Who Was Mary Magdalene in The Bible?
Did you know that Mary Magdalene was called the “Sinner” Woman?
People called Mary the Sinner woman because there were so many rumors against her. And people thought that she was the woman who had a romantic relationship with Jesus, but she was not. Those traditions are not proven by the Bible. She was actually a very pure and virtuous woman. She was very rich, because of which she gave a lot of financial support to Jesus and his companions. She was Mary who gave the testimony of Jesus’ resurrection after death. She was a faithful woman.
Introduction
Mary is very important in Christianity. In the Bible, her position is very high. Mary was a very faithful disciple of Jesus. There are also some scandals about Mary and Jesus. But those are false traditions because Mary and Jesus only had the relationship of teacher and disciple. There was no wrong relationship between them. But in some places it is found that there was a love and attraction between them and there are some romantic stories which we will also discuss. According to the bible, it’s nothing like that, these are false stories. So, Mary and Jesus had a very pure relationship. Mary was the first woman to see Jesus resurrected and it was she who told all the other disciples that Jesus had risen again. Now let’s discuss Mary in detail.
Verse
“And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;” (Luke 8:2)
Verse
“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.” (Mark 16:9)
Background of Mary Magdalene
Mary belonged to a city called Magardala. That city was located in Galilee. Galilee was an area where people used to catch fish a lot. Most of the people there made a living by fishing. Mary is known for its city of Magardala; hence the original name of Mary was Mary of Magardala. Mary was suffering from a disease; her spiritual disease was that she was possessed by seven demons. Jesus threw out these seven demons from her life and helped Mary. Since then, Jesus and Mary had an honorable teacher-disciple relationship which Mary carried until her death. That is why Mary has a lot of importance in the Christian community.
Verse
“And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;” (Luke 8:2)
Verse
“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.” (Mark 16:9)
Role of Mary Magdalene
Mary was always faithful to Jesus and made many sacrifices to be a good disciple. Mary was always with Jesus and helped him in preaching. Mary supported Jesus in every aspect of her life and helped the other disciples as well. When Jesus was crucified, Mary was present along with Mary (the mother of Jesus) and the rest of the disciples. When Jesus rose again after death, Mary saw Him firstly and this news was conveyed to the rest of the disciples by Mary. She had a very important role in the life of Jesus.
Verse
“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.” (Luke 8:1-3)
Verse
“Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” (Matthew 27:55-56)
Relationship Between Jesus And Mary Magdalene
Mary was a disciple of Jesus and a very special disciple because she helped Jesus in every way. Some traditions give the wrong impression between Mary and Jesus. According to them Mary and Jesus had a love relationship and something romantic. There are also novels but this is a lie because the Bible does not confirm that there was an unethical relationship between Mary and Jesus. They had a pure relationship and that was the relationship of teacher and disciple.
Verse
“And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;” (Luke 8:2)
“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.” (Mark 16:9)
Scandals Between Mary Magdalene And Jesus
Some people say that Mary and Jesus had a romantic relationship and there are references to it in some novels and the Gospels. But according to Christian leaders, this is completely wrong and is not confirmed by the Bible. There is a novel called the Da Vinci Code. In this novel, it is stated that Jesus and Mary had a romantic relationship and she was the wife of Jesus. Mary and Jesus also had children. But this novel is fabricated; it has nothing to do with reality. A Gospel of Philip also mentions that Mary and Jesus had a very close relationship.
Mary Magdalene Events With Jesus
Mary is also mentioned in many important events of Jesus‘ life. This shows how important Mary was for Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, Mary was there and she observes this whole incident with his own eyes. When Jesus died, he was buried in the tomb that his disciple had given him. After a few days, when Mary went to his tomb, she found Jesus alive. Mary was very surprised and told the news to the rest of the disciples that Jesus had come back to life. These were the two most important events in his life and Mary was there in both of the events.
Verse
“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” (John 19:25)
Verse
“Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 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.” (Mark 15:40-41)
Verse
- Reference: (Matthew 28:7-10)
- Reference: (John 20:11-18)
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
The personality of Mary is very popular in Christianity. She was a very courageous and loving woman. Mary was faithful to Jesus and she was with Jesus in every difficult situation. Mary is a great example for the Christian community. And she established this example by her faithfulness. Mary always helped Jesus and his disciples in every situation. This describes the greatness of Mary’s character.
