Page 132 - laten-08-06-2020

Mary Magdalene

Last at the Cross and First at the Tomb

John 20: 1-18
Introduction

e know very little about Mary Magdalene, but her name
Wis mentioned 14 times in the Gospels. That is, more
than any male follower of Christ except the three in the inner
circle-Peter, James, and John. From the New Testament, one can
conclude that Mary of Magdala (her hometown, a village on the
shore of the Sea of Galilee) was a leading figure among those
who followed Jesus. When the men in that company abandoned
him at the hour of mortal danger, Mary of Magdala was one of
the women who stayed with him, even to the Crucifixion. She
was present at the tomb, the first person to whom Jesus appeared
after his resurrection and the first to preach the “Good News” of
that miracle. These are among the few specific assertions made
about Mary Magdalene in the Gospels. From other texts of the
early Christian era, it seems that her status as an “apostle,” in
the years after Jesus’ death, rivaled even that of Peter. Many have
mistakenly identified her as a prostitute before she came to Jesus,
but there is no historical evidence to prove that claim. In fact,
there is ample evidence that a confusion of the many "Mary's" of
the New Testament led to the common misconception.

Mary Magdalene is clearly identified in the Scriptures
as the woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. How
grateful she must have been, and how quickly and completely
she fell into line to follow her Deliverer! Mary Magdalene is not
only seen at the foot of the Cross, maintaining her devotion to
her Lord to the end but following to the sepulcher to confirm
where He was buried. Then, on that great Resurrection morning,
Mary Magdalene was the first to arrive at the open tomb and to
proclaim to the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead.

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Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People