helped her to prosper, it seemed to me like a larger metaphor. It's like just as the world gets you to think less of yourself, The Lord reminds you how much he loves, sees, and holds you close to His heart. Girl, you are that special in light of the Lord!

Now, if you're coming from my last post (and if you are not, why don't you just gon ahead and read that hahah), you already know about The Parable of The Sower, which can be found in verses 4-15. Since we dug into that story in the last blog, I ask that you refresh yourself of it, as I expand on it some more.

Now when it comes to Mary Magdalene, girllll, I feel like the entire course of her life in the Bible is a testimony, and there is actually some foreshadowing too. Mary received the seed, which was the Word of Jesus Christ, and to Christ she became a seed because she received the word (look at me getting into biblical language). When Mary accepted Jesus, she became a seed to the best and almighty sower. Based on what I know about her Mary can be described as one of good soil, not only did she hear the word, just like Jesus described in this story, she understood it. And eventually through her actions she produced a crop, larger than what was originally sown. I say this because it can be seen through Mary's commitment to the Lord, she offered so much that we are still learning from. Whether it was through discipleship, servitude, or her unwavering faith, it was clear that she was of noble and good heart, and she stood firm in her position. Mary heard the word, retained it, and chose to walk along side Christ quite literally until the very end of His life here on earth, and even after. Based on societies standards Mary should have died from those evil spirits and diseases, not only that she should have been forgetten about, outcasted and left for dead so that her issues didn't effect anybody else. Yet, instead she was seen, loved, healed, and favored by the Lord. And, I prophesize that in that same way you will be seen, loved, healed, and favored by the Lord, just like Mary!

You know after reading this story, and as I wrote this initially I really wanted to figure out more about how exactly Mary even came to Jesus. Let me just say, I struggled, hard, because I try to find as much context as I can from the Bible directly before using other sources. Now, I am very careful about saying too often that Christ will meet you where you are at, because while it is very true, we are also reminded as Christians that we should seek the Lord with all of our heart and soul, because in seeking Him He will be found. So I searched and searched to figure out if Mary came to Jesus first, or if he had been traveling and came across her on that path. While I can't say I know what that answer is directly, I pray that the Holy Spirit, may answer that for us. But based on what I have read I believe that the Lord was doing what He does best. We'll get back to this point...

John 20:11-18

Now bear with me here, because we are about to make some connections. As I was pondering in my questions around how Mary and Jesus initially came together, the Holy Spirit brought me to John 20: 11-18 where it read:

"11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb

12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Realize as Jesus said this to her in this moment, He was there.

Sister, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE.

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.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

After some rereading, thought, and prayer, it was like the Holy Spirit gave me an answer. In this story Mary was crying, she was hurt, felt lost, and Christ felt far from her. Yet Christ asked her "why are you crying, who is it that you are looking for." All along he was right there. As she cried, he was there, though she was hurt and thought she was alone, he was there. I thought that this was a full circle moment, because I can imagine how Mary must have felt when the demons and disease had her captive. It's actually interesting because Mary went to the tomb to seek the Lord, and the Lord was also there. Now let me just say something about God's timing, it is truly unmatched. Isn't it amazing that simultaneously as she seeked him, he was there, in fact there in her brokenness, sorrow, and defeat... could that have been how they also met in the beginning?

Mary: A Saved Seed

Like I have probably said many times thus far Mary is a very beautiful example of what I would describe as a Saved Seed. Mary was just a seed, who still needed prepping. But nonetheless the Lord saw her potential. He healed, refined her, held her closely, watched over her, took care of her, and nurtured her. He made her good, and ready to be a disciple. Now remember how I mentioned that she was favored, and that her testimony had impact. In Mark 15:9 it reads "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. She went and told those who had been with him, and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him they did not believe her."

How special must have Mary been to be the first person that Christ would visit after resurrection. Mary embodied unwaivering faith. Many like Thomas, would have questioned, something as unfathomable as resurrection. Let me just also mention that for this reason Mary is a testimony too. It can be you you, that is that faithful. One of my favorite sayings to my brothers and sisters in Christ is that today, right now in this moment, God could whisper one word to you, and put you further than I could ever be in my walk. One thing I love about the Bible is it reminds you that you are that special, you are that purposeful, God loves you that much. It could be the richest most successful person in the room, or the poorest, it could be the most faithful or the most shaken, when God says it's you, IT IS YOU! Something tells me the Lord had a very strong reason for picking Mary, the same lady who had the demons and diseases, the same woman visited first after resurrection. The same Mary that would have been outcasted by the world became a woman who lives on in our faith. Her testimony was so strong that we are still learning about it, to this day. And let me tell you something about the Lord, He can and will do it for you too!

There is so much to learn from Mary,

and I am so glad we can do it together,

God is calling you, it is your time too sis!

With Love,

Ebaisin Fessie