A.One of the best servants that the Lord ever had on earth was Mary Magdalene.
B.Presently, let us study the life of Mary Magdalene so that we may learn from her godly example.
II.THE STORY OF MARY MAGDALENE
A.The name “Magdalene” indicates that Mary was from a place called Magdala.
1.Magdala or Magadan was a place on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee about three miles north of Tiberias.It is mentioned only in Matthew 15:39 (called “Dalmanutha” in Mark 8:10).
2.There were many women named Mary (Greek form of Miriam) in Judea and Galilee during the first century.The New Testament mentions at least six women by this name, so Mary Magdalene’s surname was a way of differentiating her from the others.
B.Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene.
1.Mary was a one of several women whom Jesus healed of evil spirits and sicknesses while He was in Galilee (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:1-3).
2.It appears that Mary and these women followed Jesus and ministered to Him for the rest of His ministry (Matt. 27:55-56; Mark 15:41).
C.Mary Magdalene was present when Jesus was crucified.
1.For at least part of the time that Jesus was on the cross, Mary Magdalene stood by the cross with the Lord’s mother (John 19:25).
2.She was also looking on from a distance when Jesus died (Matt. 27:50-56; Mark 15:37-41).
3.She was present at the tomb when Joseph of Arimathea buried the body of Jesus (Matt. 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-27; Luke 23:50-55).
D.Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the Lord after His resurrection.
1.On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other women brought spices to the tomb in order to anoint the Lord’s body, but they found the tomb open and His body gone (Matt. 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10).
a.Immediately after the Lord’s burial, these women had prepared spices and perfumes, and then they rested on the Sabbath (Luke 23:56).On the third day, they went to the tomb.
b.It appears from John’s account that Mary Magdalene ran immediately to tell Peter and John about the open tomb.They came found the tomb empty.
2.While Mary Magdalene was outside the tomb weeping, Jesus appeared first to her (Matt. 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18).
a.Mary Magdalene was distraught because the Lord’s body was missing.When she stooped to look into the tomb, she saw two angels.Matthew and Mark recorded that one of the angels declared the Lord’s resurrection and commanded Mary and the other women to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen and that they were to go into Galilee where they would see Him.
b.When Mary Magdalene turned around, she saw Jesus alive.
i.At first she supposed that He was the gardener (keeper of the graveyard), but then she recognized Him when He spoke her name.
ii.Matthew recorded that the other women saw Jesus also, and they worshiped Him.
iii.John wrote that Jesus told Mary Magdalene to stop clinging to Him and to tell the disciples of His impending ascention.Matthew wrote that the women were also told to tell the disciples to leave for Galilee.
c.When Mary Magdalene and the other women reported these things to the disciples, they did not believe what they heard (Mark 16:10-11; Luke 24:11).
E.It is appears likely that Mary Magdalene was present on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came on the apostles.
1.After Jesus ascended into heaven, the apostles returned to Jerusalem and went to an upper room.In that upper room with the apostles were Mary the mother of Jesus, His brothers, and “the women” (Acts 1:14).It seems that these women must be the same women who had ministered to the Lord throughout His ministry, and Mary Magdalene was one of them.
2.If indeed Mary Magdalene was in that upper room, then surely she was still with the multitude in Jerusalem a few days later when the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles.
III.LESSONS FROM MARY’S LIFE
A.Mary Magdalene’s story gives us an example of the Lord’s power to save.
1.Having seven demons, Mary Magdalene would have been a castoff among her people, but Jesus rescued her when no one else could.
a.We do not know how the demons affected her, but some of the maladies associated with demon possession in the New Testament were blindness, deafness, muteness, and insanity.One demon was enough to cause any of these, so Mary’s seven demons likely caused severe affliction.
b.Whereas others may have rejected Mary Magdalene or were powerless to help her, Jesus had mercy on her and saved her from a wretched and miserable condition.
2.The Lord likewise rescues those who lost in sin, despised, and beyond the help of others.
a.Christ said that His purpose in coming to the world was “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).He lived out this purpose by going to tax-gatherers, harlots, and other sinners whom the world had rejected and teaching them the way to salvation through Him.
b.Today, Christians are the Lord’s agents for reaching those who are lost in sin and teaching them the gospel of Christ, which is “the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).No one should be excluded from hearing Christ’s gospel.
B.Mary Magdalene’s life is an example of gratitude and devotion.
1.The Scripture indicates that Mary Magdalene spent the rest of the Lord’s life ministering to Him after He had cast the seven demons from her (Matt. 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41).
a.Her service was evidence of her gratitude to the Lord for the good He had done for her.It is also proof of her faith and love (Jas. 2:15-17; 1John 3:17-18).
b.Although the Bible does not record anything about Mary Magdalene’s later days, it is reasonable to expect that she continued her pattern of faithful service in gratitude toward the Lord.
2.Like Mary Magdalene, Christians should live in gratitude and devotion to the Lord for His blessings of forgiveness, salvation, and the hope of eternal life.
a.Our spiritual blessings in Christ are far greater than even the blessings Mary Magdalene received when the Lord cast the demons from her.Therefore, our gratitude toward Christ should be expressed through an even greater service to Him.
b.The service we render to the Lord should be whatever He desires of us, for He is our Lord and has bought us with His own blood (1Cor. 6:19-20; 1Pet. 1:18-19).He has said Himself, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15), so let us serve Him in gratitude as He has commanded us.
C.Mary Magdalene was one of the best witnesses of the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.
1.Mary Magdalene could say “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18) in a way that almost no one else could say.
a.She was literally an eyewitness to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which are the facts of first importance in the gospel (1Cor. 15:1-4).
b.She was the one who brought the first report of Christ’s resurrection to the apostles even though they did not believe her.
2.If Mary Magdalene was such a good witness, then why didn’t she become an apostle or a gospel preacher?
a.If ever there was a person qualified to bear witness of the Lord, it was Mary Magdalene.
b.However, Jesus did not appoint her to be an apostle or an evangelist because He has placed restrictions upon women teaching men based upon the order of creation (1Cor. 14:34; 1Tim. 2:11-15).
c.The point for us to learn is that if the Lord did not appoint Mary Magdalene to preach the gospel to men, then no other women should preach to men either.
IV.CONCLUSION
A.Mary Magdalene’s story is a beautiful tale of salvation, gratitude, service, faith, and love.
B.May her godly example inspire us all to a higher level of faith and service in our Lord.
